Exhibitions
KBr Flama 2025: the new generation of young photographers explores memory and critical perspective
Fifth edition with the works of Irina Cervelló, Abril Coudougnan, Bernat Erra and Patrick Martin, selected by a jury formed by Javier Martín, Arianna Rinaldo and María Santoyo.
The Mapfre Foundation center hosts an exhibition with the winning projects of Flama, the program to support young creation in photography. The projects shine for their critical and sensitive gaze, weaving bridges between memory and social bonds through diverse visual languages, capable of capturing the echo of the memories and silences that define us. A KBr Flama'25 tour that can be seen from September 24 to February 1, 2026 at the KBr of the MAPFRE Foundation in Barcelona.
The exhibition brings together the works of Irina Cervell ( Opaco , about the industry and environment of Martorell), Abril Coudougnan ( Tous les maux mots sont invents , an intimate and personal archive), Patrick Martin ( Looking for George , cultural memory and myths) and Bernat Erra ( Fe de erratas , religious iconography and collective memory).
Irina Cervelló, Sin título, project Opaco, 2024. Digital photography © Irina Cervelló.
The annual KBr Flama project was born in 2021 as a demonstration of the MAPFRE Foundation's interest in supporting the emerging talent of young photographers who are starting their professional careers after completing their academic training. Its materialization is possible thanks to the involvement of institutions such as EASD Serra i Abella, Elisava – Faculty of Design and Engineering of Barcelona, Idep Barcelona and IEFC, who generously collaborate in the project.
Although the languages they use are diverse—from analog and digital photography to the reinterpretation of personal and public archives—all projects share fundamental interests. They all take a critical look at how memory is constructed, whether in the most intimate and personal sphere, in the collective memory of society, or in the way the territory is perceived and inhabited. This approach allows them to explore the layers of meaning that shape our experience and the way memories and visual narratives interact with the reality that surrounds us.
Abril Coudougnan, Sin título, project Tous les maux sont inventés, 2022. Analog photography © Abril Coudougnan.
Tous les maux mots sont inventés (All Bad Words Are Invented) by Abril Coudougnan is a project that emerges from a personal photographic archive built over six years. The work is not created with a chronology or a linear narrative; rather, it creates a constellation of sensations, associations and tensions that resonate with the artist's intimate experience. The images dialogue freely with each other, beyond the time and space in which they were captured, establishing links through gaze and perspective. The work investigates dualities such as nature and the city, calm and accelerated rhythm, in a constant search for emotional balance and vital meaning.
Patrick Martin's Looking for George is an investigation into how this myth has become ingrained in the collective cultural memory of Catalonia. The project traces the origins of the story to the town of Montblanc (Tarragona), considered the birthplace of the Catalan version of the tale. Through photographs of people, celebrations and architectural elements, the series constructs a visual labyrinth of narratives and symbols steeped in history, where the myth subtly lurks just beneath the surface.
Patrick Martin, Sin título, project Looking For George, 2024. Digital photography © Patrick Martin.
Opaco by Irina Cervelló explores the relationship between the chemical company Solvay and the Catalan town of Martorell (Barcelona), paying special attention to the cultural, economic and environmental repercussions that its presence has had. The project arises from extensive research that combines images created by the author with historical documents and archival materials.
Bernat Erra's Fe de erratas is born from a childhood memory full of visual force and emotion: the gaze of a child faced with the shocking presence of religious imagery. This experience becomes the starting point for exploring a disturbing symbolic universe, where the weight of tradition is combined with mystery, fatalism and a latent violence that permeates the images.
Bernat Erra, Sin título, project Fe de erratas, 2023. Digital photography © Bernat Erra.
