BIO
Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Oskar Alvarado is a visual artist currently living in Barcelona. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts at Basque Country University (UPV), a MA on Curatorial and Cultural Practices in Art and New Media at Higher School of Design (ESDI) in Barcelona and a Graduate Diploma in Management, Preservation and Dissemination of Photographic Archives at Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona (UAB).
In his work, he creates visual worlds where people appear to interact in intimate spaces. In bounded territories to explore our identity. Places to show our fragility. The permanent duality in which we live: the conflict between what we appear to be and our true selves. He put the focus on the moment that consciousness and unconsciousness are found, where reality and fiction blur the border and coexist in the mind in a recreation of two parallel worlds that make up our essence. His motivation is to continue exploring new emotional landscapes. Stagings of the strangeness, of the everyday life dramas hidden in suburban existence.
AWARDS
2023
Parallel Voices. Photometria International Photography Festival. Ioannina, Greece – Winner
Gomma Photography Grant. London, United Kingdom – Honorable Mention
The Prefix Prize. Toronto, Canada – Honorable Mention
Urbanautica Institute Awards. Asolo, Italy – Shortlisted
Angkor Photo Festival. Siem Reap, Cambodia – Selected
2022
Sarajevo Photography Festival. Sarajevo, Bosnia i Herzegovina – 1st Place Documentary and Grand Prix Winner
Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award. Tbilisi, Georgia – Best Conceptual Series Winner
Photo Collective Stories. Melbourne, Australia – Shortlisted
Solar Foto Festival. Fortaleza, Brazil – Selected
Belfast Photo Festival. Belfast, Northern Ireland – Highly Commended Artist
2021
Festival Images Gibellina. Gibellina, Sicily – Winner
OpenWalls Arles. British Journal of Photography & Galerie Huit Arles, France – Winner
Flow Photofest. Highlands and Islands, Scotland – Winning Image
Lucie Foundation Fine Art Scholarship. Los Angeles, USA – Honorable Mention
Santiago Castelo International Photography Award. Unesco Extremadura Center. Cáceres, Spain – Honorable Mention
Life Framer Photography Award. Night Life judged by Christophe Jacrot. London, United Kingdom – Honorable Mention
Belfast Photo Festival. Belfast, Northern Ireland – Highly Commended Artist
BFoto Festival. Barbastro, Spain – Selected
Fotonoviembre Atlántica Colectivas. Tenerife, Spain – Selected
Chambre 07 Festival International de Photographie. Aubenas, France – Selected
Foto Arica Festival Internacional de Fotografía. Arica, Chile – Selected
Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award. Tbilisi, Georgia – Shortlisted
2020
Helsinki Photo Festival. Helsinki, Finland – Winner
Art Photo Bcn. Barcelona, Spain – Winner
OpenWalls Arles. British Journal of Photography & Galerie Huit Arles, France – Winner
Helsinki Photo Festival. Portfolio Rewiews. Helsinki, Finland – Winner
Life Framer Photography Award. Night Life judged by Todd Hido. London, United Kingdom – Honorable Mention
Restart. Lithuanian Photographers Association. Vilnius, Lithuania – Finalist
Head On Photo Awards. Australia – Semi-Finalist
Verzasca Foto Festival. Sonogno, Verzasca Valley. Switzerland – Selected
Emergentes – Prémio Internacional de Fotografia Encontros da Imagem. Braga, Portugal – Selected
2019
PHotoESPAÑA. Discoveries PHE19. Madrid, Spain – Selected
IMAGO Lisboa Photo Festival. Lisbon Meeting Point Photofolio Review. Lisbon, Portugal – 20 best portfolios
BIPA, Barcelona International Photography Award. Best 50 photographers – Finalist
Lucie Foundation Chromalux X Fine Art Scholarship. Los Angeles, USA – Finalist
Gomma Photography Grant. London, United Kingdom – Shortlisted
Les Boutographies. Montpellier, France – Shortlisted
Athens Photo Festival. Athens, Greece – Shortlisted
Belfast Photo Festival. Belfast, Northern Ireland – Shortlisted
Life Framer Photography Award. Night life. London, United Kingdom – Editor’s pick
2018
Helsinki Photo Festival. Helsinki, Finland – Winner
Tokio International Foto Awards. Tokio, Japan – Gold Winner and Honorable Mention
IPA International Photography Awards. Los Angeles, USA – 2nd Place Winner
Solar Foto Festival. Fortaleza, Brazil – Selected
2017
Burn Emerging Photographer Fund. Burn Magazine. USA – Shortlisted
2016
Addis Foto Fest. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Selected
Athens Photo Festival. Athens, Greece – Shortlisted
2014
Voies Off Awards. Arles, France – Selected
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
Where Fireflies Unfold. Belgrade Photo Month. Instituto Cervantes. Belgrade, Serbia
In collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Belgrade
2021
Where Fireflies Unfold. BFoto Festival. Sala Francisco Goya, UNED. Barbastro, Spain
2020
Where Fireflies Unfold. PHOTO IS:RAEL International Photography Festival. Kikar Hamedina, Tel-Aviv. Israel
In collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Israel
2016
Insomnia. La Grey, Space for Contemporary Creation. SCAN Tarragona 2016, International Photography Festival. Spain
GROUP EXHIBITIONS / Selection
2023
Where Fireflies Unfold. Parallel Voices. Photometria International Photography Festival. Ioannina, Greece (September 26 – October 8)
Where Fireflies Unfold. Festival Gibellina PhotoRoad. Fondazione Orestiadi. Gibellina, Sicily (July 28 – September 30)
Where Fireflies Unfold. Cáceres Abierto, Contemporary Art Biennial. Archivo Histórico Provincial. Cáceres, Spain (April 28 – Juny 18)
Where Fireflies Unfold (Interactive installation). Der Greif. Past & Present. Pinakothek der Moderne and ZIRKA. Múnich, Germany (June 16 – June 18)
Where Fireflies Unfold (Projection). Angkor Photo Festival. Chocolate Garden. Siem Reap, Cambodia
Lucernario. Out From The Mist. Alcoa Mandurah Art Gallery. Mandurah, Australia
2022
Where Fireflies Unfold (Projection). Solar Foto Festival. Complex Cultural Estação das Artes. Fortaleza, Brazil
Where Fireflies Unfold (Projection). FORMAT International Photography Festival. QUAD’s Resource Area. Derby, United Kingdom
Where Fireflies Unfold. Sarajevo Photography Festival. Galerija Muzeja USK. Bihać, Bosnia i Herzegovina
Where Fireflies Unfold. Sarajevo Photography Festival. JU Dom Kulture Edhem Mulabdic. Maglaj, Bosnia i Herzegovina
Where Fireflies Unfold. Sarajevo Photography Festival. JU KSC Kakanj. Kakanj, Bosnia i Herzegovina
Where Fireflies Unfold. Sarajevo Photography Festival. Sarajevo City Hall. Bosnia i Herzegovina
Where Fireflies Unfold (Projection). Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award. Former. Tbilisi, Georgia
Where Fireflies Unfold. V Santiago Castelo International Photography Award. Fábrica da Criatividade. Castelo Branco, Portugal
Where Fireflies Unfold. V Santiago Castelo International Photography Award. Galería Municipal. Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal
Where Fireflies Unfold. XXXVI Certamen Artístico Villa de Amurrio. Sala de exposiciones municipal La Casona. Amurrio, Spain
Insomnia. Limited Edition Helsinki Photo Festival. Marski Gallery by Scandic Hotel. Helsinki, Finland
Lucernario. Out From The Mist. 19 Karen Contemporary Art Space. Gold Coast, Australia
2021
Where Fireflies Unfold. Fotonoviembre Atlántica Colectivas – COAC Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos. Tenerife, Spain
Where Fireflies Unfold. V Santiago Castelo International Photography Award. Sala Pintores. Cáceres, Spain
Where Fireflies Unfold. Flow Photofest. Highland Print Studio. Inverness, United Kingdom
Where Fireflies Unfold. OpenWalls Arles 2021. Galerie Huit Arles. France
Where Fireflies Unfold (Projection). Festival Images Gibellina. Palazzo di Lorenzo. Gibellina, Italy
Insomnia. Chambre 07. Centre Le Bournot. Aubenas, France
Insomnia. Foto Arica Festival Internacional de Fotografía. Fundación Casa Yanulaque. Arica, Chile
Insomnia. Mass Isolation Finland. Veteli Art Manor. Veteli. Finland
Insomnia. Mass Isolation Finland. Nykyaika Photographic Center. Tampere. Finland
Insomnia. Mass Isolation Finland. Northern Photographic Centre. Oulu. Finland
Insomnia. Mass Isolation Finland. Galleria Ratamo. Jyväskylä. Finland
2020
Where Fireflies Unfold. Verzasca Foto Festival. Of men and woods. Sonogno, Verzasca Valley. Switzerland
Where Fireflies Unfold. OpenWalls Arles. Galerie Huit Arles. France
Where Fireflies Unfold. Helsinki Photo Festival. National Museum and Korjaamo. Helsinki, Finland
Where Fireflies Unfold. Prospectus Gallery, Restart. Vilnius, Lithuania
Where Fireflies Unfold (Projection). Agora Gallery. New York, USA
2019
Where Fireflies Unfold (Projection). BIPA Best 50th photographers, Valid Foto Gallery. Barcelona, Spain
Insomnia. Out From The Mist. Brisbane City Hall, Australia
2018
Insomnia. PH21 Gallery, Nocturnal. Budapest, Hungary
Insomnia. Helsinki Photo Festival. Galleria Futura and Kellohalli. Helsinki, Finland
Insomnia (Projection). Solar Foto Festival, Centro Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura. Fortaleza, Brazil
2016
Insomnia. Addis Foto Fest. Sheraton Addis H. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2014
Insomnia (Projection). Voies Off Awards, Archbishop’s Palace court-yard. Arles, France
RESIDENCIES
Arteleku Creation Center. San Sebastián, Spain
PUBLICATIONS
2022
Stories Anual 2022. Photo Collective. Melbourne, Australia
2021
V Premio Internacional de Fotografía Santiago Castelo 2021. Centro Unesco de Extremadura. ISBN 978-84-124702-0-8
#mass isolation projectfi. K.H. Renlundin museo – The Centre for Creative Photography – Northern Photographic Centre. ISBN 978-952-68208-1-1
2020
Restart. Lithuanian Photographers Association. ISBN 978-9955-438-82-3
PUBLICATIONS / Online
Where Fireflies Unfold. Edge of Humanity Magazine
Where Fireflies Unfold. Audioteca Fotográfica Mujer Puente
Where Fireflies Unfold. Interview, Art Photo Bcn
Where Fireflies Unfold. PHMuseum Featured Project
Where Fireflies Unfold. LIFE FRAMER Collection
Where Fireflies Unfold. 100 HUNDRED PHOTOGRAPHIZE ANUAL BOOK Best Selected 2020
Where Fireflies Unfold. Top 250 PHMuseum Stories of 2020
Where Fireflies Unfold. DER GREIF, Guest Room. «Your Truth» an online exhibition curated by Sara Hemming
Where Fireflies Unfold. BURN MAGAZINE
Insomnia. LIFE FRAMER, Night life Editor’s Pick
COLLECTIONS
Consorcio Universitario UNED Barbastro