Memory is Fragile (Santander), 1982
Archival pigment print
20 × 26 ½ in. | 39 × 52 in. Edition of 3
January 27th 2025
Photography has always had a unique relationship to dance, offering new ways to appreciate dancers and choreography by freezing movements in time. This photograph beautifully captures a ballet performance in 1982, at the Festival Internacional de Santander in northern Spain.
Miguel Ángel García was born in Madrid and lives and works in the Cantabria region of Spain, where Santander is the capital. Santander’s seaside location makes it a popular destination within the country and since 1948 it has hosted Festival Internacional de Santander, one of Spain's oldest music festivals. García's decision to focus only on the dancer's bodies in the photograph, whose speed of motion exceeded his exposure time, distills the performance into a visual whirl of choreographed energy.
