Taken for granted almost invisible, certainly indescribable, 2024
Navalcarnero, about 30 kilometers south of Madrid, has become the scene of a silent but profound transformation. This subtle metamorphosis is the leitmotif of Iñigo Lasheras’ photographic proposal. An initial attempt began three years ago, when Iñigo already developed an objective, raw, and stark vision of the speculation and dubious urban managment in high-demand areas like the Community of Madrid. At that time, Iñigo presented images of unfinished structures that once held the potential to transform the periphery of Madrid into a vibrant space that would address the capital’s ongoing housing crisis.
Three years have passed since that first approach: what was once seen as a story of failure is now understood as an evolutionary process. Moreover, an in-depth dialogue with his father about the nearby small aerodrome, which is the main contender to become Madrid’s second airport, marks a new shifting point in his effort to understand the urban mismatches of this locality. Therefore, the photographs in this series document with objectivist intent - with less ideological weight - the process of mutation of a chosen place: Navalcarnero.
These are views of extensive developable and barren land, even remnants of what was meant to become one of the most important shopping centers in Madrid. The project is shaped as a puzzle analyzing a dystopian future under construction. Iñigo not only captures the surface of the paradox, but invites us to reflect on the underlying changes, opportunities, and risks that this complex transformation entails. It is a selection of documentary images that bear witness to the development of a town in transition, stuck between failure and progress, suspended in a constant state of becoming. Ultimately, it is a reminder that, amid speculation and ambition, stories and landscapes in transformation emerge and need to be observed.