Elements, 2022

For more artworks of Isabel click HERE.

Isabel has an NFT artwork for sale: HERE

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work visually explores the presence of the past in our everyday life and takes a close look into the interrelation between personal recall and collective memory. In my practice I have found a way to capture what History tends to overlook due to its quotidian aspect and, by creating something new, preserve its legacy. This can be a piece of urban furniture or a neon sign falling apart; even a memory close to being forgotten.
I am fascinated by the concept of nostalgia. It's a constant topic of research for me in its multiple aspects, from its political instrumentalization to the individual and collective need to create a narrative that helps us deal with the past. I'm also interested in the mutability of memory and how we impregnate our belongings with it.
For a few years, my practice has been focusing on loss and the different stages of grief through ritualized and repetitive artistic processes and methodologies. My aim is to establish a dialogue with the viewer in order to create a common ground that helps us transmute the personal experience into a collective one while moving closer to more empathic interactions.
My process is based on an ongoing conversation between research and intuition. I approach every project with an inquisitive and playful mindset, whether I'm working with photography, drawing or video. I like to
experiment with the possibilities of each medium and its plasticity beyond established techniques. With a vitalist aesthetic, my work focuses on shape, composition and plain colours. Reading is also an essential part of my creative process, as it helps me generate ideas and make new connections.
I am very inspired by ecofeminist and hydrofeminist ideas and they have encouraged me to incorporate collaborative practices in my projects and to work in close relationship with nature.

Date of Birth:  19th August 1988

Place of Birth:  Barcelona (SP)

Currently living and working in Barcelona (SP)

EDUCATION

2012  Conservation and Organization of Photographic Collections - Institut d'Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain)

2008/11  Artistic Photography and Visual Arts - EASD Serra i Abella, L'Hospitalet, Spain

2006/08  Media Production - EMAV, Barcelona 

2016  Art and Gender - University of Melbourne, Australia (certificate)

2015  Creativity for Photographers - Pati Llimona, Barcelona, Spain (completed course)

2014  Antique Tecniques and Alternative Photographic Processes - Pati Llimona, Barcelona, Spain 

(completed course)

2013  Liquid Photographic Emulsion Workshop - Espai Nag, Barcelona, Spain 

(completed course)

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2022 · El Mar son las Raíces, Centre Cívic Guinardó, Barcelona, ES
2022  Comes in Waves, MyMuseum Gallery, Budapest, HU (duo show with Eirini Sourgiadaki)
2022   Back to the Present, Budapest Photo Festival, Budapest, HU (duo show with Kristóf                       Murányi)

2014  Vibraciones, Revela-T Festival (Vilassar de Dalt, SP)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2021 · Conversations with Me , MyMuseum Gallery, Budapest, HU Stripart Festival , Barcelona, ES
2019    Natural Randomness , MyMuseum Gallery, Budapest, HU
2019    The Vinyl Shop Effect , MyMuseum Gallery, Budapest, HU
2019    Relative Time, Tavaszi Festival, Budapest, HU
2017    Stop the Music! ,MyMuseum Gallery, Budapest, HU
2017    Outside the Box, MyMuseum Gallery, Budapest, HU

2016 · Invisibles, Fòrum Fotogràfic Can Basté, Barcelona, ES
· Light and Sound Show, Pinhole World Day, Barcelona, ES

2015 · Inicis, Barcelona Visions, Barcelona, ES
· LaColect, Madrid, ES
· Light and Sound Show, Revela-T Festival, Vilassar de Dalt, ES

SCREENINGS

2021 · Joy Jubilee , Media Justice Network, USA / Online
· Puntomov Fest, Universidad Autónoma de México, MX
· Dancing in the Park Online , Edmonton, CA
2020 · Unseen , Simultan Festival, Timisoara, RO
· Lichtblick , Kunsthalle am Hamburger Platz, Berlin, DE

SCHOLARSHIPS / PROGRAM PARTICIPATION

2021   Art & Politics: Containment, IMMA Summer School, IRL
· The Orientation of Objects, Sour Patch Press, USA / Online
· Project Duna: Women, Identity and Subjectivity, Online Platform
2020    What Makes a World? - A Horizon, Nadira Husain’s Expanded Painting Course,
Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, AT

RESIDENCIES

2022 Casa d'Artistes , Menorca, ES
2017 Cold Bench , AiRO

CURATORIAL PROJECTS

2022 Crisis Climàtica o l'Emergència dels Cossos (Cimate Crisis or The Emergency of the Bodies),
Centre Cívic El Coll La Bruguera, Barcelona, ES

TEACHING AND FACILITATION

2021 · The Grief Party: A Ritual and Community Care Workshop, Dice Festival + Conference, Berlin, DE
2021  Symbiotic Collages: A Collaborative Practice, CCCB, Barcelona, ES
2018  Visual Narratives Through Photography, Instituto Cervantes, Budapest, HU
2018  Collecting the City: Visual Storytelling, Ecole Supérieure des Arts Visuels, Marrakech, MA
2018  Collecting the City: Visual Storytelling, Artemisszió Foundation, Budapest, HU
2017  Photography for Beginners, Instituto Cervantes, Budapest, HU
2017 Creativity and Idea Generation, Brody Studios, Budapest, HU
2017 The Abstract City: Learning How to See, Let Me Italian You, Budapest, HU
2015 · Photo Image Transfers, Casa Elizalde, Barcelona, ES

PRESS / BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books
· Kozák, Iván, “Neon Budapest”, 2017, ISBN 978-615-00-0706-9
· “XYZ”, Edited by Kloss, Katharina, Café Babel, 2016, ISBN 978-2-95-589730-0 (page 66)
Catalogues
2021 Budapest Photo Festival, Association of Contemporary Photographers, 2022 (page 98)
2021 Stripart 2021, Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2021 (page 20)
Podcasts
2022 Ràdio Far Menorca, Residents #21 , May 2022
2022 Sample Filosòfic, Programa #12 , April 2022
Selected Articles
2022 Vikárius, Réka, “ The (neon) imprints of Budapest's history in Isabel Val's photographs ”, Hype&Hyper, May
18, 2022
2022 Manzanera, Silvia, “ La Saviesa de les Àvies ”, L’Independent de Gràcia, February 25, 2022 (page 14)
2018 Bartha, Dorka, “ Discover Budapest’s Last Neon With A Unique New Guide And Map ”, We Love Budapest,
June 3, 2018
·Bakró-Nagy, Ferenc, “ Fantasztikus album készült a budapesti neonokról ”, Index, December 7, 2017
2017 Somsoi, Rita, “ Wifin Érkező Művészet ”, Fotóművészet, October 2017 (page 67)
2017 Telek-Nay, Ágnes, “ Stop the Music! Exhibition Review ”, Artportal, September 27, 2017
2017 Szőcs Lilla, “ Budapest Neonfényei ”, WMN Mag, September 23, 2017
·2017 Sashegyi, Zsófia, “Megkopott Neonvarázs”, Magyar Nemzet, April 9, 2016 (page 27)
·2017 Bravo, Eduardo, “ Luminosos de Budapest: Neones que Nunca Vendieron Nada ”, Yorokobu, April 4, 2016
2016 Reig Pellicer, Naiara, “ Lights of Budapest: Lo que queda de la era socialista ”, Café Babel, April 1, 2016

 Estiu Robat Series, 2021

Estiu Robat Series, 2021

Estiu Robat Series, 2021