beachnomads         

Portraits of the vendors on the beach at the mediterenean sea, exposed at the“ Photogenicfestival“ in Barcelona 2018

„ beachnomads“ …Barcelona, Palermo, Isla d‘Elba
by Gab Kiess
In january 2016, I saw one of the sellers at the beach of Barceloneta, standing beside a shower,
cleaning his face.In front of him on a stone bench, an arrangement of a basket full of coconut slits and a plastic bottle of water. It was a silent and longing moment, while he watched the sea.
Normally, they are involved in the crowd of tourists on the beach…not easy to find.
The crowd protects them. They are afraid of the civil police.They are tolerated, because Barcelona is and will be a refuge city.I see friendly but also annoyed views of the tourists. But the tourists also enjoy the comfort, they give them.They could be treated with respect. But only a few do.
That‘s how the idea came about to show respect for people by portraying them.
When I met the coconutseller twice, I asked him for a portrait.He agreed, but wanted to be shown without the coconuts.

Only himself with a bottle of water, on the border between water and earth, wearing the same blue jeans like for month ago.This portrait touched me a lot.It is very reduced and in front of the sea , it emphasizes the originality of the depicted person, and opens the questionof origin. I took the picture from below, to higher his horizon.It was the first and then inbetween 2 years, I began to ask more sellers for portraits.Also in Palermo and on the Island of Elba.