Uma Historia de Violencia/A History of Violence, an exhibition of photographs by Portuguese photographer Martim Ramos is currently on view at KGaleria in Lisbon, Portugal.
The project is Ramos' exploration of the "level of violence in our lives that goes unnoticed." In most of the photographs violence is represented by the purposeful and generally destructive modification of a physical image, as embodied by a red censorship bar, or scribbles over faces. In viewing the photographs, we simultaneously see the image before us and, in our mind's eye, the original (or in the case of the man with the black eye, we want to see his face unmarred). Ramos uses this tension between what is and what should have been to probe our feelings towards violence and trauma—fascination? aversion? nostalgia? What is it about a photograph's history that reflects our own violent tendencies?
Ramos is a member of [kameraphoto], a photography collective based in Lisbon, Portugal. The thirteen members of [kameraphoto] exhibit work in solo and group shows at the KGaleria gallery in Lisbon, contribute to collective projects (the most recent and ambitious being A Diary of a Republic, a photographic survey of Portuguese life), and conduct workshops. [kameraphoto] also offers printing services and a small photobook store (I had my eye on this little gem which combines the photographs of Sandra Rocha and the poetry of Lisbon's beloved poet Pessoa).
All photographs courtesy the artist
