Miguel de Cervantes or the wish to live. Navia's Photographies

Miguel de Cervantes, the man, has often been overshadowed by the quixotic hero of his great literary work. Yet, his own life has followed an extraordinary course, which the Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) and Instituto Cervantes have attempted to revisit and showcase through the lens and the vision of the photographer José Manuel Navia. The result is a tribute to the man behind this great work and his journey, in the form of an exhibition curated in collaboration by AC/E and Instituto Cervantes, as well as a book by the same name edited by Ediciones Anómalas. "In this work, which has by far been one of the most significant personal journeys for me, I have attempted to unravel the mysteries of the difficult and fascinating relationship – that to me is an essential one – between image and word, photography and literature. As a photographer, I have always understood the importance of trace (as opposed to aura) and I base my work on this. To explore this, I have allowed myself the luxury of taking from the life and works of one of the greatest writers, not only of Spain, but of the entire universe of literature: Miguel de Cervantes. There have been many surprises along the way and I have often been assailed by doubts. What I have dared to take on is by no means a small task.” José Manuel Navia