When the Lliure was created in 1976, an art theatre for everyone, He formed part of its founding team to collaborate by doing the photographs. A curious case, unprecedented in the history of the Catalan stage. Theatre photography? Of course it did exist: those enigmatic and startling prints from the early 20th century by Mateu and Audouard; the reports by Gabriel Casas from the early 1930s; or the impressive Pau Barceló collection, built over a period of decades, among many others. The majority of professionals, especially photojournalists, have captured a show at one time or another in their career.

He was not even a photographer. But he was a person who was committed to theatre in a space with its own philosophy. The Lliure, fleeing from the limitations of Italian-style perspective, bringing the viewer closer from any viewpoint possible, allowed him to do what he wanted: to look. Without any pretensions of being a style setter or subjection to technique.

Simply looking, in other words, thinking and feeling, submerging himself in the theatrical creative process and in the emotions of the characters, constructing a universe of visual metaphors suspended in space and time to obtain, finally, the truth of the simulacrum of an inherently artificial world through stage photography.

And also portraying professionals, stripping them down to black and white, always looking at the camera, giving a welcome to the spectator before the illusion of the theatrical act takes place.

And from the Lliure to the world... just one small step. In a natural way, He has crossed frontiers, not just physical frontiers, and his view has spread across the rest of Spain and Europe. And, unintentionally, he has also set a standard.

Ros Ribas has been living theatre with a camera for over thirty years. We, professionals and spectators, have grown thanks to this generous eye that offers in each image a space in which each person viewing his work can find their own, personal and non-transferable meaning. Exhibiting this retrospective at this, his home, is undoubtedly one of the great events that will allow us to enjoy and celebrate the new theatre season.