Gunnar Knechtel
Fronton Walls in Spanish Villages
The fronton embodies the identity of a village. Often, it erects its wall next to the structure of the church or a standalone wall in the center of the village. The marks of impacts become traces of a collective memory.
As one travels through the villages of the provinces of Soria, Zaragoza, Salamanca, Zamora, Navarra, and Avila, barely any noise is perceived, only the singing of birds and the whisper of a wind that sneaks through narrow alleyways between closed houses.
In the summer, grandchildren and nephews joyfully revive this space, striving to maintain and restore it, only for it to once again become an unusual monument: a kind of unexpected contemporary installation, a wall that silently bears witness to the history of the villages of Spain.
Gunnar Knechtel (Kelkheim, Germany)
He has been living in Barcelona since 2000. After studying photography at the Lette Verein in Berlin, he moved to London, where he began photographing for magazines, focusing primarily on reportage, architecture, and portraits. Aside from working on commissions, photographing his personal projects is a passion for him.
Gunnar Knechtel’s photographic work explores often overlooked liminal spaces, revealing their untold stories. From portraying the marginalized neighborhoods in Madrid to capturing the unconventional urban landscapes of purpose-built capitals like Astana, Brasilia, and Chandigarh, along with the Fronton Walls in Spain, he remains steadfast in his commitment to capturing the diverse range of human experience. Within his work, the unexpected becomes a focal point, serving as a defining element of his artistic vision.
