I allow myself a greater detachment from reality each time. It feels like breaking a restriction, and I experience more freedom in narrative form and image creation.
Joan Alvado
JOAN ALVADO
The Last Man on Earth
The Ballads of the Coral
Os Batismos da Meia Noite
BIO
Joan Alvado (Altea, 1979) is a photographer based in Barcelona since 2005. His work is based on the use of imagination as a tool to reinterpret the territory and transcend documentary representation.
Part of his work resides in public and private collections in Germany, the United States, Portugal, France and Spain. He has exhibited in spaces such as the Palau de la Virreïna (Barcelona), Fototeca de Cuba (La Habana), the Marion Center for Photographic Arts (San Diego, USA), Museum of Photography of the Antonio Pérez Foundation (Cuenca), Circulations festival (Paris), the Instituto Cervantes in Belgrade or the Michael Horbach Foundation, in Köln. His projects have been published in international media such as Newsweek, CNN, The Washington Post, El País, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, Liberation, Fisheye, Burn Magazine, Leica Fotografie International (LFI), El País or La Repubblica, among others.
In 2022, he receives the Galician Prize for Contemporary Photography. In 2024, Alvado is working in a new project in Normandy (France), invited by the festival Planches Contact and the museum Les Franciscaines de Deauville, working in the viking presence and scandinavian heritage on this territory.
He is represented by the art gallery Marisa Marimón (ESP).
Exhibitions (Selection)
The Coral Ballads- Instituto Cervantes, Budapest (Hungary),2024
The Coral Ballads - Instituto Cervantes, Belgrade (Serbia),2023
Os Batismos da Meia-Noite- Casa dos Cubos, Tomar (Portugal),2023
Os Batismos da Meia-Noite - Galeria Adorna (Porto, Portugal),
2023
The Last Man on Earth - Museum of Photography Antonio
Pérez Foundation, Huete 2022
Os Batismos da Meia-Noite - Forum das Artes,
Encontros da Imagem (Braga, Portugal), 2022
The Ballads of the Coral - Patrick J.Domken gallery,
InCadaques festival, Cadaqués 2022
Os Batismos da Meia-Noite - Pazo de San Marcos, Lugo 2022
Muma Paduri - Cervantes Institute (Belgrade, Serbia) 2021
The Last Man on Earth - collective, Visages d’Europe
(Paris, France) 2021
The Last Man on Earth - Circulations (Paris, France) 2020
The Last Man on Earth - Marisa Marimón Gallery, Ourense 2020
Of Men and Woods - collective, Verzasca Festival (Verzasca, Suiza)
2020
Cuban Muslims, Tropical Faith - Belgrade Photomonth Festival
(Belgrade, Serbia) 2019
Cuban Muslims, Tropical Faith - Michael Horbach Foundation
(Cologne, Germany) 2019
Escola de Pastors - Xavier Miserachs Photography Biennial, Palafrugell
2018
Cuban Muslims, tropical faith - PhotoWalk Astoria festival,
(New York, USA) 2017
Cuban Muslims, tropical faith - Marion Center for Photographic
Arts, (San Diego, USA) 2017
Escola de Pastors - PhotoAlicante Festival, Alacant 2017
Escola de Pastors - Photogenic Festival, Barcelona 2015
Escola de Pastors - International Biennial of Photography, Tenerife, Spain
2015
Escola de Pastors - collective, SF Camera Work gallery
(San Francisco, USA) 2015
Escola de Pastors - Docfield festival, Barcelona 2014
Escola de Pastors - Photographic November at the
Fototeca - (Havana, Cuba), 2014
The Lab - collective, Virreïna centre de la Imatge, Barcelona
2014
Collections (selection)
Fondation Antonio Pérez
Fondation Michael Horbach (Cologne, Germany)
Cuban Heritage Collection (Miami, USA)
Group DST (Portugal)
Forum das Artes (Braga, Portugal)
Encontros da Imagem (Braga, Portugal)
TEA Tenerife Espacio por las Artes
Festival inCadaqués
Prizes (selection)
Galicia Prize for contemporary photography, 2022
CENTER Choice Awards, 2017
New Photography Talent FNAC, 2016
Emergent Talent Lens Culture, 2015
Descubrimientos PhotoEspaña, 2015
Finaliste Prix La Gacilly Nouvelles écritures, 2021
Honorable Mention POY Latam, 2019
Grant Seminario de Fotografía de Albarracín, 2018
Finalist Emergents from DST, 2016
Artistic Residencies
Amsterdam, programme Volkshotel AiR, 2023
Cadaqués, festival InCadaqués, 2022
Portugal, Farh 023.1, 2021
Serbia, AiR EUNIC, 2019
Crete, PhotoXenia, 2016
Publications
Newsweek - Washington Post - CNN - Libération - Polka Fisheye- El Pais - La République - The Guardian - Der Spiegel Leica Photographie Internationale - VICE