A Magnum photographer has released a new work that focuses on young people living on the outskirts of Spain – reflecting the alienation and insecurity of the present.
Agony in the garden is the second monograph by Lúa Ribeira, which was created between 2021 and 2023 in her home country of Spain. Inspired by the potential of contemporary counterculture, Ribeira has collaborated with young people in Madrid, Málaga, Granada and Almería to create images that create a dystopian landscape suspended in time that feels both contemporary and ancient.
The clothing, gestures and signs of the people in Ribeira's photos show affinities with and influence of online worlds and personalities, reflecting the extremes of hedonism and nihilism, all played out against the backdrop of a rapidly homogenizing world.
Much of the inspiration for her work comes from religious motifs (from her native Galicia, Spain) as well as studies of painting and cinema, all of which become important reference points in the images.
“I worked on the outskirts of southern Spanish cities, where the arid landscapes helped ground a project that otherwise defies fixed geography,” says Ribeira. “The title, taken from a biblical worship passage, allowed me to evoke a blurred temporality. The intention was to connect a very contemporary reality with more universal themes such as suffering, betrayal, impending doom and other human fears that recur throughout history.”
Due to its dystopian and sometimes absurd atmosphere Agony in the garden reflects a range of global socio-political issues through the contemporary lens of hedonistic countercultural movements. A visceral sense of uncertainty permeates the entire work, evoked by the decaying landscapes on the edge of greenhouse farming in Almeria, while Ribeira's incorporation of religious motifs and imagery continually points to more universal themes and a suspension of temporality. Underlying all of this is a sense of tragedy and rootlessness that is only counteracted by the energetic liveliness of the youthful bodies strutting through the photographs.
“Over the last decade, I have been inspired by the way younger generations express themselves – through expressions, images and gestures that are becoming increasingly global and clearly attuned to the alienation of our times,” explains Ribeira.
“In a world characterized by material abundance, digital acceleration, and intersecting financial, migration, and environmental crises, there are certain symbols and aesthetics that resonate across regions and express in different ways something about contemporary violence. These movements are often portrayed as subcultural by the media, photojournalism, and conventional documentary filmmaking practices. Yet it is precisely this frame that I try to resist, choosing instead to read between the lines and embrace more complex and fragile narratives.”
Agony in the garden was shown as part of Close up: New perspectives from 12 Magnum photographers a traveling exhibition curated by Charlotte Cotton (2021–2026) and a solo exhibition at the Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid (2023).
Photo credit: Photographs by Lúa Ribeira / Magnum