Tel. +47 920 22 761

+49 151 400 25 229

mail@americamendez.org

Portrait of the artist

América Méndez, born on 14 October 1982 in Madrid, learned her craft at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, where she studied "Fine Arts" until her graduation in 2007. She then went on to study "Visual Communication" at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg, where she obtained her diploma in 2009.

"For 13 years painting was my passion - then I discovered photography for myself and realised that what I had always tried to express with colours and brushes I could capture just as well with the camera. If not better. I guess I am a child of my time after all: speed, flexibility, change of perspective - these are all things that fascinate me about photography."

But the opportunity to work in a team instead of sitting alone in front of the easel also contributed to Méndez's turn to photography. "I'm fascinated by portraiture because people in general fascinate me. I like to deal with relationships - both those in front of the lens and those behind it." Last but not least, it is the credibility factor that has won Méndez over to photography. "A photograph has a completely different persuasive power for us than a painted image. For our modern gaze, a photograph holds more truth, a painted picture more artistic interpretation. I try to combine both in my work."

América Méndez's work has been shown in several countries, most recently at the Ostrale ́11 in Dresden. She has received numerous nominations for prestigious awards, including the "Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie 2010", the "IV Premio Internacional de Fotografía Pilar Citoler", Córdoba, Spain and many more. She lives and works currently in Tromsø, where she teaches painting and works as a professional photographer in Norway and Germany.

Christian Hasen 2011

Impressum