Barcelona’s beach life gets the art-school treatment in El mar, sempre el mar, a sun-soaked photography project capturing the Poblenou coastline. Seventeen photographers from twelve countries turn swimmers, sunbathers, athletes and other beachside characters into snapshots of the city’s Mediterranean personality. Today, these beaches bring together locals and visitors of all ages as a kaleidoscopic reflection of the city’s Mediterranean soul – one of leisure, sport, cultural exchange, connection and conviviality – with its challenges, such as mass tourism and social imbalance.
Created after weeks spent participating in and watching life by the water, the images feel curious, intimate and refreshingly candid. Conceived by students from the Elisava Master in Photography and Design, the project combines local perspective with the fascinated eye of newcomers. It’s ideal for anyone who has ever spent an afternoon people-watching by the sea and wondered what stories lurked beneath the towels and sunglasses.