I was born in Madrid, were I grew up. One day I had to face a tough decision: my life profession. People asked me to decide myself, so I run a kind of draw. I made a list with several choices: nursing, fashion design, handcrafter, old Greek, writer, etc. I closed my eyes and randomly dropped my finger on the sheet and guess what I pointed at… photographer! I never had to think about it again. In turn, I started to think about social roles, emotions, physical appearance, and to re-think many life decisions of people!
In my artwork, I produce visual reflections on the interaction between cultural topics like aesthetics of the self (appearances), emotions (and their relation with values) and behaviour (patterns of interaction). Photography has allowed me to construct images raising questions about current stereotypes on issues like immigration, consumerism, or romantic love. My pictures often include characters portrayed on backgrounds with a particular social narrative. I play with the appearance of these characters (for instance, the aesthetics of a successful life) to reflect upon issues like the achievement of wills or the expression of unsatisfied desires in the consumerist society.My pictures are often produced through a complex process, since I require the involvement of a number of specialists: actors, assistants, stylists, etc. A shooting session usually involves spending many hours in production before and after the actual shooting. For instance, searching for locations and characters is a long and ever changing process. In fact, I usually keep record of the process by video capturing all situations in relation with my work. My relationship with all these people is essential to the final result.
Main solo exhibitions
2012
Idilios: FoFu Phot’art Festival (Fucechio, Italy)
Idilios: Guatephoto International Festival (Guatemala City)
2011
Idilios: Kopeikin Gallery (Los Angeles, California)
2009
Wellhome: University of Salamanca Exhibition Centre (Salamanca, Spain)
2007
Wellhome: Espai Visor Gallery (Valencia, Spain)
Chance of Love: Fotonoviembre Biennial (Teneriffe, Spain)
Main collective exhibitions
2012
Projection of Idilios series Reggio Emilia Photography Festival (Italy).
Curated by Alejendro Castellote.
“Una Historia Vintage”. Exhibiton at Alcalá 273 (Madrid, Spain)
Curated by Daniel Silvo.
“Face Contact. Portrait and Communication” Iberia Art Center. (Beijing, China).
Curated by Gerardo Mosquera.
“Desnudando a Eva” Cervantes Institute (Travelling show: Morocco and China).
Curated by María Oropesa.
2011
“Face Contact. Portrait and Communication”. PHE11 Festival. Fernán Gómez Exhibition Centre (Madrid, Spain).
“Letters from Europe. Daphne Project.” Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea Exhibition Centre (San Sebastian, Spain).
“Foto a Foto” Cervantes Institute (Beijing, China). Curated by Chema Conesa.
“Foto a Foto” Spain Pavilion, Shanghai World Expo 2010 (Shangai, China)
2010
“Laberinto de miradas” [Labyrinth of sights] (Travelling show: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Miami, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Colombia (from 2008 until 2010). Curated by Claudi Carreras.
“Aquí y Ahora” [Here and now] (Travelling show: China, Hubei Museum of Art, 2008. Cervantes Institute, Manchester (2009), Cervantes Institute, Toulouse (2009), Shoreditch Town hall, London (2009), Office for the European Commission Stockholm (2010), National Library, Tallin (2010), Pauza Gallery, Krakow (2010), Dom Druzhby, Minsk, Byelorussia (2010). Curated by Nophoto.
2009
“Boys&Cars” exhibited at Observatori09: 10th International Festival of Art Intervention (Valencia, Spain).
2008
All Inclusive International Festiwal in Lodz, Poland (2007), Dom Gallery (Slovakia).
Mírate. Retrátate [Watch you, portrait yourself]. PHE08 Festival (Spain).
2007
De lo urbano a lo doméstico [From urban to homey]. Círculo de Bellas Artes (Madrid, Spain).
14 proyectos expositivos para Galería K [14 Expository Projects to K Gallery] K Gallery (Lisbon, Portugal)
Muta Matadero x NOPHOTO. “Abierto por Obras” Exhibitions Hall, Matadero Madrid (Spain)
Residencies and Funded Trips
2012
Los Angeles, California
Ten week stay. Production of “Together” series
2011
Liverpool, England (partially self-funded)
16 week stay. Production of “Idilios” series
2010
“Lugares de Tránsito”. Trips to Guatemala, Ecuador, Panama. (Funded by AECID)
2009
“Lugares de Tránsito”. Travels to Dominican Republic, Cuba, Miami (USA), Colombia and Venezuela. (Funded by AECID)
2008
“Chance of Love” Series of one-month long residencies funded by Madrid Community Government in Tbilisi (Georgia), Mielec (Polonia), Sibiu (Romania) and Damasco (Syria)
2007
“Boys &Cars”. Series of one-month residencies funded by Madrid Community Government in Caracas (Venezuela), Beijing (China) and Cairo (Egypt).
Prizes and funded projects
Aena Foundation Photography Prizes, Third Prize, Madrid, Spain (2012)
Unicaja Fine Arts Biennial Contest, Final Selection, Málaga, Spain (2010)
Tentaciones [Temptations] Comunidad de Madrid Prize in Estampa09, Madrid(2009)
Prize to Best International Photographer in Pingyao International Photography Festival, China (2008)
Iniciarte Fund, Junta de Andalucía, Spain (2008).
Winterthur Fotomuseum, Switzerland (2008)
Funded Projects by Community of Madrid Arts Council, Spain (2005 and 2008)
Madrid Procesos Redes fund by AVAM, Madrid, España (2007).
Obra Social La Caixa Fotopres07 Fund, España (2007).
Unicaja Photography Prize, Spain (2007).
Purificación García Prize, Spain (2004 and 2006)
Injuve Short-List, Madrid, Spain (2003),
First Prize of Real Sociedad Fotográfica [Royal Society of Photographers], Spain (2003)
Collections
Centro de Arte Alcobendas, Spain.
Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan, China.
Photography Centre of Universidad de Salamanca, Spain.
Private Collectors