The Blas de Otero Cultural Center is hosting the exhibition Al borde del aeropuerto which is part of the XX Anniversary of PHotoESPAÑA
Photographer Antonio Martín, with intellectual disabilities and member of Envera (Iberia Employees Association of Parents of People with Disabilities), has been taking pictures of the residents of the Alameda de Osuna neighborhood for more than twenty years.
The exhibition, curated by the Mingote award winner Miguel Berrocal with the support of Iberia, can be visited from April 13.
Madrid | April 11, 2019
Antonio Martín "Michael" (Madrid, 1971) became fond of photography when his father gave him his first camera on a trip. From that day on, he collects images and many other moments he wishes to remember.
With his series Al borde del aeropuerto, which was part of the latest edition of PhotoEspaña, Martín presents us with a graphic memory of the Alameda de Osuna neighborhood, located on the border of the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport. For more than twenty years he has portrayed his neighbors, friends and colleagues at the Envera Occupational Center, a non-profit organization founded by Iberia employees that cares for people with intellectual disabilities throughout their lives.
The association, whose motto is "We can all be the best at something" and which is celebrating its 43rd anniversary, has as one of its missions to publicize the potential of people with intellectual disabilities and the richness of their artistic proposals. In the case of Antonio, his graphic work, his facet as a builder of wooden models and the fact of being the only "terrevuelos" commander in the world: every hour thousands of planes take off and land but only he does it every day when, after listening to the control tower, he takes a run and "flies" to the bus that takes him to the Occupational Center.
Antonio Martín's photographs remind us that every artistic manifestation implies creativity, freedom and movement: therefore it can neither be pigeonholed nor labeled. His proposal, which also includes the short film El vuelo de Michael ( Brain Film Fest Audience Award and selected at the Reino de León and Lanzarote International Festivals) and the musical composition Éxito feliz, is an invitation to celebrate the richness of diversity.
Envera, Iberia and the Blas de Otero Cultural Center join forces to fight against ignorance and misunderstanding, inviting the public to observe carefully and challenge prejudices.
The exhibition will be inaugurated on April 13 at 12:00 noon at the Blas de Otero cultural center (Calle de Guadalajara, 12, San Sebastián de los Reyes) by the author, Antonio Martín "Michael", accompanied by the president of the cultural center, Luis Pérez, and the president of Envera, José Antonio Quintero. The opening will be followed by a screening of the short film Michael's Flight will be screened and a cineforum will be held with the participation of the protagonist and the director of the documentary, Jesús de Frutos.
