The Connoisseur
Kenya inspired my passion for travel
Travel Buff
Courtesy
“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us”-Alexis de Vilar, Spanish author, photojournalist and modern-day explorer. De Vilar’s thirst for solo travel begun when he was just 16 years old. For over five decades, he has visited more than 30 countries and immortalises his experiences through the camera that remains his inseparable companion. In addition, he has written several books and novels outlining some of his experiences in leading publications and also presenting his work in art galleries and museums across Africa, Asia and in his native Spain. Yet even with such long list of destinations, to him travel is not just about collecting a checklist of countries and stamps in the passport, but about friendships and knowledge. Kenya has a special place in his heart because this was his first journey outside Europe. “It was in 1972 when I was sent to East Africa by a domestic newspaper from my home town, Barcelona, to cover the Uganda war. Most international journalists used to hang out at The New Stanley in downtown Nairobi and the Thorn Tree bar at street level. I recall a safe and clean city where one could walk at any hour without fear of being attacked. There were also less cars, more trees and no pollution with trees everywhere,” he reminisces
In 1995, Alexis returned to Kenya and had his first experience of Lamu. “We travelled together my son Dimitri, who was turning 16 and I remember that it was extremely hot. The island and its culture, however, cast a spell on us.” recalls Alexis. He fondly remembers the first pictures he took of fishermen and locals strolling around town and the elegant dhows floating at sea. So potent was the spell that he returned the following year for an extended period so that he could work more freely. The picture from this trip and subsequent visits bequeathed him a photobook titled Swahili Song. Lamu also inspired him to establish a quarterly travel magazine in Spain named ISLAS (Islands) in 2004, with Lamu providing the cover story twice. Alongside Lamu, his other memorable destinations include Madagascar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, New Mexico, Brazil as well as New Zealand, which in his own words, is one of the most extraordinary countries he has travelled to. Since he started showing his work in 1973, Alexis has had about 150 exhibitions worldwide. Last year he reacquainted himself with The New Stanley, this time for a solo show curated by gallerist Lisa Christoffersen. As he recalls, the event attracted a gathering that included members of the diplomatic corps.
Alexis’ photos are mostly in black and white, which allows for more introspection into the human condition without the distraction of colour, textures, shape, composition as well as patterns. Presently, more than 1,000 house in different countries across the globe bear photos from his vast travels and making him a satisfied explorer. “My next exhibition will take place this summer in a fabulous gallery in Marbella, here in Southern Spain where I presently reside. I look forward to presenting a new photobook, In Search of Paradise Lost, a title which indeed is timely with all that is goings-on in the world,” says the 72-year-old explorer who, with the raging pandemic that has locked many people indoors, is busy publishing a new photobook on deserts which has taken him 14 years to curate. He boasts of having 14 published books, some essays, travel books, five novels and about three photobooks. He also has a website www.alexisdevilar.eu where most of his work can be found. Have all his travels been a rosy affair? “All the bad experiences that I’ve had have been caused by people, not the destination. People sometimes try to take advantage of foreigners”.
