BEYOND THE ANGLE OF HORROR - MEÏA Santiago

Joan Tomás was born in Barcelona in 1958. Became interested in photography since he was 11 starting very soon to proces and print his photographs . Self-taught until he studied photography in London at Ealing College of Higher Education in 1977-80 . After doing photojournalism , industrial photography , corporate , fashion and advertising photography , he specializes in portrait, working for magazines, publishing companies, record labels, cinema industry, advertising agencies and institutions.

As a portrait photographer he likes a natural and fresh approach to his portraits. Simple and direct ideas are his goal.

In the last years he has had an intense social activism, using photography as a tool for social integration, giving visibility to social groups and claiming rights. In June, 2015 he presented the exhibition "Active role" in the Pati Llimona of Barcelona as part of Docfield-15 festival, where all the projects since 2004 were shown.

Photo lover before photographer on many occasions, was the founder and director of Primer Plano photo gallery in Barcelona between 1982 and 1988 . In 2003 he was a founding member of “Centre de fotografía Documental de Barcelona" , Association for the promotion of documentary photography .

"Few people resist the magic and pleasure of the photographic act. But it is a minority who understands the process that begins when you press the button. The change that occurs in our life. The trace that leaves in history, in our own history: it makes us live".

In 2004, Joan Tomás, began a parallel path as Sr Lorenzo , under whose pseudonym begins experimenting with street art , doing projects like "Mi Barrio " , "La Ciudad Tomada " , "Escolta'm " , " Encajados " and " Veus des de La Ribera” and exibitions as “Sin teatro y sin dinero, las tortugas también se aman” or “En los corazones de piedra habita el miedo”.

As Sr Lorenzo developed a body of work that intertwine photojournalism, street art and social activism.

"The most interesting part of collaboration with Sr. Lorenzo is the decoding and iconographic transformation that he makes of my photographs, projecting them into new meanings and dimensions."