Almudena Romero is a London based 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.
Since 2015, Almudena has shown and explained her practice at the Victoria and Albert Museum,National Portrait Gallery, TATE Modern-TATE Exchange, TATE Britain, The Photographers’ Gallery, Tsinghua University Art Museum, the Whitechapel Gallery, Le Cent-Quatre Paris, University of the Arts London, Unseen Amsterdam, and delivered courses and lectures for Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Estorick Collection, Mapfre Foundation, Sotheby's Institute of Art, University of Westminster, Kingston University and Southampton Solent University and London Art Fair. She has also 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 published in Photomonitor, Radio France Internationale, TimeOut, DUST magazine, EXTRA magazine (FOMU, Foto Museum) and other media.
Almudena's 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 identity, or the link between photographic archives and colonialism. Her work focuses on how photographic processes and technology transform the notions of public, private, individuality, identity, memory, and, in general, the concept of the individual. Almudena's works touch on how perception affects existence and how photographic processes contribute to organising perception.
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
- 2018. Victoria and Albert Museum. Wet collodion negative and albumen print video demonstration.
- 2018. Tsinghua Art Museum. Wet collodion negative and albumen print video demonstration.
- 2018. National Portrait Gallery. Wet collodion negative and albumen print video demonstration.
- 2018. Bow Arts for London Festival of Architecture. Mural artwork.
- 2017. The Photographers' Gallery. Pop up CameraScanner Studio.
- 2017. University of the Arts London. Pop up Wet Plate Collodion studio & darkroom.
- 2016. Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum. Cameraless photography workshops.
- 2016. Fundación Mapfre Cultura. Pop up Wet Plate Collodion Studio & Darkroom.
- 2016. Team London Bridge & Fantasy High Street Festival. Public artwork.
- 2015. Victoria and Albert Museum. Pop up Wet Plate Collodion studio & darkroom
- 2015. Victoria and Albert Museum . Wet collodion and albumen print video demonstration.
- 2015. Emergency Exit Artist.Garden Shed Installation and cyanotype workshop.
Selected residencies
- 2018. Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing, China.
- 2018. Bow Arts. Royal Albert Wharf, UK.
- 2018. Day Residency as part of the Victorian Giants exhibition at National Portrait Gallery, UK.
- 2017. Whitechapel Gallery. London, UK.
- 2016. Revela-T Festival. Catalonia, Spain.
- 2016. Scene Art. London, UK.
- 2015. Double Negative Dark Room. London, UK.
Works in archives and collections
- Stephan Loewentheil collection.
- Photography Archive and Research Centre. University of the Arts London, UK.
- Bow Arts Trust. London, UK.
Awards, Grants and Funding
- 2018 Arts Council England. National Lottery Project Grants.
- 2018 a-n Artist Bursaries , UK.
- 2018 New Ham local 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 Recipient, New Creative Markets Programme, Four Corners Gallery, London
- 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
- 2018. Tsinghua University 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
- 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.
Recent talks, lectures and workshops
2019
- Visiting Lecturer. University for the Creative Arts. BA Photography.
- Workshop Leader. National Portrait Gallery
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.
- Tutor, Victoria and Albert Museum. Cyanotype and Photographic Emulsion.
- Tutor. Photography. 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 Students. University of Westminster. London, UK.
- Visiting Practitioner. BA Photography. Camberwell College of Arts. University of the Arts London,UAL, UK.
- Tutor, National Portrait Gallery, Cyanotype Printing and Pinhole Photography, UK.
- Tutor, Victoria and Albert Museum, Photographic Processes, UK.
- Tutor, London College of Communication (UAL). Black and White Photography Darkroom Techniques. London, UK.
- Tutor, London College of Communication (UAL). Darkroom Photography: Analogue Processes. London, UK.
- Tutor, Salt printing. Photofusion, UK.
- Workshop Leader. Whitechapel Gallery. Teachers' workshop. London, UK.
- Workshop Leader. Whitechapel Gallery. Primary and Secondary schools workshops. London, UK.
- Workshop Leader. The Photographers' Gallery. Cyanotype printing on wood. London, UK.
- Workshop leader. University of the Arts London (UAL) Chemigrams. Moose On The Loose 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). Darkroom Photography: Analogue Processes. London, UK.
- Tutor, London College of Communication (UAL)Black and White Photography Darkroom Techniques. London, UK.
- Tutor, Photofusion. 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
2015
- Visiting Lecturer. Sotheby's Institute of Art, London
- Associate Lecturer. Camberwell College of Arts.
- Tutor. Digital Photography. Chelsea College of Arts.
- Tutor. Alternative Photographic Printing, Camberwell College of Arts.
- Speaker. William Whiffin's East End. Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives
- Speaker. London Alternative Photography Collective.
- Speaker. Panel discussion. Shadows Symposium. UAL
- Guest Speaker. London College of Communication. BA Photography students.
- Guest Speaker. Underway. Photography Archive and Research Centre. UAL
- Workshop leader. Wet Plate Collodion.V&A Museum.
- Workshop leader.Wet Plate Collodion. Four Corners
- Workshop leader. Open House.Camberwell College of Arts.
- Workshop leader. On Light. Wellcome Trust & UCL.
2014
- Tutor. Alternative Photographic Printing, Camberwell College of Arts
- Tutor.International Summer School for 16-18 Year Olds, Camberwell College of Arts
- Tutor. Digital Photography,Camberwell College of Arts
- Workshop Facilitator. Open House.Camberwell College of Arts
- Teaching Assistant. Adventures in Polaroids, Double Negative Darkroom.