Unveiling the Secret: What Lies Behind the Photographs of PABLO MAS?
In an incredibly visual world, Pablo Mas' photos stand out from the work of hundreds of photographers who flock to social networks and magazines. Perhaps it is his characteristic handling of light or the melancholy with which he portrays the bodies of the models.
Artists wait impatiently for the click of Pablo’s camera, allowing them to enter his personal universe. Stars like actress Milena Smit, singer and provocative La Zowi, and fashion icon Xavier Serrano are just some of the artists captivated by Mas’ camera that have enjoyed posing for him. The artist likes to take care of everything, from the largest to the smallest detail.
Unlike many other colleagues in the guild, Pablo does not have a specific objective; his art flows as the world flows, moved by an invisible gravitational force. The film and fashion industry have fallen at his feet, but Pablo's vision goes beyond all that as if it was a brilliant, unreachable spark. To him, keeping going is what really matters.
On the one hand, his relationship with photography might last forever. On the other hand, he might surprise us with an extra poetic or psychological facet. Pablo’s interests are broad and surprising. We don't know his next step.
Where is he heading? It’s a mystery that only he can reveal to us. The adventure has only just begun.
Pablo, I know that all your followers will be asking this question, why now? Why did you want to put yourself in front of the camera throughout this project?
I felt it was right and relevant to my present. I’ve had to selfishly stop caring to relieve myself, where I had to stop living for a context but to push towards meeting my own ends—to become the author. I understand that the dark is no burden—it feels good to meet your demons and be able to face them. On top of this, having the possibility to construct this piece along with Yosi, Jon Mikel, Ota, and Muriel—this for sure has been the greatest reward.
This photoshoot shows a very aggressive, sleazy, scrapyard. Tell us about the idea behind these photographs.
Despite the abrasive scenarios in this shoot, a vulnerability lies all over. Maybe the juxtaposition/antithesis of these scenarios and the intended sentiment of fragility were the primary impulses that brought this concept to life. I wanted to lighten the ideas of auto-sabotage, weird habits, feeling at the edge of limits, and representing the unsophisticated characters of the “Hick” and the “Trastolillo”.
During this shooting, you have burned a photo from when you were a little child. Would you say that you are trying to break with your past? Don't you miss that innocence typical of that age?
Here, I address the idea of rebirth, auto-sabotage - not with the intention of assassinating my past or that inner child that lives in all of us, but to unfasten the perception of innocence. To connect with how cruel the world is. I don’t really miss it; I interpret the preserved naivety of a baby as the ignorance of an adult.
You were born in Bigastro, a town located in Alicante. How do you remember your childhood there?
Privileged but down to earth.
I can't help but ask you, is Pablo Mas a nostalgic person?
We all are.
Is there a moment from your life in Bigastro that marked you especially and that you would like to share?
Probably looking for bird nests at a young age with my grandfather, as well as having the opportunity to grow in a rural environment.
Many photographers begin to become familiar with photography from a very young age. When did your love for this art begin?
I’m unsure. I do know that I’ve always had an organic, non-pretentious fixation on photography. During family trips to Southern Spain, I remember always trying to get hold of my dad’s camera sneakily. Not only that, but I always had a real connection with the idea of nurturing something through photography.
How would you describe the relationship you have created with photography?
I come from a place where, like many others, I have had to develop a platform for myself in order to expose my inner concepts. Not all young artists are backed up by commercially-rich entities, either guaranteed a place in any industry or financial assurance to keep creating—so I do think my work has been directly influenced and conditioned by DIY culture, the feeling of resistance and survival due to a lack of resources and a motor of self-taught practice throughout. I shaped myself into the notion of photography through the method of trial and error, inspecting different film formats, and the possibilities of the digital world, letting myself be while doing this. I don’t intend to classify myself as a photographer or to feel the pressure of pinning down a particular photography style with the intention of defining it—this seems somewhat limiting; nothing is so absolute.
Alfred Eisenstaedt said that when he had a camera in his hand, he was a man without fear. How do you feel at that precise moment?
I can agree with the statement. As I said above, no feeling is everlasting, but I have felt fearless with a camera in my hands; I think it’s part of my job to feel so. Although there have been times when I’ve had no love for my profession, I’ve felt my work as a dull manifesto—being a transient feeling, not an ultimate reality.
Each photographer has very different concerns. What would you say are the topics that arouse your interest as an artist?
I’d say individualism is a divisive force that is tearing us apart as a whole. I’m not only referencing the fashion or the creative industry—from nations at war to day-to-day relationships taking shifts—a bigger picture. There is a great part of me that believes in the thought of being able to rely on each other as support systems. That believes in re-educating and the hope for newer and healthier generations. Emerging ourselves in the practice of letting solid social structures go and rebuilding with a carefree and moral purpose.
Many of your works take place within the fashion industry. Is there anything that has surprised you in that world?
For good: team building, the exchange of cultural theories, the different layers of production, and learning work ethics.
I always feel curious about the lives of artists beyond art. Have you considered other roads beyond photography?
There have been moments when I have reconsidered redirecting my professional path. Definitely a melomaniac, so I would say songwriting and the idea of the rockstar—those concepts I can see myself identifying with. I think I’d make a great dermatologist too. Nothing feels quite right yet, I must admit I feel in sync with my current reality. Self-demand is a frenemy of mine too.
I know you currently write poetry; when did you start to develop that other talent? Could you tell me what’re your sources of inspiration?
Literature has always stuck. English literature moulded my emotional attachment to poetry. Analysing, looking for hidden messages, identifying literary terminology, writing essays and seeing through eyes that aren’t yours. I’ve been writing poems and archiving them in a PDF since 2021. Writing gives me the space to address emotional gaps and weaknesses, as well as reinforce gratitude through lighter, optimistic poetry. It aids in allowing me to accomplish a vision that has yet to be met and takes me down the road I want to beat, finding the troubles in my waters to fight the fire in my oceans. The feelings come from The Libertines, The Cure or Lana Del Rey. I enjoy reading pieces belonging to the generation of Beat Poets from the 50s, who rebelled against the conventional and mainstream lifestyle of the time.
Creative Direction and Photography: Pablo Mas
Set Design: Yosi Negrin
Team Assistant: Muriel Seiquer Ota Anduiza
Interview: Juan Marti
Special thanks DESGUACES CASTILLA