Andrea Santolaya (Madrid, 1982) has developed a personal...
Andrea Santolaya (Madrid, 1982) has developed a personal and honest photographic language to portray the life of small communities where timelessness as a social bond stands out. Whether with the Mikhailovsky Ballet of Saint Petersburg, in Russia; the Warao ethnic group of the Orinoco river Delta, in Venezuela; the world of boxing in gyms in New York, United States; or with the centennial Biarritz Olympique rugby team, in France. Her photographic work allows a dialogue with the viewer to show the intimacy of the places, the characters that inhabit it, the history and how society debates in its natural environment over time. The contemplation and personal experience shown through photography constitute the common thread that unites all these projects to tell a story in images.

In 2010 she graduated from the Master in Fine Arts "Photography, Video and Related Media" at School of Visual Arts NY with the support of the scholarship granted by Obra Social La Caixa. Here she also worked for Manolo Valdes photographing his monumental sculptures in NYC. Previously, she photographed the Making of the film “The Honour of the Wronged” by artist Carlos García-Alix.


She has received prizes and scholarships such as “Aula de Artes Plásticas” of the University of Murcia, a grant at the Pushkin Institute in Moscow from the Russian Federal Government and the artist residency “Pico do refugio” at Azores.

She is the author of several books, among which we highlight the book “Around” published by La Oficina and the book “Manolo Valdés. Botanical Garden of NY” edited by La Fabric. This book won the First Prize for the best publication of art 2014 by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Spain. Her work has been published by national and international media, including El Pais, El Mundo, Matador Magazine, Esquire, El Nacional and Smithsonian Journeys.

Her work is part of private and public collections. From art galleries to art spaces such as Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Palau de la Música in Valencia, CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Cisneros Caracas Collection, C & FE Caracas Collection and Marlborough NY Gallery.

Her first solo exhibition “Around” about women boxers was at Marlborough Gallery in Madrid as part of the Festival Photoespaña 2011. Since then, her work has been presented at international institutions and galleries that include Centro Conde Duque in Madrid, Palau de la Música de Valencia, Mondo Galeria, Galeria Freites of Caracas, Institut Français in Madrid and the International Photography Festival of Mérignac.


EXHIBITION RECORD


SOLO exhibitions
2019 Retratate Santander. PHotoESPAÑA. Santander, Spain.
2017 Mérignac Photo Festival, France. Curated by François Cheval. 
2017 Nation rugby. Centro Cultural Aiete. San Sebastian, Spain.
2016 Waniku. Where water rumbles. Galeria Freites in Caracas, Venezuela.
2016 Nation rugby. Institut Français. Madrid, Spain.
2014 Waniku. Where water rumbles. Mondo Gallery. Madrid, Spain.
2014 Cartes de Visite. Palau de la Musica. Valence, Spain.
2013 Prelude. The Mikhailovsky Ballet. Mondo Gallery in Madrid, Spain. 
2013 Prelude. The Mikhailovsky Ballet. Fotofever Paris. Mondo Gallery.
2012 And when I opened my eyes... at Freites Gallery in Caracas, Venezuela.
2011 Around. Marlborough Gallery Madrid along with Photoespaña Festival 2011.

SELECTED group exhibitions
2019 Um Olhar Divergente, Arquipélago - Centro das Artes Contemporâneas, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal. 
2018 Artistas Descrito. Centro Cultural San Clemente. Toledo, Spain.
2018 Retratate ParqueSur. PHotoESPAÑA. Madrid, Spain. 
2017 Espacio RAW Collection. Fundación Antonio Pérez. Cuenca, Spain.
2016 Yo la peor de todas. Mondo Galeria. Madrid, Spain.
2016 Tolstöi. Vuela Pluma Ediciones. Madrid, Spain. 
2015 La oficina de San Jerónimo. Matadero. Casa del Lector. Madrid, Spain.
2015 Arte Fiera Bologna. International Exhibition of Contemporary Art. Paola Sosio Gallery.
2014 Blanca Sanchez. Circle of Fine Arts in Madrid, Spain
2012 My family and other animals. Alejandro Sales Gallery in Barcelona, Spain.
2012 Group Opening. Galeria Hispanica. Mexico D.F.
2012 Sony World Photography Awards 2012. Somerset House in London, England.
2011 Comer y beber. Pelayo Gallery in Madrid, Spain.
2010 Thesis Exhibition. SVA MFA Photography, Video and Media. SVA Gallery, New York.
2009 Art Under the Bridge. DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn, N.Y.
2009 Viaje alrededor de Carlos Berlanga. El Aguila Museum, Madrid. Spain.
2009 Common people. Cultural Center La Misericordia, Mallorca. Spain.
2008 Art, Creation and Investigation. MAC+i 08 U.C.M. Madrid. Spain.
2008 Mirrors of the Soul. Cultural Center La Pocilla, Madrid. Spain.
2008 Italy Today. Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Madrid. Spain.
2008 Science, Art and Nature. U.C.M. Madrid. Spain.
2007 From Analog to Digital. EFTI Gallery, Madrid. Spain.
2007 Art Madrid 07. International Contemporary Art Fair with Sen Gallery. Madrid, Spain.
2007 The honor of the Wronged. Looking for Felipe Sandoval. Centro Cultural Conde Duque. Madrid, Spain.
2003 Aula de Artes Plásticas Prize. Art Nueve Gallery, Murcia. Spain.
2003 Stage Photography. Fine Arts School. U.C.M. Madrid. Spain.


AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS


RUSSIAN GRANT AT THE PUSHKIN INSTITUTE IN MOSCOW. Government of Russian Federation. 2017

1ST PRIZE BEST ART PUBLICATION.
The Ministry of Culture and Sports in Spain.
“Manolo Valdes. The Botanical Garden in N.Y.” La Fabrica Editions, Spain.

SONY AWARDS. Shortlisted with “Prelude. The Mikhailosky Ballet”
Post-graduate Scholarships. London, 2012.

OBRA SOCIAL ”LA CAIXA”
Post-graduate Scholarships. Barcelona, 2008.

1ST PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE “AULA DE ARTES PLÁSTICAS"
University of Murcia, Spain. 2003.



COLLECTIONS


C&FE Caracas, Venezuela

INSTITUT FRANÇAIS Madrid, Spain.
PALAU DE LA MUSICA Valencia, Spain.
MARLBOROUGH GALLERY in New York, NY.
MARLBOROUGH GALLERY in Madrid. Spain
FREITES GALLERY in Caracas. Venezuela. 
CISNEROS COLLECTION in Caracas, Venezuela. 
COMPLUTENSE UNIVERSITY IN MADRID/ Fine Arts School in Madrid. Spain.
UNIVERSITY OF MURCIA/ Plastic Arts department. 
CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo. Madrid Community. Spain.

BIBLIOGRAPHY


MONOGRAPHS
Manolo Valdes. The N.Y. Botanical Garden. Andrea Santolaya. La Fabrica Ed. Spain. 2014
Around. Andrea Santolaya. La Oficina Editions. Spain. 2011
Manolo Valdes. Sculptures in NY. Andrea Santolaya. TF Editions. Spain. 2011
La Naval Magazine Issue 37. Andrea Santolaya. Cartagena, Spain. 2009

VARIOUS AUTHORS  

The Teatro Real. La Fábrica Ed. Spain. 2018 
The Spanish people have a path that leads to a star.  Descrito Ed. Spain. 2018. Descrito Ed. Spain. 2018   
Diccionario de Fotografos Españoles. La Fábrica Ed. Spain. 2014
Looking for Felipe Sandoval. (Making of) T. Editions, Madrid. Spain. 2008


EDUCATION



MASTER LA FABRICA, Madrid, Spain
Dirección de proyectos culturales
Diploma 2019

SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS, New York, NY
Degree: Photography, Video and Related Media. 
MFA 2010 
Thesis advisor Mr. Larry Fink.
 
SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS. COMPLUTENSE UNIVERSITY, Madrid, Spain.  
Degree: Art, Creation and Investigation.                       
MFA 2008


SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS. COMPLUTENSE UNIVERSITY, Madrid, Spain.  
Degree: Bachelor of Fine Arts.                      
BA 2006
 


EFTI International Center of Photography and Cinema, Madrid, Spain.
Degree: Photography. 
Diploma 2000


  
TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Too Many Flash. Madrid, Spain.
Author photography. 2019

MADphoto. Madrid, Spain.
"Mi familia y otros animales". Photo workshop 2019

LENS. Madrid, Spain.
Master MAPA. Tutor 2019

FOTO AULA. Madrid, Spain.
"Un mal de Montano". Photo workshop 2018
"Looking In".Photo workshop 2017

ISTITUTO EUROPEO DI DESIGN. Madrid, Spain.
PhotoTechniques I and II. 2016 - 2017
Fashion Master. Photography. 2007

ROBERTO MATA. Taller de Fotografia. Caracas, Venezuela.
Photoworkshop in Paraguana, Falcon. 2014
Photoworkshop in Los Nevados, Merida. 2016

MONDO GALERIA. Madrid, Spain.
Photoworkshop in Morocco. 2014
Photoworkshop in Madrid. 2015

TAI. UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SPECTACLES. Madrid, Spain.
Photographic Analysis. 2013 - 2014













ANDREA SANTOLAYA

Spanish artist Andrea Santolaya documents in Europe and America.
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