Seven people who have a roof but no home are the protagonists of a black and white photographic exhibition. The opening will be on 3 November.
The photographic exhibition (in)Visibles, driven by Diaconía, showcases seven individuals who sleep each night under a roof without having a place to call home. According to actualidadevangelica.es, the exhibition concludes the annual awareness campaign of the entity regarding hidden homelessness in Spain.
The opening will take place on Tuesday 3 November in the Carmen Laffón Exhibition Hall of the Ateneo de Madrid, and will be open until 9 November. The black and white photographs are the work of Eloy Jódar, an audiovisual professional with over five years of experience in documentary photography. Light highlights gestures and silhouettes, while shadows protect the intimacy of those portrayed. Each image includes a QR code with the story of the photographed person.
It’s not just about making a good image, but about getting close to the people,” explains Jódar.
Among the featured individuals are very different profiles: a Venezuelan teacher who ended up sharing a flat with 17 other people in Madrid, a minor who crossed the sea at the age of 12, and a father living in a precarious caravan, separated from his children. None sleep on the street, but all share a residential fragility.
The latest Homeless Persons Survey from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), published in 2022, counted 28,552 people assisted in care centres in Spain. The Hogar Sí foundation raises this figure to 37,000 people, as it includes those living in situations of extreme residential precariousness without completely losing a roof. The 2024 Survey of Centres and Services for Homeless Persons by the INE recorded an average of 33,758 people assisted each day, a 55.7% increase compared to two years prior.
The exhibition concludes a campaign that Diaconía began in September with 31 advertising supports in 29 stations of the Madrid Metro. On 2 October, the entity held the first Meeting on Hidden Homelessness alongside researchers Iria Noa de la Fuente-Roldán from Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), and Eva Gallén-Granell from University of Valencia (UV).
The project is funded by the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030. Diaconía, an entity with Protestant origins and identity with over three decades of experience, works in international protection, migration, combating trafficking, and social urgency.
The exhibition can be seen at the Ateneo de Madrid from 3 to 9 November.
You may also like
