Ana Marta: Palm Trees Don’t Grow Here
Using a precise and straightforward documentary style, the photographer Ana Marta show us the hidden face of the island of Porto Santo, one which might escape the many visitors in warmer seasons. Understated, even austere, what Marta captures is the opposite of the idyllic image promoted by tour operators. The dust and empty vacation houses are seen here in the island’s bright winter light.
The advertisements for the island do all they can to make us forget that winter comes to Porto Santo. They lead us to believe that its palm trees are native and plentiful. That’s another cliché of summer with no base in reality, hence the title of the series, Les palmiers ne sont pas d’ici (Palm Trees Don’t Grow Here). The palm tree is just an ornament imported by man. Otherwise, it would have had little chance to take root on this dry, volcanic rock. The dragon tree, with its low, thick trunk and pointed leaves is a more suitable emblem for the island’s harsh, unwelcoming climate.
The work undertaken by the photographer is thus one of reclamation. After ten years away, Marta returned to discover a country undergoing a radical transformation due to a boom in tourism. Outside of a few absurdities that have appeared as a result of this financial windfall (a sand pit, a deserted parking lot, roads lined with palm trees stretching towards an empty skyline), the photographer presents the viewer with what has been and what will continue to be the hidden face of Porto Santo: stray dogs, arid soil, water tanks, beach huts, and a few faces of the five thousand people who live here throughout the year. These are full-length portraits shot in medium format. There’s something solemn and substantial about them, like a passport photograph. While they may say little about who these people are, through them we are given a glimpse of the island’s true identity.
Read the full article on the French version of L’Oeil.
EXHIBITION
Ana Marta
« Les palmiers ne sont pas d’ici »
5ème Biennale de Port Santo
March 6 – 29, 2014
Fabria Braço de Prata
Portugal
