You shall live in me

Candid portraits of young Spaniards in a calm and belated coming-of-age narrative. The photographs capture intimate, vulnerable, confusing, and contradictory moments of a generation destined to precariousness.

You shall live in me is Juan de la Quintana's attempt to comprehend and reconcile with the idea of a lost youth, failed ambitions and forgotten promises. A personal gaze that delves into the profound experience of confronting the void of aging, leaving youth behind, and stepping into adulthood. Through direct collaborations and chance encounters, de la Quintana captures the essence of wandering souls teetering on the brink of self-discovery. Individuals that stare with uncertainty and ambiguity at the twilight of their youth - a generation adrift in a sea of economic crises, instability and employment precarity.

What unfolds befores us is an undefined and heterogenous life stage, and uncharted moment of transition, a fleeting yet pivotal time when innocence and unrealized dreams meet their end. You shall live in me candidly observes how these individuals navigate a landscape of contradictions, blunders and setbacks, offering a glimpse into the gradual shedding of innocence. This work captures modest fragments of their lives: a portrait of a generation in flux, engaged in a journey of self-definition, amidst the captivating fluidity of time.

A key element of this body of work lies in the relationship between the depicted people and the spaces they inhabit - sanctuaries where they seek refuge and enact rituals that define them. From bustling urban cores to remote corners of nearby woods, these surfaces have been reclaimed and redefined by these lost youth: transitional landscapes mirroring the essence of the characters that occupy them. It is about small moments, passing people and distant corners, and interludes that unifies, that weaves and unites these seemingly ordinary realities, often overlooked.