Photography, as a form of artistic expression, possesses a profound ability to capture fleeting moments, evoke powerful emotions, and transport viewers into the depths of imagination and contemplation. Likewise, Cristina Garcia Rodero’s staggering photographs left an indelible mark on the world of documentary photography and visual storytelling. With a keen eye for capturing the essence of human experiences and cultural traditions, Garcia Rodero’s photographs transport viewers into vibrant and often marginalized communities, offering a window into their unique rituals, beliefs and ways of life.

Through her distinctive style and sensitive approach, she delves deep into the human condition, exploring themes of identity, spirituality, and the resilience of the human spirit. Her evocative images not only serve as visual narratives but also challenge societal perceptions, fostering empathy and understanding across cultures. Her contributions to the field of photography have garnered numerous accolades, including being the first Spanish photographer to become a member of the renowned international photo agency Magnum.

During her visit to Istanbul for a conference titled "Journey to the Unknown," organized by the collaboration of the Spanish Embassy in Türkiye and Cervantes Institute in Istanbul, I had a chance to interview this great artist, whose work engulfed me as I witnessed documentation of mythology in her works.

It is common for photo artists to capture the ritualistic moments of societies. They often encounter portraits, historical places or beautiful landscapes. Therefore, when asked what motivates Rodero to photograph these sacred moments, she said: "These moments are about breaking everyday life, the day-to-day, the work. It’s a moment to pause and change the rhythm, open up to everyone and desire to be happy. So it’s about making food, bringing music, drinking, dancing and doing things that are not done or not usually done throughout the year as a whole community. And these moments always break with the established order. They are moments like changing seasons or the end of a harvest or remembering a historical event."

For Rodero, rituals have long played a significant role in the history of human beings and their communities. In certain instances, entire communities have come together to offer sacrifices and express gratitude in response to events such as epidemics, plagues or other momentous occurrences. These rituals serve as a commemoration of the community’s liberation from adversity, a gesture of thanks for the newfound freedom.

"Giving thanks for something that has happened most of the time, or they are supplications. ‘I want it to rain; let the water come, my God, let it rain.’ So some people go into the river with the image, with the religious part, with the sacred part. But they go into the river and sing, asking for rain," she elaborated.

"I finished Fine Arts; I studied painting; I studied photography. So, after finishing Fine Arts, I had a scholarship in Italy. And in Italy, I was alone for three months. And there, I remembered Spain a lot because of the loneliness I felt. And I could also buy many photography books, which were scarce in Spain and the scholarship truly changed my life. Because I asked for it to work on the villages in Spain, but in general, their architecture, their landscape, their food, their jewelry, their traditional costumes, there are so many traditional costumes in Spain, incredibly beautiful," she said.

"When I discovered the festivals, I said, I don’t want anything else, I don’t want anything more. This is rich enough, and it has everything. It has the cuisine, it has the costumes, it has the jewelry, but it has the history. Life. You discover the reasons behind many things, behind their manifestations. And it seemed so rich and beautiful that it fulfilled my life. It filled me and excited me because I had very little idea of what reportage was. I came from portraiture. I was always interested in human beings. But festivals are action. And I used to do posed studio portraits. Well, I had to change my mindset and stop doing portraits because the action was much more interesting than the perfection I was seeking," Rodero added.

By doing so, Rodero embarks on a journey to discover her country’s sacred rituals and longstanding festivals, leaving almost no unexplored area in Spain.

"Wanting to get to know Spain, wanting to talk about Spain, realizing that Spain had a lot of popular wealth, a lot of history, because Spain, being a peninsula, has had many invasions. It has invaded, but before that, it was invaded by many peoples. So there is a tremendous variety of things. There were Jews; there were Arabs; with the Arabs, it was eight centuries, they left their culture, they left a lot of knowledge, especially about the use of water. The Jews left a lot of astronomy, banking, and the Arabs left culture because they were much more educated than the Christians, much more educated, and they lived very normally. Everyone was fine, very integrated. Until the Catholic monarchs came, and they wanted to be unique, the only country, only Christianity, but for interests, more economic interests than spiritual interests," she explained.

As Rodero photographed the most sacred moments of the people who are practicing the rituals, the whole process requires mutual trust between the subject and the photographer.

"It usually depends on the type of festival it is. Some are very intimate and some are very open. So, I think being a woman has made it easier for me to connect with people. Because when I started, which was in 1973 when I began, it wasn’t normal for a woman to travel alone to villages. People always thought I was there to sell things, carrying big bags with photographic equipment and a sleeping bag," she said.

"On the other hand, Spanish people are very open and very trusting. I really like people; I participate in everything I can. I try to be as unobtrusive as possible. It’s about understanding the other person because if you’re chasing someone with a camera, it can be very aggressive. I try with my behavior to be as non-aggressive as possible and as affectionate as I can be. The camera helps you a lot. It can be very aggressive, but it can also be a bond. The camera is like an octopus, where one of its tentacles can caress people, or it can hold their hand with the camera, spiritually," she said.

"In their own way, they create another portrait of you. This woman is nice; she is trustworthy. She’ll come back next year. Or she’ll be a bird of prey that comes and eats, flies away and doesn’t return. Like Attila’s horse. Because wherever he went, grass wouldn’t grow. I would climb; I don’t know how many kilometers carrying equipment and work for 10 consecutive hours. Maybe seven hours without eating and people observe you. And then they tell you. They create their own portrait of you and know if they can trust you. Again, it’s about respect for photography, for the pride of learning about their customs and traditions," she added.

In Rodero’s style of uniqueness, for me, there is an evoking of gothic and grotesque, maybe an origination from rituals’ very own nature. For example, Rodero explained one of the attention-catching festivals she witnessed: "Corpus Christi is the celebration of Christ, the way to worship Christ, is to communicate. It is also the celebration of the body of God. And there is a man who symbolizes the devil. And the procession goes through the streets. And the priest blesses them. Before the blessing, the devil jumps and it means that the devil leaves their bodies because God will bless them. Protection for children born in that year."

"And the priest walks through the streets of the town and they place eight mattresses with the children born during the year. But I haven’t found anything like this anywhere else in the world. But I did find in Mexico that children were placed on the ground and a man walked over them. And in India, I have seen it too, but there are no children. There are people. Of all ages, women, men, and children. So this Indian priest walks on them. But the meaning is not about the devil leaving the body, but it is about protection. Stepping on those bodies does protect people," she remarked.

In Rodero’s journey to explore the sacred rituals and longstanding festivals of her homeland in Spain, she discovers a world where everything is interconnected. These rituals, she realizes, serve as a profound way of connecting with the sacred and paying homage to the ancestors. From dramatic and unique moments that evoke powerful emotions to instances filled with a great sense of humor, tenderness and even the presence of peculiar characters, Rodero witnesses the diverse tapestry of human existence within these rituals.

Through this rich blend, she comes to appreciate the depth and complexity of humanity, finding moments that resonate deeply with her own spirit. With each new encounter, Rodero immerses herself in the captivating world of these rituals, where the boundaries between the spiritual realm and the human experience blur, revealing the inherent interconnectedness at the core of her culture’s traditions.