Mexican Lucha Libre Wrestling: Family Portraits

Lourdes Grobet, Vilano dentist

I was going to post this story next month but i just realized that the show closes this weekend already. If you are in Barcelona at the moment, DON’T MISS IT!

So, yes, the show! It’s called Mexican Lucha Libre Wrestling: Family Portraits and it’s at CCCB (the Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre) until 1 November 2015.

The photos are as stunning as the individuals they portray. They are by Lourdes Grobet, an artist who has spent the past 30 years exploring the world of Mexican lucha libre. She followed the luchadores on the ring and, as they got to know each other better, she also portrayed them at home, with their family.

The exhibition features a previously unpublished series of over forty large-format photographs complemented by the screening of material from the artist’s extensive photographic collection on the theme. There are also daily screenings of films from the 1960s and 1970s featuring El Santo.

CCCB made a video interview with the artist where she explains that Mexican lucha libre isn’t about violence. It’s about the choreography of two bodies that collide. She also looked into the history of lucha libre. While other forms of wrestling around the world are descendants of Greco-Roman wrestling, Mexican lucha libre has its roots in pre-Columbian civilizations: