¡Hola!
As a Madrileño and avid city dweller, I find joy in the arts, crafting vegan delicacies for friends, indulging in long walks, and embarking on adventurous travels. With over two decades of experience in media, particularly as a photographer and videographer, I've cultivated a passion for storytelling. Beyond the lens, I derive immense satisfaction from working with wood, crafting designs, and collaborating on artist books as half of This Book Is True publishing house. Moreover, nothing fulfills me more than forging connections and nurturing new relationships. As an artist, I aspire to engage with contemporary social issues through an interdisciplinary lens, striving to provoke thought and inspire change.
Photo by Beatriz Jarauta
Artist Statement
Carlos Alba (Madrid, 1984) is a visual artist whose practice spans photography, video, painting, installation, and performance. His artistic exploration revolves around the complex dynamics between humans and non-human entities in contemporary society, with a particular focus on themes derived from his personal experiences. Alba perceives his artistic journey as a pathway to learning, utilizing it to delve into his emotions, past, masculinity, and fears. His work delves into everyday issues, particularly those impacting vulnerable individuals, utilizing objects and archives as tools to craft the final visual expression he seeks to convey.
Education
2003-2005 Photography & Film, UFV, Madrid, Spain.
2017-2018 MA Photography, University of the Arts London, UK.
2019 Photography and Curation, The Photographers Gallery/University of the Arts London, UK.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 I´ll Bet The Devil My Head. Imaginaria. Segorbe Cathedral, Castellón, Spain.
2021 The Taste Of The Wind. Art Photo BCN. Barcelona, Spain.
2018 The Taste Of The Wind. Tyghuset. Landskrona Foto Festival, Sweden.
2018 The Observation of Trifles. UAL Holborn Gallery. London, UK.
2017 The Observation of Trifles. Auditorio de Galicia. Zona C. Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
2016 The Observation of Trifles. La Fabrica Gallery. Madrid, Spain.
2016 The Observation of Trifles. PHOTOESPAÑA. El Águila. Madrid, Spain.
2011 Fashion Victim. Colegio de España. Paris, France.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024. I'll Bet The Devil My Head. 9th SIPF Photobook Showcase. National Design Museum. Singapore.
2023. I'll Bet The Devil My Head. Kassel Dummy Award. Exhibition Tour. Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops, Siem Reap, Cambodia. Center For Contemporary Photography, Melbourne, Australia. Format Festival, Derby, England. Fotofestiwal, Łódź, Poland. Internationale Photoszene Köln – Festival, Cologne, Germany. Istituto Italiano di Fotografia, Milano, Italy. Jakarta International Photofestival (JIPFest), Jakarta, Indonesia. Lumenvisum, Hong Kong. NOKS Art Space Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
More Info. Offset Projects, New Delhi, India. Organ Vida, Zagreb, Croatia. Photobook Week Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. PhotoIreland, Dublin, Ireland. Reminders Project & Reminders Photography Stronghold, Tokyo, Japan. Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF), Singapore. ZOETROPE, Athens, Greece.
2023. I'll Bet The Devil My Head. CHARTA Photobook Festival. Rome, Italy.
2022. Small is Beautiful 40th Ed. Flowers. Cork St. London, UK.
2022. HYBRIDS: Forging New Realities as Counter-Narrative. Midnight Sun. Centro Centro, PHE22, Madrid, Spain.
2021. HYBRIDS: Forging New Realities as Counter-Narrative. Midnight Sun. Melkweg, Amsterdam, Holland.
2021. Futures PhotoEspaña. Midnight Sun. Círculo de Bellas Artes. Madrid, Spain.
2021. I'll Bet The Devil My Head. Lianzhou Museum of Photography, Guangdong, China. (Cancelled COVID-19)
2020. Qui Va Lá? Colegio de España, Paris, France.
2020. The Taste Of The Wind Landskrona Foto both at Art Photo BCN in Arts Santa Mónica, Barcelona, Spain.
2019. The Taste Of The Wind is displayed on digital screens across Southbank Centre during 'Diane Arbus: in the beginning' show at Hayward Gallery at Southbank Centre. London, UK.
2018. In Other Image, When Words Fail. SIPF, Singapore.
2018. ;. Enterprise Projects. London, UK.
2018. Collaborate. Photoworks at Free Range. London, UK.
2018. Xhibit. Berdmondsey Project Space, London, UK.
2018. Un cierto panorama – reciente fotografía de autor en España. CCE. Lima, Peru.
2018. T3 Photo Festival Tokyo. TIPC winners show. HeadOn. Sidney, Australia.
2018. T3 Photo Festival Tokyo. TIPC winners show. G. Gallery. Taipei, Taiwan.
2018. T3 Photo Festival Tokyo. TIPC winners show. Wonder Foto Day. Taipei, Taiwan.
2018. T3 Photo Festival Tokyo. TIPC winners show. UPI Gallery, Brooklyn. New York, USA.
2017. Mapamundistas 17. La Ciudadela. Pamplona, Spain.
2017. Photo Book Phenomenon. CCCB / Foto Colectania. Barcelona, Spain.
2017. Photo Book Week Aarhus. Aarhus, Denmark.
2017. Un cierto panorama – reciente fotografía de autor en España. Sala Canal de Isabel II. Madrid, Spain.
2017. Habitat. Format Festival. Derby, UK.
2017. Proyecta. Imaginando otros posibles. Madrid, Spain.
2016. The myths of the near future. DOCfield. Arts Santa Mónica. Barcelona, Spain.
2016. Grand Prix Fotofestiwal. Art Inkubator. Lodz, Poland.
2016. Festival Circulation(s). Le Centquatre. Paris, France.
2016. Identity Flows. La Triennale di Milano. Milan, Italy.
2016. Upho Fotofestival. Málaga, Spain.
2016. RPS International Photobooks. Espacio Gallery, London. UK.
2016. RPS International Photobooks. Impressions Gallery, Bradford. UK.
2016. Scan Photobooks. Tinglado 2. Tarragona, Spain.
2016. Museum of Photography, Thesaloniki. Greece.
2016. Bitume PhotoFest. Lecce, Italy.
2014. Self. Bristol Festival of Photography, UK.
2011. La Mujer Española. Ministerio de Sanidad, Politica Social e Igualda. Madrid, Spain.
Awards and Grants
2024 Finalist 9th SIPF Photobook. Singapore.
2024 Finalist Best Photobook Of The Year with I'll Bet The Devil My Head. PhotoEspaña. Madrid, Spain.
2024 Selected Fotobus Library Award. I'll Bet The Devil My Head. Cologne, Germany.
2023 Finalist Kassel Dummy Award. I'll Bet The Devil My Head. Kassel, Germany.
2021 Selected Hybrids. Futures 2021. Amsterdam, Holland.
2021 Selected Futures PhotoEspaña. Madrid, Spain.
2020 Finalist Best Photobook Of The Year with The Taste Of The Wind. PhotoEspaña. Madrid, Spain.
2019 Finalist Getxo Photo. Bilbao, Spain.
2019 Grant Fiebre Lab. Madrid, Spain.
2018 Selected Singapore International Photography Festival. Portfolio Showcase. Singapore.
2018 Selected Xhibit, the annual exhibition showcasing the best emerging talent from UAL. London, UK.
2017. Recipient Tokyo International Photography Competition. Tokyo, Japan.
2017. Recipient Arts SU, London College of Fashion. London, UK.
2017. Recipient Landskrona Foto Residency. Landskrona, Sweden.
2017. Finalist BMW Residency. Gobellins. Paris, France.
2016. Selected Flash Forward. Magenta Fundation. Toronto, Canada.
2016. Recipient HACER. PhotoEspaña. Comunidad de Madrid. Spain.
2016. Nominated ING Unseen Talent Award. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2016. Shortlisted NEXOFOTO. Ibero-american Photography Award.
2016. Nominated Joop Swart Masterclass. World Press Photo. Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2016. Nominated First Book Award MACK. London, UK.
2016. Finalist Grand Prix Fotofestiwal. Lodz, Poland.
2015. Recipient ZONA C Art Award. Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
2015. Finalist EI AWARDS. Encontros Da Imagen. Braga, Portugal.
2015. Recipient Encontros de Artistas Novos. Cidade Da Cultura. Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
2015. Shortlisted DESCUBRIMIENTOS. PhotoEspaña. Madrid, Spain.
2015. Shorlisted NEXOFOTO. Ibero-american Photography Award.
2014. Recipient IdeasTap Magnum Photo Showcase by Olivia Arthur. London, UK.
2005. Recipient El Mundo Newspaper Grant. Madrid, Spain.
2005. Recipient El Pais Newspaper Grant. Madrid, Spain.
Talks & Teaching
2022 Round table, Sonia Berger, Milo Montelli and Carlos Alba in conversation with Césa Martinez-Useros. PhotoEspaña, Madrid, Spain.
2020 Workshop, Art Photo BCN. Barcelona, Spain.
2020 Artist Talk, Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain.
2019 Artist Talk, Sociedad Fotográfica Alavesa. Vitoria, Spain.
2018. Guest Lecturer, Royal Academy of Art (KABK). The Hague, Netherlands.
2018. Artist Talk, SIPF, Singapore.
2018. Artist Talk, Jenny Nordquist in conversation with Carlos Alba. Landskrona Foto Festival, Sweden.
2018. Artist Talk, CFC Bilbao. Vizcaya, Spain.
2017. Artist Talk, Landskrona Foto Festival. Landskrona, Sweden.
2016. Artist Talk, Art Inkubator. Fotofestiwal. Lodz, Poland.
2016. Artist Talk, La Fabrica. Madrid, Spain.
2016. Round table, Jo Dennis, Aisling McCoy and Carlos Alba in conversation with Rodrigo Orrantia. Peckham 24. Photo London, UK.
Selected Press
Claudia Bigongiari, "Volpi contro Broker", Lampoon Magazine, 24-07-2024. Milan, Italy.
Nerea Ubieto, "Feliz Libro Nuevo", I'll Bet The Devil My Head, ABC Cultural, ABC, 14-12-2023. Madrid, Spain.
Gloria Crespo Maclennan, "Fábulas del campo y la ciudad a través de una cámara", Babelia, El País, 7-12-2023. Madrid, Spain.
Carlos Fresneda, "Tras el sigiloso rastro de los zorros urbanos de Londres", Patio Global, El Mundo, 16-10-2023. London, UK.
Ana Marques Maia, "Noir e implacável é a fábula da iniquidade em Londres", P3, Publico, 16-08-2023. Lisboa, Portugal.
Guy Lane, "Spain in the frame: 25th anniversary of PhotoEspaña", The Guardian, 13-06-2022. London, UK.
HYBRIDS: “We are witnessing the forging of new realities”, BJP 1854, 15-09-2021. London, UK.
Olga Yatskevich, "Carlos Alba, The Taste Of The Wind", Photobooks, Collector Daily, 19-03-2020. USA.
Museé Magazine "Photo Journal Monday: Carlos Alba", 04-05-2020. New York, USA.
George King, "On the bright side with Carlos Alba", Unseen Magazine, Issue 6. 2019. Netherlands.
Will Glaser, "In Conversation: Carlos Alba", Aint-Bad Magazine, 24-10-2018. Savannah, USA.
"El español Carlos Alba entre los ganadores del Tokyo International Photography Competition 2017", Clavo Ardiendo, 21-12-2017. Madrid, Spain.
"Ideas On Talent: Carlos Alba", Photoworks, 02-08-2017. UK.
Olga Yatskevich, "Carlos Alba, The Observation of Trifles", Photobooks, Collector Daily, 12-01-2017. USA.
Carlos Fresneda, "Te encontré en el Este de Londres", Cultura, El Mundo, 27-09-2016. Spain.
Tshepo Mokoena, "Photos of the people, buildings and found objects We barely notice in cities", photography, VICE Magazine, 17-09-2016. UK.
Malou Briand Rautenberg, "5 young european photographers to follow", Photography, I-D Magazine, 08-04-2016.
Carlos Fresneda, "Lo más profundo es lo más trivial", Culture, EL MUNDO Newspaper, 27-03-2016. Spain.
Contact
Carlos Alba Studio
studio@carlosalba.com
Books
I´ll Bet The Devil My Head, Void photo, 2023
The Taste of the Wind , Landskrona Foto, 2019
Becoming Image: Medicine and the Algorithmic Body. (Vv.Aa.), Liz Orton/Wellcome Collection, 2018
The Observation of Trifles, La Fabrica, 2016.
Catalogues
Futures 2021. Amsterdam, Holland.
GetxoPhoto 2019. Bilbao, Spain.
Landskrona Foto 2018. Landskrona Foto Publications / Breadfield Press. Landskrona, Sweden, 2018
Un cierto panorama. Reciente fotografía de autor en España. Comunidad de Madrid. Madrid, Spain, 2017
Flash Forward, The Magenta Fundation, Toronto, Canada, 2016
Fotofestiwal 2016, FEW, Lodz, Poland, 2016
Circulation(s), Le Bec en l´air, Paris, France, 2016
Collections
Kaptensgården Foundation (Stiftelsen Kaptensgårdens samlingar), Landskrona, Sweden.
Private collections in Austria, England and Spain.
His artist books are part of international library collections such as Tate Library (UK), Harvard Library (USA), Landskrona Museum (Sweden), Reminders Photography Stronghold (Japan), Fotocolectania (Spain), Deck (Singapore), Lightbox (Taiwan) and The Library Project (Ireland).
Clients
I am a regular contributor of media companies and magazines such as AD, Der Spiegel, Esquire, Financial Times Magazine, Forbes Spain, Generation Vegan, Grazia, Gyro, I-D Magazine, Konbini, Unidad Editorial, Vice UK, Woman Madamme Figaro and Yo Dona. Also, I have worked for brands as a Photographer & Videographer like Adolfo Dominguez, Beefeater Spain, BNP Paribas, Cabify, Cardhu, Coronita, Correos, Diageo, FitFlop, Heineken, HP, KH-7, Loewe, Médicos Sin Fronteras, Mr. Natty, Nescafé, Netflix, Nivea, Oxfam Intermón, Sisley Cosmetics, Roberto Botticelli, Unicef, Universal Music Spain, Warner Music Spain and Women's Secret.
We comply with the GDPR and any data held by us is held on the following basis provided in the GDP: Consent, Contract, Legal Obligation, Vital interests, Public task or legitimate interest and is only such datatypically name, email, phone number and address - necessary for us to contact you and payment details if we pay money to you. If you have any issues or would like to read our data protection policy or object to us holding your data and would like to contact us to delete it please e-mail: mail@carlosalba.com
Carlos Alba
+34 626 159 284 (Spain)
studio@carlosalba.com
This Book Is True
Cristina De Middel & Carlos Alba photo book publishing house
www.thisbookistrue.es
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