The former home of the now-defunct Spanish Ministry of Culture (Image courtesy of Luis García/Wikimedia)
Spanish culture minister José Ignacio Wert just might be Spain’s most unpopular man. Among various controversies he has provoked since heading up the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport in 2011 (when it swallowed the Ministry of Culture), he has stated his wish to “hispanicize” Catalan students and championed the raising of taxes on cultural activities from 7% to 21%. Some accepting awards from him have refused to shake his hand. Others have rejected such prizes altogether — including, just last week, the renowned Catalan photographer Colita.
Less than 24 hours after an announcement that she won the 2014 National Photography Prize (Premio Nacional de Fotografía), Colita rejected the €30,000 cash award in a scathing letter to the minister, El Pais reported. “I wish to express to you, Mr Wert, that as the said National Photography prize comes from the Ministry of Culture, Education and Sport, I feel obliged to reject it,” the 64-year-old artist wrote. “I do not know where that ministry is located, or even if it exists as such. In any case, it is unknown to me.”
Colita, whose real name is Isabel Steva i Hernández (Image courtesy of Judesba/Wikimedia)
In pronouncing Spain’s cultural landscape “pitiful,” Colita joined the ranks of writer Javier Marias and musician Josep Soler, both who have protested Spain’s austerity measures by rejecting national awards from the government. Despite the presence of important institutions like the Museo Reina Sofia and unique exhibit spaces like CaixaForum Madrid, such policies have slashed national spending on culture, displeasing many. The raising of the VAT has also made the country less appealing than ever to collectors, making it more difficult for artists to sell their work.
As one of Spain’s most important photographers, Colita has been working long enough to remember different days. In the 1960s and early ’70s, she documented La Gauche Divine, a vibrant cultural movement in Barcelona comprised of intellectuals, artists, architects, musicians and poets. In her letter, Colita emphasized that her stance has nothing to do with Catalonian independence. Instead, the photographer said she eagerly awaits “other times, other people and other governments to give our pride back to us and to them their honor”.
