Rubén H. Bermúdez
Y tú, ¿por qué eres negro?
In “Y tú, ¿por qué eres negro?”, Rubén H. Bermúdez questions the construction of blackness as a political force in Spain based on his own biography.
The project begins as a photography book and exhibition, where the images captured by the author are mixed with elements of popular culture, conversations, and symbolic elements of his life. “Y tú, ¿por qué eres negro?” is an invitation to share experiences and promote dialogue about identity issues in both Iberian countries, in light of contemporary social and demographic realities.
This exhibition was showcased in spaces such as CaixaForum in Madrid and Barcelona, the Bamako Photography Biennial, and the Circulations Festival in Paris. Subsequently, to this initial work, the feature film “A todos nos gusta el plátano” was added, featuring images taken by seven Afro-descendants in Spain. The film was recognized with three awards (Jury, Audience, and Youth) at the Documenta Madrid 2021 documentary film festival.
Rubén H. Bermúdez (Móstoles, Madrid)
He is a photographer, designer, and professor. He trained at the EFTI School of Photography. Thanks to the Fotopres scholarship from the La Caixa Foundation, Bermúdez had the opportunity to create the photography book Y tú, ¿por qué eres negro? (2017), in which he summarizes the main characteristics of his artistic practice. His work has been exhibited in various spaces, such as the national museum Reina Sofía, and events such as the Rencontres de Bamako/Bienal Africana de Fotografía, and has been acquired by the Colección de Arte Contemporáneo de la Comunidad de Madrid housed at the CA2M center.
A new version of the project was presented in 2023 at the PhotoIreland Festival and at the Rampa Gallery in Porto. In 2021, he directed his first feature film, A todos nos gusta el plátano which won several awards at Documenta Madrid 2021. He is a co-founder of the AfroConciencia collective, a group for collective reflection and action that seeks to empower Afro-descendants by promoting and motivating their role as agents of social transformation, and is co-responsible for the Centro Cultural Espacio Afro de Madrid.
Photography by © Carol Caicedo
With the collaboration of
