ABOUT - Almudena Romero

Almudena Romero is visual artist working with a wide range of photographic processes from early printing techniques such as cyanotype, salt printing or wet plate collodion, to new technologies including 3D scanning and printing. Her practice uses photographic processes to reflect on issues relating to identity, representation and ideology; such as the role of photography in the construction of national identities, or the link between photographic archives and colonialism. Romero’s works focus on how photography affects the notions of public, private, memory and, in general, the concept of the individual, and touch on how perception affects existence and how photography contributes to organising perception.

Romero has shown and explained her practice at the Victoria and Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery, TATE Modern, TATE Britain, The Photographers’ Gallery, Tsinghua Art Museum, the Whitechapel Gallery, Le Cent-Quatre Paris, University of the Arts London, Unseen Amsterdam and Fundacion Mapfre. She has received various awards and bursaries including the Heritage Lottery Fund, i-Portunus. Creative Europe Fund, the Arts Council England Project Grants, and a-n Artist Bursaries. She has also been awarded prestigious international residencies at the Sichuan Fina Arts Institute (China), Penumbra Foundation (USA), Lucy Art Residency (Greece) and National Portrait Gallery (UK).

Romero has received commissions to produce installations in public spaces from Team London Bridge, Southwark Council, Emergency Exit Artist, Wellcome Trust and University College London, Bow Arts Trust & London Festival of Architecture. Her work has been featured in BBC Four and other media including in Photomonito r, Radio France Internationale, TimeOut, DUST magazine, EXTRA magazine (FOMU, Foto Museum) and other media.

Romero holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in Art, Design and Communication and an MA Photography from the University of the Arts London. She is a lecturer at the Stanford University and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Romero has also delivered courses, lectures and artist talks for Science Museum, Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Estorick Collection, Sotheby's Institute of Art, University of Westminster, Kingston University, University for the Creative Arts and Southampton Solent University.

Education

2015 Pg Cert Academic Practice in Art,Design & Communication, UAL.
2012 MA Photography, London College of Communication, UAL.
2011 Photojournalism, documentary photography & studio lighting, University of Montreal, UdeM.

Commissions

2019. BBC 4. Demonstration of my practice for Victorian Sensations BBC Four episode.
2018. Victoria and Albert Museum. Video demonstrating my practice on permanent display at New Photography Centre.
2018. Tsinghua Art Museum. Video demonstrating my practice for Visions and Reflections exhibition .
2018. National Portrait Gallery. Video demonstrating my practice for Victorian Giants exhibition.
2018. Bow Arts for London Festival of Architecture. Mural artwork.
2017. The Photographers' Gallery. Hyperanalogue festival studio.
2017. University of the Arts London. Pop up Wet Plate Collodion studio & darkroom.
2016. Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum. Cameraless photography workshop s.
2016. Fundación Mapfre Cultura. Pop up Wet Plate Collodion Studio & Darkroom.
2016. Team London Bridge & Fantasy High Street Festival. Public artwork installation.
2015. Victoria and Albert Museum. Pop up Wet Plate Collodion studio & darkroom
2015. Victoria and Albert Museum . Video demonstrating my practice for Julia Margaret Cameron exhibition.
2015. Emergency Exit Artist.Public artwork installation.

Selected residencies

2019. Penumbra Foundation, New York, USA.
2019. Lucy Art Residency, Kavala, Greece.
2018. Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing, China.
2018. Bow Arts. Royal Albert Wharf, London, UK.
2018. National Portrait Gallery . Victorian Giants exhibition residency.London, UK.
2017. Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK.
2016. Revela-T Festival. Catalonia, Spain.
2016. Scene Art. London, UK.

Works in archives and collections

Stephan Loewentheil Collection, USA.
Gabriela Cendoya-Bergareche Collection, France.
Jerome Kohler, The Philanthropic Lab, France.
Photography Archive and Research Centre. University of the Arts London, UK.
Bow Arts Trust. London, UK.

Awards, Grants and Funding

2019 National Lottery Heritage Fund.
2019. i-Portunus. Creative Europe Fund.
2019 Bow Arts Thamesmead Artists Fund.
2019 SPAIN arts & culture. Cultural Office. Embassy of Spain in USA. Penumbra residency support grant.
2019 Thamesmead Community fund.
2019. a-n mentoring bursaries.
2018 Arts Council England. National Lottery Project Grants.
2018 a-n Artist Bursaries , UK.
2018 New Ham Council Artists Fund.
2016 Recipient, London Creative Network, professional development programme, London
2015 Finalist, The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards.
2014 Winner, Ideas Tap , Night Contact, Brighton Photo Biennial.
2012 Shortlisted, Novel Authors Grant. PHOTON Festival, Valencia, Spain.
2009 Recipient, FARO Grant. UCM. Madrid, Spain.

Solo exhibitions

2018. Growing Concerns. RAW Labs. Bow Arts. London, UK.
2018. Growing Concerns. Photofusion. London, UK.
2018. Portraits From the Elephant. Photography Archive and Research Centre. University of the Arts London.

Selected group exhibitions

2020. London Art Fair, UK.
2020. Guest Projects, London, UK.
2019. Belfast Photo Festival with Golden Thread Gallery, UK.
2019. Bow Arts Nunnery Gallery group show curated by Carey Young. London, UK.
2019. Contemporary London Art. Curated by Anna Dorofeeva. Fundacja Polsko Ormiańska, Warsaw, Poland.
2019. Menier Gallery. Curated by Francesca Wilson.
2019. Obsolete and Discontinued. Curated by Mike Crawford. Magazzini Fotografici Gallery, Italy.
2019. Thamesmead Yarton Way Gallery. Curated by Vanessa and Liam Scully.
2018. Tsinghua Art Museum. Vision and Reflection. Curated by Phillip Prodger. Beijing, China.
2018. UNSEEN Festival. CO-OP space. Amsterdam, Netherlands
2018. Centquatre-Paris. Festival Circulation(s). France.
2018. Pic.London photo festival
2017. HYPERANALOGUE. The Photographers' Gallery. London, UK.
2017. Studio Bong Gallery. Florence. Italy. Curated by Chiara Salvi.
2017. Techniques anciennes utilisées par les jeunes photographes. Festival Circulation(s). France.
2017. Making a Photograph. The Photographers' Gallery. London, UK.
2017. TATE Exchange-TATE Modern. With Digital makers Collective.London, UK.
2017. New Approaches in Photography. Four Corners Gallery. London, UK.
2017. Venice Biennale 2017. Diaspora Pavilion. Tintypes produced in collaboration with artist Khadija Saye. Venice, Italy.
2017. Four Corners Gallery. London Pinhole Festival. UK.
2017. Revela-T Festival. Artistic Exchange. Cataluña, Spain.
2016. MozEx. Curated by V&A and Tate Digital Learning teams.
2016. Victoria and Albert Museum. Wet plate collodion tintype display. London, UK.
2016. Fundación MAPFRE Cultura. Pop up collodion darkroom tintypes display. Madrid, Spain.
2016. Brighton Photo Fringe with the London Alternative Photography Collective. Brighton, Uk.
2016. Process. Dreamspace Gallery. London, Uk
2016. Chasing Shadows. Lake District Arts Centre. Kendal. UK
2016. Obsolete and Discontinued. Revela-T. Cataluña. Spain
2016. Obsolete and Discontinued. Photokina. Cologne. Germany.
2016. Process. Scene Art Gallery. London, UK.
2015. Revela-T Festival, Cataluña, Spain.
2015. ACTINIC Festival, Edinburgh, UK.
2015. Analogue Mania Festival, Timisoara, Romania
2015. Gallery X, Dublin ,Photoireland, Ireland.
2015. The Arts Pavilion. Photomonth. London, UK.
2015. The Fitzrovia Gallery, London, UK.
2015. This Is What A Photographer Looks Like. (with Old Girls Club & Metro Imaging) London, UK.
2014. Open Peckham Platform, London, UK.
2014. Night Contact, Brighton Photo Biennial, UK.
2014. The Polaroid show, Doomed Gallery, London, UK.
2014. London Analogue Festival, OXO Tower Wharf, London, UK.
2014. Spring Salon, Double Negative Darkroom, London, UK.
2013. Camberwell College of Arts, London, UAL, UK.
2013. Print it, UAL Showroom, London, UK.
2012. A Forming State, London College of Communication, London, UK.
2012. PHOTON Festival, Valencia, Spain.
2011. Arte Emergente Urgente, E-1 Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
2011. 20 projets | 20 regards, RCA building of Montreal, Canada.
2011. Fotoaplauso, Madrid, Spain.

Publications & Press

2019. BBC Four. Victorian Sensations
2019. Video interview with BackThen
2019. Blog interview with The Auction Collective.
2018. Photomonitor. Interviewed by Francesca Marcaccio. Online magazine. Project featured: Growing Concerns
2018. Radio France Internationale. Interviewed by Siegfried Forster. Project featured: Growing Concerns
2018. Unseen Festival Radio. Project featured: Growing Concerns
2018. The Physics and Art of Photography. Book. Published by Morgan & Claypool.
2018. EXTRA magazine. Project featured: Growing Concerns. Published by FOMU, Foto Museum.
2018. Yogurt Magazine. Online publication. Project featured: Growing Concerns.
2018. L'Oeil de La Photographie Online magazine.Project featured: Growing Concerns
2018. Interviewed by Unseen Amsterdam.
2018. Field Study. Photography Archive and Research Centre Journal. University of the Arts London.
2018. Le Quotidien de l'Art. Print magazine. Project featured: Growing Concerns
2018. Art Visions. Online magazine. Project featured: Growing Concerns
2018. Obsolete and discontinued photobook. Project featured: Primary Reactions. Published by Brovira Press.
2017. Beneath the Salt. Photobook. Project featured: Primary Reactions. Published by YONA Editions.
2017. Photocatalysis. Photo Zine. Project featured: Primary Reactions. Published by Revolv Collective.
2017. She Shoots Film. Print magazine. Project featured: self-constructed. Published by She Shoots Film.
2016. Culture Trip. Media platform. Video interview. Practice Featured.
2015. Time Out. Press. Practice Featured.
2015. Photomonitor. Online magazine. Project featured: self-constructed
2015. Uncertain States.Print magazine. Project featured: self-constructed
2015. The Old Girls Club. Online magazine. Project featured:self-constructed
2015. She Shoots Film.Online magazine. Project featured: self-constructed
2012. Recreative. Online publication. Project featured: Sports Professionals of the 21st Century.
2012. Les Editions Du Somnambule art magazine. Print publication. Project featured: Fissazioni
2012. DUST magazine online. Project featured: Fissazioni
2010. Cadavre Exquis, St.Cyprien Library.Photobook.
2009. Fototalentos,Universia. Photobook.

Selected Teaching, Lectures, Seminars & Symposia

2019

Visiting Lecturer. University for the Creative Arts. BA Photography.
Artist talk. Science Museum Late night.
Artist talk. Penumbra Foundation.
Artist talk. PhotoForum FORMAT Festival.
Artist talk. Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts.
Workshop Leader. South London Gallery.
Workshop Leader. Lucy Art Residency.
Workshop Leader. National Portrait Gallery
Workshop Leader. Golden Thread Gallery. Belfast Photo Festival.
Workshop Leader. Bright Rooms space.

2018

Visiting Lecturer. University of Westminster. BA Photography.
Visiting Lecturer. Sotheby's Institute of Art, London
Visiting Lecturer. Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. China.
Tutor, Victoria and Albert Museum, Photographic Processes, UK.
T utor, Victoria and Albert Museum. Cyanotype and Photographic Emulsion.
Tutor. Photography. International Summer School. Camberwell College of Arts. University of the Arts London
Tutor. Bow Arts Trust. The Canaan Project.
Artist talk with Marin Barnes, Senior Curator of Photographs at V & A Museum, and Brandei Estes, Head of the Department of Photographs at Sotheby’s.
Artist talk with Karin Bareman, Curatorial Project Manager at Autohgraph ABP.
Artist talk. East London Printmakers.
Workshop Leader. Whitechapel Gallery.
Workshop Leader. Royal Society.
Workshop Leader. Estorick Collection. Cyanotype photography.
Workshop leader, Photofusion
Workshop leader, RAW Labs, London, UK.

2017

Artist talk. TATE Modern, TATE Exchange with Digital Makers Collective, UK.
Artist talk. The Photographers' Gallery, UK.
Artist talk.Material Matters.London Art Fair, UK.
Artist talk. University of the Arts London (UAL). In conversation with Garry Fabian Miller. Moose On The Loose biennial of research, UK.
Artist talk. [ SPACE ] . London, UK.
Visiting lecturer. Kingston School of Art - Kingston University , UK
Visiting Lecturer. Sotheby's Institute of Art, London, UK.
Visiting Practitioner. TOMA Metal Art School, UK.
Visiting Practitioner. BA Photography. University of Westminster. London, UK.
Visiting Practitioner. BA Photography. Camberwell College of Arts. University of the Arts London,UAL, UK.
Tutor, National Portrait Gallery, UK.
Tutor, Victoria and Albert Museum, UK.
Tutor, London College of Communication (UAL). Darkroom Techniques. London, UK.
Tutor, London College of Communication (UAL). Analogue Processes. London, UK.
Tutor, Salt printing. Photofusion, UK.
Workshop Leader. Whitechapel Gallery. Teachers' workshops. London, UK.
Workshop Leader. Whitechapel Gallery. Schools' workshops. London, UK.
Workshop Leader. The Photographers' Gallery. London, UK.
Workshop leader. University of the Arts London (UAL) biennial of research, UK.
Workshop leader. Bow Arts Trust & Spotlight. Cyanotype Printing Process. London, UK.
Workshop Leader. Four Corners Gallery. Salt Print Process. London, UK
Workshop Leader. Four Corners Gallery. Wet Plate Collodion. London, UK

2016

Artist talk. TATE Britain. London, UK.
Visiting Lecturer. Sothebys' Institute of Art, London, UK.
Visiting practitioner. BA Photography Students. London College of Communication (UAL) . London, UK.
Visiting practitioner. BA Photography Students. University of Westminster.. London, UK.
Tutor, staff development courses. London College of Communication (UAL) .Chemigrams. London, UK.
Tutor, staff development courses. London College of Communication (UAL) Wet Plate Collodion. London, UK.
Tutor, staff development courses. Southampton Solent University. Wet Plate Collodion. London, UK.
Tutor, London College of Communication (UAL). Analogue Processes. London, UK.
Tutor, London College of Communication (UAL). Darkroom Techniques. London, UK.
Workshop Leader, National Portrait Gallery, Wet Plate Collodion, London, UK.
Workshop Leader. Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum,Camera-less photography series of workshops, Tokyo, JP.
Workshop Leader. Fundación MAPFRE Cultura. Camera-Less Photography workshop, Madrid, ES.
Workshop Leader. Victoria & Albert Museum. Camera-less photography series of workshops for secondary schools, London.
Workshop Leader. Scene Art Process. Collaborative cyanotype workshop. London, UK..
Workshop Leader. Four Corners Gallery. Salt Print Process. London, UK
Workshop Leader. Four Corners Gallery. Wet Plate Collodion. London, UK
Workshop Leader. Photofusion. London, UK.

2015

Visiting Lecturer. Sotheby's Institute of Art, London
Associate Lecturer. BA Photography. Camberwell College of Arts. (UAL)
Tutor. International Summer School. Chelsea College of Arts.(UAL)
Tutor. Alternative Photographic Printing, Camberwell College of Arts.(UAL)
Speaker. William Whiffin's East End. Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives
Guest Speaker.University of the Arts London (UAL) biennial of research, UK.
Guest Speaker. London College of Communication. BA Photography students.
Guest Speaker. Underway. Photography Archive and Research Centre. UAL
Workshop leader. V&A Museum. Wet Plate Collodion.
Workshop leader.Four Corners .Wet Plate Collodion.
Workshop leader. Camberwell College of Arts. Open House.
Workshop leader. On Light. Wellcome Trust & UCL.

2014

Tutor. Alternative Photographic Printing, Camberwell College of Arts. UAL
Tutor.International Summer School, Camberwell College of Arts. UAL
Tutor. Digital Photography,Camberwell College of Arts. UAL
Workshop Facilitator. Open House.Camberwell College of Arts. UAL