“The idea is to further explore the intricacies of passion. The sugar-coated conception of passion is biased. It must be stripped of that pasteurised coating that envelops it in the eyes of much of the public opinion. As if passion were all good, beautiful and naïve, when in reality it is somewhat of a prison for those who have it, one that can lead them to some very dark places.”

Building on this reflection by writer and historian Eduardo Sacheri on the role of passion in the lives of football players, in KISS, photographer Marina Bobo Marco makes use of the kissing gesture as an element of passion in order to question the concept of passion in all areas.

Through 77 archival images—since 77 is the average number of crimes involving emotional ties committed every hour worldwide, according to the author's estimates—the book shows how passion can transform and degenerate in the same way that our perception of these images changes once we learn the stories surrounding their protagonists. Thus, the book presents one hour of passion reified into images.

Addressing this transformation of passion also means addressing the elements that corrupt it. In KISS, the headlines accompanying the images reveal highly controversial sociological and cultural issues, both historically and to this day: gender violence, motherhood, religion, money, the power of the media to influence public opinion, and the toxicity of social networks.


Marina Bobo (Madrid, 1996) graduated in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid and later attained a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Photography and Project Management at EFTI.

With an interest in observing the individual in society, her work focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of violence through the study of cultural, social and historical dynamics. By exploring the relationship between this phenomenon and the standardisation of behaviour, the alienation between cultures and the limits imposed by teachings and beliefs passed down through generations, she seeks to encourage our understanding of human complexity and its implications for our individual and collective well-being.

ISBN 978-84-09-60061-8
La Kursala/Dalpine, 2024
Kursala 100 Coordinator: Jesús Micó
Design: Tres Tipos Gráficos
Printing: Artefacto
Softcover
12 x 16 cm
312 pages
77 photographs