Esteve Lucerón’s La Perona Exhibit: A Look at Barcelona’s Last Shantytown Through a Canon F-1 Lens

By Isabella Falero

Barcelona, the City of Prodigies, is today an architectural masterpiece, a cultural hotspot, and an eclectic destination for travelers to revel in its five-star cuisine, lively nightlife, and famous beaches.

Neighborhoods such as L’Eixample, El Born, and Barceloneta receive worldwide acclaim and recognition, but the city’s streets are housing stories from shantytowns that existed decades ago.

Arxiu Fotographic de Barcelona (AFB), or The Photographic Archive of Barcelona, is a quaint photography museum situated in Plaça de Pons i Clerch, 2 in the Ciutat Vella district of the city.

From the exterior, the building looks oddly like the home of the Museu de la Xocolata. Take the daunting – yet safe – elevator to the second floor and voila!

How the Exhibit Came to Be:

Esteve Lucerón, a native amateur photographer, wanted to bring the stories of the people from La Perona out from the shadows. To do this, Lucerón had to infiltrate the oldest shantytown in Barcelona.

Lucerón stands before the entrance to his exhibit at AFB on opening night on November 25, 2021. His photographs can also be found at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art. Credit: FotoGasteiz

The exhibit titled La Perona: L’Espai I La Gent (meaning: the space and the people) transports the viewer into 1980s La Perona where gypsies were running amok and immigrant families tried to build a life in a shack made of wood, brick, mud and/or any recycled material people could get their hands on.

A view of a typical street in La Perona where gypsy matriarchs would put their items for sale on display. The sign reads, “el pinchaubas se conpra muebre biejos y chatarra” which is butchered Catalan for "gypsy patriarchs (nicknamed pinchaubas) buy old furniture and junk.” The sign can be seen by others as they commute to work on the Puente de Trabajo. December 5, 1980 photograph by Esteve Lucerón

The exhibit is formatted to go from right to left as you enter beginning with La Perona at its prime in the 80s.

The black and white photographs are striking.

“Lucerón was not a professional photographer, which is why these photos are that much more natural and candid, packing a harder punch,” explained the kind receptionist of the exhibit, José Mariá. “Everything you are seeing was how it was in La Perona back then – no smokes and mirrors.”

Photographs depict real poverty and struggles, but they also depict joy and a strong sense of community.

In one wall of the exhibit are photographs of petite abodes ridden with laundry and junk and six kids squished on one twin bed and then you turn around and there are photographs of men singing and drinking or a family gathering around a makeshift table during Nochebuena with smiles from ear to ear.

The duality of life at La Perona existed like no other.

Swipe right to see side by side comparisons of life in La Perona. Each photograph was taken by Lucerón in the 80s with his Canon F-1.

The History of La Perona:

In 1947, Eva Perón, the former first lady of Argentina, visited what was then known as the area of Ronda de Sant Martí. Only two years prior to that was the area in District X beginning to sprout shacks as immigrants began heading to Barcelona in search of the land milk and honey.

As a huge advocate for the impoverished, Perón was astonished by what she saw and donated money to the area. Viewing “Evita” as their savior, the people of the “barraca” (Catalan for “shantytown”) rallied together and named their town after her. Thus, La Perona was born.

This map of the barracas in Barcelona back in 1971 helps visualize where exactly La Perona was in relation to barrios (neighborhoods) that still exist today such as Barceloneta, Montjuic, and Gracia.

By 1966, La Perona was only continuously growing. There was an estimated 200 shanties and 3,000 shanty dwellers. However, many of the originally inhabitants of La Perona were able to move to other districts and into apartments, which made room for the 70s influx of gypsies.

This period of overcrowding is when the shantytown’s lack of a proper infrastructure began to take a serious toll.

Lucerón's actual Canon F-1 camera used to shoot all of the pictures from the 1980s in La Perona is on display at the exhibit. As photography was a hobby for Lucerón, this was most likely one of his very first cameras.

The Art:

Many of Lucerón’s photographs depict the daily life of the marginalized and discriminated against gypsies, especially matriarchs.

In the gypsy community, the woman is the head of the household; they hold a more superior role, while the male is more subordinate. The woman cooks, cleans, raises the children, and makes most of the decisions on behalf of the family.

Right at the entrance to the exhibit is a blown up photo of a mujer gitana (gypsy woman) sitting criss cross drawing cards.

Lucerón’s photos try to capture the true essence of life at the current moment in La Perona, without falling victim to the cliche of depicting pain and struggle, but rather seeking to empathize and dignify those pictured.

After chatting with another visitor, Téa Adrien (32) we both came to the agreement that the photographs are meant to evoke a sense of respect and understanding for the people of La Perona.

“It almost feels like she is staring deep into my eyes, instilling in me a sense of pride for her community,” said Adrien.

To gain the trust of the people of La Perona, Lucerón got a job as a fisherman in the neighborhood and had to go back day after day for two years giving gifts to the children. Finally then did they let him shoot them.

Lucerón was able to capture the simple pleasures of life at La Perona: women working, empty homes, family gatherings, food, you name it. He was an insider, welcomed by all.

The Fall:

Like all other shantytowns in Barcelona, La Perona was taken off the map. In 1989, the neighborhood was entirely demolished to make way for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Village.

Entire families were relocated to apartments under a plan by the Patronat Municipal de l’Habitatge. Some families were compensated if they chose to return to their home cities/countries and others simply ended up on the streets.

The last wall of the exhibit showcases what is now found at the same spot were La Perona once was.

Currently, the Parc de Sant Martí (pictured here circa 2005) is what is located in the center of La Perona. Take a trip if you’d like to feel closer to the gypsies and the oldest shantytown’s original dwellers.

Although Lucerón’s exhibit tells the harsh story of an impoverished community who was oppressed and stripped of basic freedoms, the photos also tell a different story.

They tell a story of hard work, love, camaraderie, joy, family, strength, and resilience.

Lucerón unfortunately passed away recently on April 26, 2022, of a terminal illness about a month before the close of his exhibit at AFB.

“Lucerón can rest knowing that his work is being shown to the world and loved by all. There is so much purpose and power in that,” shared Mariá.

Note about the museum and exhibit:

This museum opened back in 1931 and now holds more than two million photographs of the city from circa 1839 to present day. Photo donations from other museums, amateur and professional photographers, the city, and more make up the extensive archive collection that can be viewed.

Make sure to look for the grey locker-type drawers! It is almost hidden.

You can also enjoy new exhibits periodically. This one runs until May 22, 2022. All exhibits are free for the public.