ALMUDENA ROMERO

Almudena Romero (b. in Madrid in 1986) is a British and Spanish visual artist based in London. Trained as a 19th century photography expert, her current practice uses photographic processes occurring in plants such as photosynthesis and photoperiodicity to create art that grows, fossilizes and disappears; ephemeral photographs that emerge and evolve to question our relationship with nature. The fragility of her artworks embeds a comprehension of photography as a performative process serving reflection and self-expression.

Romero's use of plants’ light-based processes promotes an expansive understanding of the photographic medium, beyond the usual digital vs analogue dichotomy, where this art form encompasses other disciplines including sculpture, installation, and performance. She creates image objects and photographic experiences that broaden our understanding of photographic art and the natural world. 

Romero’s practice has been exhibited at international public institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), National Portrait Gallery (UK), TATE Modern-TATE Exchange (UK), The Photographers’ Gallery (UK), Tsinghua Art Museum (CH), Le Cent-Quatre Paris (FR),  University of the Arts London (UK) and international photography festivals such as Les Rencontres d’Arles (FR), Belfast Photo Festival (UK) and Brighton Photo Biennale (UK).  She has received grants from the  Heritage Lottery Fund, Creative Europe Fund, Arts Council England (2021,2020,2018), London Community Foundation (2019), a-n Bursaries (2019, 2018), and awards from private foundations such as the Richard and Siobhán Coward Foundation, The Eaton Fund, The Harnisch Foundation, The Sarabande Foundation and BMW France Culture. 

Romero was nominated for the Prix Pictet in 2021, and has been awarded prestigious international residencies at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute(CH), Penumbra Foundation (USA), Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum (JP),  BMW (FR),  Lucy Art Residency (Greece), Whitechapel Gallery(UK) and National Portrait Gallery (UK).   

Romero has received public art commissions from  Wellcome Trust, Emergency Exit Artist,  Team London Bridge, Southwark Council and Bow Arts Trust for the London Festival of Architecture. 

Her practice has been published in monographs by Fisheye Editions (November 2023), and Filigranes (October 2023) and featured in BBC Four, BBC Two, CNN, Forbes, EL PAIS, Liberation, VOGUE, Radio France Internationale, ABC Cultural, The Art Newspaper and other international media. 

Romero holds an MA in Photography from the University of the Arts London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in Art, Design and Communication (university teaching qualifications). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has delivered courses, lectures and talks at universities, museums, and institutions internationally, including: Stanford University in Florence (IT), School of Visual Arts New York (NY), GOBELINS Ecole de l'image (FR), IESA (FR), KASK, School of Arts Ghent (BE), Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (CH), Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (HU),  Chelsea College of Arts (UK), University College London (UK),Falmouth University (UK), University for the Creative Arts (UK), University of Westminster (UK), Camberwell College of Arts (UK), London College of Communication (UK), Kingston School of Art (UK), Southampton Solent University (UK), De Montfort University (UK), CaixaForum (SP), Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum (JP), Sotheby's Institute of Art (UK), Royal Society of Chemistry (UK), Royal Society (UK), Estorick Collection (UK), Wellcome Trust (UK) Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), Science Museum (UK), National Portrait Gallery (UK), South London Gallery (UK), Whitechapel Gallery (UK), The Photographers' Gallery (UK), TATE Modern (UK), TATE Britain (UK), Fundacion Mapfre Cultura (SP), Guest Projects (Yinka Shonibare studio- UK), Les Nuits de la photographie-Les Rencontres d'Arles (FR), Penumbra Foundation (US), PhotoForum FORMAT Festival (UK), Nunnery Gallery, Bow Arts (UK), Golden Thread Gallery- Belfast Photo Festival (UK), Lucy Art Residency (GR), London Art Fair (UK), [ SPACE ] (UK), TOMA Metal Art School ( UK), Four Corners Gallery (UK), Photofusion (UK) and Photography Archive and Research Centre. UAL (UK). 

Awards, Grants and Funding (selected)

Commissions  (selected)

Residencies  (selected)

Solo exhibitions (selected)

Group exhibitions in museums and private institutions  (selected)

Education

  • 2015 Pg Cert Academic Practice in Art,Design & Communication, UAL. (University teaching qualifications)
  • 2012 MA Photography, London College of Communication, UAL.
  • 2011 Photojournalism & documentary photography, University of Montreal, UdeM.
  • 2009 BA Communication. Complutense University Madrid. 

Books (monographs)

Works in foundations, public archives and collections

  • FAMM Museum. Christian Levett Collection, France.
  • Museo de San Telmo. Gabriela Cendoya-Bergareche Collection, Spain.
  • BBC Four, UK.
  • Fonds d'art contemporain - City of Paris Collections, France.
  • BMW Art Collection, France. 
  • University of the Arts London. Photography Archive and Research Centre. UK.
  • Bow Arts Trust, UK.
  • Penumbra Foundation, USA.
  • The Philanthropic Lab, France.
  • The Sarabande Foundation, UK.
  • Soho House, Farmhouse, UK.

Jury/Panel member 

  • 2022-2023. Thamesmead Culture Fund, UK. 
  • 2022. Residence 1+2, France. 

Selected Media

TV, recorded interviews, recorded talks: 

Radio and podcasts: 

Books: 

Newspapers and magazines print and online: