“Funnily enough, the title of this work (Nothing Happens Twice) evokes the mythology of the decisive moment, the photographic kairos that enables us to better understand preceding and following moments, quite the contrary to the work of Israel Ariño. In his case, nothing is pressing or immediate; there are no allusions to events or reality, and even less to truth. By means of photography he subverts the real: he doesn’t photograph the world for what it is but for what it conceals. This is what pervades his oeuvre — for him, photography isn’t a reflection of reality, it transcends reality.”

Caroline Bénichou, from the text in the book

‘Diving into the sea at Zahora (Cádiz) on 15 August 2014, I suffered an accident that caused a spinal injury at level C5. I was left needing a wheelchair and, among other things, lost the capacity to manipulate with either hand. I’m quadriplegic. After spending a year in hospital I entered CRMF, a recovery centre for the physically and psychologically handicapped in San Fernando, under the umbrella of IMSERSO, a welfare organisation and social services for the elderly, where I remained from November 2015 to March 2020 (precisely when the pandemic was gathering force). Throughout this period I went back to taking photographs in a traditional manner using my mobile phone (after more than a year without being able to do so). It was a reencounter with photography and, at the same time, a therapy that was a part of the process of adapting to my new life. Like a diary, the images and reflections that appear in this book bear witness to my sojourn there.’

Sergio Castañeira