Txema Salvans: Sunday Morning
Renowned for The Waiting Game, Txema Salvans returns with a compelling new investigation into human behavior and the environments we occupy.
With a sharp and attentive gaze, Salvans elevates ordinary situations, prompting viewers to rethink the familiar rhythms of their own Sundays.
Over the course of a decade, every bright Sunday at midday, Salvans photographed from the roof of his van the people who congregate in the parking lot of a Carrefour supermarket on the outskirts of Barcelona. This improbable setting—simultaneously vacant and surreal—becomes a stage for everyday habits, moments of rest, and a quiet desire to pause time. Through persistence and restraint, the photographer transforms the commonplace into a visual composition that speaks to contemporary leisure at the margins, suburban existence, and the subtle poetry embedded in daily life.
About the Author
Txema Salvans (Barcelona, 1971) is a Spanish photographer based in Barcelona. His work explores human behavior and the relationship between people and the marginal spaces they inhabit, with a particular focus on the semi-industrial and peripheral landscapes of Mediterranean Spain. Through a detached and methodical approach, his images portray an isolated humanity observed in moments of suspension and waiting.
Originally drawn to biology, which he studied for several years, Salvans later trained in photography at the International Center of Photography in New York before returning to Spain to work as a photographer. He often employs a large-format camera mounted on a tripod, adopting visual and performative strategies that allow him to observe his subjects without direct intrusion.
His major book projects include Nice to Meet You (2010), focused on families along the Mediterranean coast; The Waiting Game (2013), a long-term study of sex workers on the margins of Spanish highways; The Waiting Game II (2018), depicting fishermen absorbed in waiting; and My Kingdom, a reflection on power and leisure through the juxtaposition of images and institutional texts.
With Perfect Day, a project developed over fifteen years, Salvans examines contemporary leisure within industrial settings and overbuilt coastlines, using the human figure as a constant measure of the landscape. Over time, his gaze has evolved toward a more contemplative and less judgmental form of observation, where context becomes as significant as the individuals within it.
