A few months ago a monographic exhibition on prostitution in Malaga ended which then would travel to New York, where it would stay three months.

From the United States it would travel to Madrid and once its travel through Spain done, it would transfer to Germany to visit several cities of that country.

The show was very wide and it only dealt with prostitution.

Today I feel the need to write in some lines the reasons of those paintings.

When I faced this, what I consider, denigrating problem affecting mainly women, I did not stop to analyze the causes by which they get to that station… either obliged by mafia, drug, need and… why not, also at their own will. I did not want, I repeat, to stop in the causes, but in the reality that surrounds us which is more and more piercing and cruel. That escape to despair… that runaway to that black tunnel… from which I think one can exit. There is always a light somewhere that will light us to exit from the dammed darkness and will show us the way to human dignity… and why not, the way that will lead us to the light of the lights.

Coming back to my paintings that I entitled “the ascetic look in painting” or also “prostitution in Rando’s painting”, what I intend is to give a space to women in that “stage of their life”, because it is just that, a phase in the life of those women, those youngsters, those kids… life does not start nor end with the slavery of prostitution. It is possible to exit from that prison, one must exit that field of hawthorns though with deep wounds, poisoned wounds that will probably accompany you all the life.

And what does the painter do? Show this reality in his paintings. And, what for? In order for the spectator, the “paintings looker” acts.

I do not denounce. I never hurt the dignity of the people in “that stage of their life”; I only paint that reality so that we act, so that we do something, even only pray, which is quite a lot. We must not remain impassive, waiting for the next piece of news about another death or other rapes in that horrible and cruel market of the flesh… and of the spirit. Let’s act! Let’s not be cowards!

Jorge Rando, Malaga, December 2010