‘Flamenco India’, Carlos Saura’s search for the origins of the gypsy people

Carlos Saura’s search for the origins of the gypsy people and flamenco has a name, ‘Flamenco India’, and takes the form of a photographic exhibition curated by Guillermo Rodríguez, director of the Casa de la India, and Anna Saura, the director’s daughter

Two days before the start of the 68th Seminci, Jesús Julio Carnero, Mayor of Valladolid; Blanca Jiménez Cuadrillero, Councilor for Tourism, Events and City Brand; Irene Carbajal, Councilor for Education and Culture; Leena Rani Narzary, representative of the Indian Government, and Ana Saura and Guillermo Rodríguez themselves, have inaugurated the exhibition, which will remain open until November 12 at the San Benito Municipal Exhibition Hall and which arrives in Spain for the first time after seeing the light at the Cervantes Institute in New Delhi, in the autumn of 2022.

With the exhibition design by Ramón Isidoro, the collection of images also includes photographs of the creative process behind the show Flamenco-India, whose world premiere took place precisely at the Calderón theater in Valladolid in 2015.

Those who wish to enjoy the multifaceted Aragonese filmmaker’s facet as a photographer will be able to contemplate 47 photographs of the show, from different places in India, such as Mumbai, Kerala, Madras or Rajasthan, and a gallery of portraits of great flamenco figures, such as Camarón de la Isla, Lola Flores, Paco de Lucía, Antonio Gades or Vicente Escudero.

Saura as a draughtsman also finds his space, with eleven sketches of different scenes from the theatrical production. Completing the set are two pieces from the costumes and a video with images of the show and an interview with the Aragonese director. The Flamenco-India show was an exploration of the links between flamenco and various forms of Indian music and dance and with an amazing staging, it showed the best of the passion and vitality of flamenco in dialogue with the richness of Indian dance and music traditions.

The exhibition is co-produced by the Cervantes Institute, Casa de la India and the Valladolid International Film Week.