Interview with Ángel J. Sánchez | The Photographer who Created the Masterpiece Award-Winning Babel

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in ICTs and Advertising from the UPV-EHU, University of the Basque Country. My life has always been linked to photography in one way or another.

Thanks to my work for several advertising agencies, I have had the opportunity of collaborating with great fashion and advertising photographers such as Alejandro Cabrera, Michael Wray, Michael Shelley, Paco Navarro, Toni Riera, etc. from whom I have learned a great deal and kept feeding my passion.

But my interest in photography dates back further into the past. Going back to my childhood, I still recall how I used to play to capture snapshots by simply fixing images on my mind by quickly closing my eyes to retain a moment in memory, taking advantage of the effect of retinal persistence.

For me, photography is above all an escape valve and a way to communicate what I feel. Shifting the focus from advertising objectives and urgent demands to go out and look at things differently, to discover the beauty, what moves me, or what stirs me.

That's why I like to work in series that form a narrative, and ideas, to communicate with images and stir and confront the viewer to discover what they feel when they see my images and to establish a dialogue through them.

Every award and every recognition encourages me to continue telling stories with images, revealing what moves me. It connects me with people who see my photography. Above all, it connects me with myself and makes me feel that we are not alone, share a more real, more human vision of the world, and reveal ourselves to what stirs us.

Sharing it, telling it, gives meaning to the work, and winning such a prestigious award as the London Photography Award makes what I try to communicate reach further, to more people, and allows us to share it. This award gives meaning and purpose to the work I've done.

I chose to present the BABEL series because it is one of the themes that moves me the most—the loneliness of the hyperconnected modern man and the lack of critical thinking. Babel is much more than cold empty grey buildings. It's the empire of solitary confinement.

Paradoxically, living in the moment of the greatest technological development in history to communicate with each other, it is precisely when we are most isolated.

Babel is the territory of misinformation and confusion due to the overabundance and the sum of spurious interests, the creation of fake news, and especially, the absence of critical thinking and philosophy. Presenting an X-ray of a society devoid of humanity.

A universe of interests where People become useful and essential for big data businesses and happen to be handled by the almighty mathematical algorithms. Towers and buildings of technology, science, religion, and politics. Monuments of culture, finance, or the greatest glory of public administration and media. Empty hives from where our loneliness feeds, and where critical thinking is flattened.

Babel relates us to biblical passages where the god of technology, politics, religions, culture, and the economy confused the man who one day dreamed of being God. Babel speaks of the confusion of modern man, of our disorientation and the defenselessness of ourselves, because there is no greater loneliness than missing oneself, than walking without the presence of our own shadow.

Look at many photographs but above all a lot of paintings. Seek the light but knowing that it is the shadow that creates it, one without the other is nothing. And importantly practice, practice, practice until you find yourself.

For me, the key is passion, giving meaning and purpose to what you want to show. I would never dare to give a piece of 'wise' advice, but perhaps: if you love what you do, no matter what anyone tells you, never give up!

I believe, to photograph, one must hunger for photography as to tell stories. When not photographing, I look at countless photographs and read about the great photographers.

I'm very interested in understanding what drives them to photograph, to see behind the camera—the wandering of Sergio Larrain, the decisive moment of Cartier-Bresson, the perfection of Ansel Adams, the creativity in all of them, including the likes of Vivian Maier, Gerda Taro, Annie Leibovitz, and many others.