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Until September 16 Moving photo exhibition in Murcia
The general public has until next Monday to visit the stirring ‘Los Incontables’ exhibit in Murcia capital, by María Tomás Rodríguez
Until Monday September 16 at the Museo Hidráulico de Los Molinos del Río museum in Murcia city, you can see the exhibition ‘Los Incontables’ by Madrid photographer and aeronautical engineer María Tomás Rodríguez of photographs taken in the Port of Arguineguín on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria, dealing with the reality of the dangerous sea crossing made by illegal migrants from Africa to Europe.
Reportedly one of the photographer’s favourites of her own work, ‘Los Incontables’ – which translates to ‘The Uncountables’ – is dedicated to all the people who died on the Canary Route, one of the longest and most dangerous maritime migratory routes on the planet, “whose deaths may seem invisible”.
As the exhibition reminds us, between January and June 2024, more than 5,000 people lost their lives trying to reach Spain in small boats or ‘cayucos’ via this route, which is equivalent to one death every 45 minutes.
María Tomás Rodríguez deliberately avoids showing the arrival of people on the islands, focusing instead on the precariousness of the boats and navigation systems used, which are the silent witness to the countless number of deaths on the Canary Route.
The exhibition reminds us that migratory movements like the Canary Route only exist because of the extreme poverty suffered in the countries of origin of the travellers, and it underscores the importance of cooperating with these countries so that the levels of poverty decrease to the point where it is not necessary for people to have to leave in the first place.
The vivid colours of the images captured by the photographer contrast with the sombre reality they conceal. In one of the photographs, for example, you can see all kinds of objects on a boat, from cooking utensils to clothes and shoes. This cayuco arrived in Gran Canaria from Mauritania carrying on board a two-year-old girl who, despite efforts to save her, died five days later. She is one of the uncountables whom this exhibition aims to bring out of oblivion.
The exhibition can be visited from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 2pm and from 5pm to 8pm.
Images: María Tomás Rodríguez / Los Incontables
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