Malparaíso
JM Ramírez-Suassi
Jean Miguel Ramirez-Suassi was born in Mallorca (Spain) in 1970 and now lives and works in Madrid. Malparaíso is JM Ramirez-Suassi’s third monograph. Previous books are One-Eyed Ulysses (2018) and Fordlandia 9 (2020).
More and more photographers experience the limitations of documentary photography as a tool to convey reality. Instead they chose for someting less direct and more lyrical. In the case of Ramirez-Suassi it results in something more magical. A sort of fairy tale. His work is open to multiple interpretations. Strongly influenced by one’s personal view. Malparaíso is also an example of this. It’s Ramirez-Suassi’s most enigmatic work yet.
Malparaíso is an imaginary place. A portrait of a paradise that never was. An idealized version of a lost utopiam as the title suggests. Malparaíso translates as bad paradise. The subtitle is The Wanderer & the Southern Star. In 2015 Ramriez-Suassi embarked on a journey. Following a path which leads to other paths, which in turn leads to other paths. Wandering, from 2015 to 2022, through Mexico and Chile.
The book starts with a quote from Sergio Larrain. Also the title is a nod to Larrain’s seminal book Valparaiso produced in 1991. But it’s hard to link the photographs in Ramirez-Suassi’s book to the work of Sergio Larrain.
The book has surreal images and strange observations. We encounter real scenes and people, yet they are portrayed in a way that feels somewhat otherworldly. The images are gracefully crafted and beautiful. Ramirez-Suassi is an exceptional image-maker. But together they create an unsettling sense of dissonance. It gives a pessimistic view of the contemporary world. Bad paradise (malparaíso) indeed.
Malparaíso
Photographer: JM Ramírez-Suassi
Published by Setanta Books in 2024
Clothbound hardback, 30 x 24 cm, 160 pages, 81 images