"Call me Marta": the story of a Spanish porn star in photos

Photographer Katya Repina, who lives in Barcelona, met Spanish porn actress Marta when she just started acting at the age of 23. In the next two years, the acquaintance of the girls turned into friendship, and the photographer conducted an intimate chronicle of Martha's professional and personal life. She named this photo project Llámame Marta ("Call me Marta").

Repina first encountered the world of pornographic backstage when she was at a major festival in Barcelona. The more she read about how adult films are made, the more interested she became. As a result, she got connections in this industry and got the opportunity to visit the film sets of both professional and amateur porn films. At first, she was curious about the theoretical connection between pornography and violence against women — this topic has been discussed by feminist psychologists for decades. When Katya met Marta, this abstract idea blurred and the nuances of each woman's story, her motives, her pleasures and difficulties became apparent.

Martha's ex-boyfriend accepted her job as part of her life, but it was hard for him to cope with it. He watched videos with her and saw her posts and photos on social networks. Marta admits that she would not date someone from the porn industry, but agrees that there is a paradox in this.

Marta says pornography has never been taboo for her. She saw opportunities in porn. In the photo, she is filmed with Rob Diesel.

Martha puts on makeup. When she was 23 years old, she decided to try herself in the porn industry.

Although Marta remains in the porn industry and although the photographer is still proud to call her a friend, both have ended their collaboration in the field of photography. The photo project was originally released as part of a larger multimedia work, including home videos of the family of actresses, but when it all leaked and got on a pornographic site along with the films in which Marta is filmed, the photographer and the actress decided together to complete the project. The videos were removed from the site, although they can still be seen on private viewings.

Martha during a live show.

If we talk about the photos of Marta that Katya took, consent and context are at the forefront. To protect the privacy of Martha's close friends and relatives, the photographer cropped the frames so that their faces were not visible, and banned the use of videos online. Nevertheless, Repina's photos often end up on porn sites with distorting signatures and fraudulent links.

Martha during filming.

In the photo, Martha during her second week in the world of pornography.

After a few weeks in the porn industry, Martha realized that it wasn't as well paid as she first thought. She earns a part-time job performing in a peep show.

Marta with her ex-boyfriend, a Ukrainian bodybuilder, with whom she lived for a year.

Martha's ex-boyfriend helps her get rid of pubic hair.

Before Martha started working in the industry, she didn't have a partner, but she wanted a relationship. Being surrounded by men at work, she spent most of her time alone. Marta had been working in porn for six months when she met her ex-boyfriend.

Marta is not a victim of circumstances: she has no small children and she is not a beggar. She chose porn voluntarily.

When Marta started working in the porn industry, she had to explain her choice to her parents. She says they will never understand or accept him, but they still support her.

When Marta was younger, she won women's body fitness competitions. She still trains regularly, preparing for competitions that she hopes to get back to, but believes that she is not ready yet.

Marta separates her public image of a porn actress from an ordinary girl.

Marta explains that the world of pornography is very different from what she used to imagine.