Colita

Colita, born Isabel Steva in Barcelona in 1940, is one of the most renowned names in contemporary Catalan photography. While she learned the trade of photography studying under Oriol Maspons, Julio Ubiña and Xavier Miserachs, she soon branched out into her own individualistic style. Specializing in portraiture, Colita documented the transition from dictatorship to democracy in Spain and worked with many magazines to produce strident, powerful images of liberty and sexuality. Colita, published to accompany the exhibition Colita: Porque sí! at La Pedrera, presents a broad selection from Colita’s graphic career, particularly those photographs which capture her most intimate moments. Going beyond her best-known works in documentary and portrait photography, the images collected here represent her friends, family, pleasures, ideas and best-loved places, each of which is infused with the artist’s palpable humor. Text from the exhibition curator, Laura Terré, accompanies the photographs.

An almost mythical figure of the Gauche Divine group, Spanish photographer Colita brilliantly captured the rebellious undercurrent of 1970s Barcelona, as artists and intellectuals rallied against Franco's repressive regime. Since then she has continued to photograph her beloved city. Her photographs display an inspiring frankness and humor.