Almudena Romero (b. in Madrid in 1986) is a British and Spanish visual artist based in London. Her practice uses photography to explore ways of representing, seeing and understanding. Romero’s works focus on how perception affects existence and how art shapes perception.
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, FOAM Magazine, 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).
Romero is represented by Fisheye Gallery and TOBE Gallery.
Awards, Grants and Funding (selected)
- 2023. Nominee.Louise Roeder Art Prize for Sustainability
- 2022. Awardee.ACAVA Studio Fund
- 2021. Awardee.Arts Council England. DYCP grant.
- 2021. Finalist.Emerging Photographer award Photo London.
- 2021. Nominee. Prix Pictet
- 2020 Winner.BMW Residency Award
- 2020 Awardee.Arts Council England.C-19 Grants.
- 2020 Awardee.The Richard and Siobhán Coward Foundation grants.
- 2020 Awardee.The Eaton Fund.
- 2020 Awardee.ACAVA studio Fund.
- 2020 Awardee.Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund grants.
- 2020 Awardee.The Harnisch Foundation grants.
- 2019 Awardee National Lottery Heritage Fund. Project Grants.
- 2019 Awardee. i-Portunus. Creative Europe Fund.
- 2019 Awardee. SPAIN arts & culture. Cultural Office. Embassy of Spain in USA.
- 2019 Awardee. London Community Foundation grants.
- 2019. Awardee. a-n mentoring bursaries.
- 2018 Awardee. Arts Council England. National Lottery Project Grants.
- 2018 Awardee. a-n Artist Bursaries , UK.
- 2016 Awardee. London Creative Network, professional development programme, London
- 2015 Finalist. The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards.
Commissions (selected)
- 2022. Guerlain x Fisheye Gallery. Artwork for exhibition at Guerlain Paris.
- 2020.BBC Four. Lucy Worsley Royal Photo Album Episode.
- 2019. BBC Four. Victorian Sensations BBC Four episode.
- 2019. London Community foundation & Peabody Group. Participatory art installation.
- 2018. Victoria and Albert Museum. Video on permanent display at New Photography Centre.
- 2018. Tsinghua Art Museum. Video for Visions and Reflections exhibition .
- 2018. National Portrait Gallery. Video for Victorian Giants exhibition.
- 2018. Bow Arts & Peabody Group. Mural art.Hoardings commission.
- 2017. The Photographers' Gallery. Participatory art installation.
- 2017. University of the Arts London. Participatory art (with later exhibition and publication).
- 2016. Fundación Mapfre Cultura. Participatory art (Exhibited at the Foundation).
- 2016. Team London Bridge & Southwark Council. Public artwork installation.
- 2016. Victoria and Albert Museum. Participatory art (with later exhibition). London, UK.
- 2015. Victoria and Albert Museum. Participatory art installation.
- 2015. Victoria and Albert Museum . Video for Julia Margaret Cameron exhibition.
- 2015. Emergency Exit Artist.Public artwork installation.
- 2015. Wellcome Trust & UCL. Participatory art installation
Residencies (selected)
- 2023. The Sarabande Foundation
- 2022-2023. Laboratory of Plants Microbes and Environment Interactions (LIPME).
- 2020-2021. BMW Residency, Paris, France.
- 2020. Guest Projects (Yinka Shonibare Studio),London, UK
- 2020. ISCP,New York. (cancelled due to Covid travel restrictions).
- 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. Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Japan.
Works in foundations, public archives and collections
- 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.
- Museo de San Telmo. Gabriela Cendoya-Bergareche Collection, Spain.
- The Philanthropic Lab, France.
Jury/Panel member
- 2022-2023. Thamesmead Culture Fund, UK.
- 2022. Residence 1+2, France.
Solo exhibitions & solo displays at fairs
- 2023. The Museum of Plant Art. Chapelle des Cordeliers .Toulouse, France.
- 2023. The Pigment Change. Fisheye Gallery, France.
- 2022. The Pigment Change. Studies on my grandma's garden. TOBE Gallery.
- 2021. The Pigment Change. Les Rencontres d'Arles , France.
- 2021. The Pigment Change Paris Photo, France.
- 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.
Group exhibitions in public institutions & festivals (selected)
- 2024. Musée Albert Kahn. Curated by Luce Lebart. Paris, France.
- 2023. Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Curated by Héloïse Conésa. Paris, France.
- 2023. Maison Guerlain. Paris, France.
- 2022. Centro Cultural Las Cigarreras. PPT Open Art Festival, Alicante, Spain.
- 2022. Open Eye Gallery. with Land Art, Liverpool, UK.
- 2019. Belfast Photo Festival with Golden Thread Gallery, UK.
- 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.
- 2017(June) The Photographers' Gallery . London, UK.
- 2017 (November) The Photographers' Gallery. London, UK.
- 2017. TATE Exchange-TATE Modern. With Digital makers Collective.London, UK.
- 2017. Venice Biennale 2017. Diaspora Pavilion. Tintypes produced in collaboration with artist Khadija Saye. Venice, Italy.
- 2016. MozEx. Curated by V&A and Tate Digital.
- 2016. Victoria and Albert Museum. participatory artwork commission. London, UK.
- 2016. Fundación MAPFRE Cultura. Participatory artwork. Madrid, Spain.
- 2016. Brighton Photo Fringe. Brighton, Uk.
- 2014. Open Peckham Platform, London, UK.
- 2014. Night Contact, Brighton Photo Biennial, UK.
Fairs
- Paris Photo: 2023. The Pigment Change book Launch. 2022. BMW Laureates Retrospective. 2021. BMW Award
- With Fisheye Gallery: Photo London (2023, 2022, 2021), Art Paris (2023), Art Taipei (2023)
- With TOBE Gallery: Unseen (2023), MIA Fair (2023), Art & Antique Budapest. (2023)
- With Nunnery Gallery: London Art Fair (2020).
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.
Publications (monographs)
- 2023. The Pigment Change. Fisheye Editions.
- 2023. The Museum of Plant Art. Filigrane editions.
Press, media & books featuring my work
- 2023. ABC Cultural.
- 2023. Campus FM. Conversation with Juliette Husson.
- 2023.Campus FM. Conversation with Al Baylac. Radio.
- 2023. Les Carnets du paysage Magazine.
- 2023. Maze Row Magazine.
- 2022. Contre-culture dans la photographie contemporaine. Michel Poivert. Published by Textuel.Book.
- 2022. L'Œil écoute - Podcast.
- 2022. Lomography magazine.
- 2022. LensScratch magazine.
- 2022. Country and Townhouse magazine
- 2022. Better Photography India magazine.
- 2022. Moove magazine
- 2021. Forbes.magazine
- 2021. The Art Newspaper
- 2021. El Pais- Paris Photo.Newspaper.
- 2021. Sciences et Avenir. magazine
- 2021. MONOPOL magazine- Paris Photo
- 2021. BeauxArts magazine
- 2021. FAD Magazine- Paris Photo
- 2021. El Pais. newspaper.i
- 2021. Liberation. newspaper.
- 2021. MONOPOL magazine.
- 2021. Yorokobu magazine.
- 2021. VOGUE Italia magazine.
- 2021. Harpers BAZAR China blog.
- 2021. FAD magazine
- 2021. Madame Figaro magazine.
- 2021. Blind Magazine
- 2021. FishEye Magazine
- 2021. France Fine Arts. Podcast
- 2021.De L'Air Editions.Book.
- 2021. Design Boom.Online Magazine
- 2021. Mashable. Online platform
- 2021. WestArt TV
- 2021. AlternativePhotography.com
- 2021. Art The Science blog
- 2021. C4 Journal
- 2021. Talento a Bordo.magazine.o
- 2021. The Eyes. Online Magazine
- 2020. BBC Four. Lucy Worsley Royal Photo Album
- 2020. FOAM Magazine
- 2020. Le Quotidien de l'Art.magazine.
- 2020. FishEye magazine
- 2020. Artvisions.blog
- 2020. Reponses Photo.blog
- 2020. Polka magazine
- 2019. BBC Four. Victorian Sensations
- 2019. Blog interview with The Auction Collective.
- 2018. Photomonitor. Interviewed by Francesca Marcaccio.magazine
- 2018. Radio France Internationale. Interviewed by Siegfried Forster.
- 2018. Unseen Festival Radio.
- 2018. Wet Plate collodion Portraits. Photography Archive and Research Centre. University of the Arts London.Book.
- 2018. EXTRA magazine. Published by FOMU, Foto Museum.
- 2018. Yogurt Magazine. Online publication.
- 2018. L'Oeil de La Photographie Online magazine.
- 2018. Interviewed by Unseen Amsterdam.
- 2018. Le Quotidien de l'Art. Print magazine.
- 2018. Art Visions. Online magazine.
- 2018. Obsolete and discontinued. Book. Published by Brovira Press.
- 2018. The Physics and Art of Photography. Book. Published by Morgan & Claypool.
- 2017. Beneath the Salt. Book. Published by YONA Editions.
- 2016. Culture Trip. Media platform. Video interview.
- 2015. Time Out. Press.
- 2015. Photomonitor. Online magazine.
- 2015. She Shoots Film.Online magazine.