Max de Esteban
Max de Esteban is a Spanish fine-art photographer. De Esteban holds a graduate degree from UPC, a Master from Stanford University and a PhD from URL. He is a Fulbright Alumni.
De Esteban's work is organized in two distinct bodies: Elegies of Manumission and Propositions. The four elegies produced between 2010 and 2011 raise social and political questions through symbolic portraiture. Propositions, initiated in 2011, deal with contemporary political and art issues through photography and video. Propositions pose uncomfortable questions. In "Proposition One," translucent X-ray images magnify mechanical devices that have become outdated, although they continue to function perfectly according to their purpose. In "Proposition Three," de Esteban examines the cold, gray inner life of cell phones or tablets and the increasing enmeshment of the body and digital technology.
In "Heads Will Roll," part four of the series, he uses seductive photo collages made of film stills, flower photos, and fragments of text to convey the essence of the parameters that are penetrated by the postmodern patchwork of our lives. The media define everyday life: we are permanently made to feel insecure by the wars and disasters that are always happening in the world; the individual is in danger of drowning in the masses; genuine and fake have become almost indistinguishable; and a vague fear of the East pervades political policy. Reality is largely conveyed as a media experience. Heads will Roll, published by Hatje Cantz, was listed as a photobook of the year by LensCulture magazine; its New York exhibition was shown on the cover of Photograph Magazine in its September–October, 2015 issue; and Artslant said it was a "must see exhibitions in North America".
De Esteban is included in the Dictionary of Spanish Photographers from XIX to XXI century, La Fabrica (2014).
Publications
- Elegies of Manumission, Nazraeli Press, USA 2012
- Dictionary of Spanish Photographers, La Fabrica, Spain 2014
- Heads will Roll, Spicer House Editions, February 2013
- Hatje Cantz, Germany 2014
- Propositions, La Fabrica, Spain 2015
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
- Fotofestiwal, Vertige. Lodz, Poland 2010
- Spicer House, Don’t listen to me. Barcelona, Spain 2010;
- Klompching Gallery, Proposition One. New York, USA 2011;
- Spicer House, Proposition One, Barcelona. Spain 2011;
- Central European House of Photography, Elegies. Bratislava, Slovakia 2012;
- Festival de la Luz, Proposition One, Buenos Aires. Argentina 2102;
- FotoQuartier Gallery, Elegies of Manumission. Vienna, Austria 2013;
- Uno Art Space, Propositions. Stuttgart, Germany 2013;
- Gallery NoW, Proposition One. Seoul, Korea 2014;
- PhotoVisa Festival of Photography, Heads will Roll. Krasnodar, Russia 2014;
- Deutsche Technik Museum, Vom Vergehen. Berlin, Germany 2015;
- Klompching Gallery, Proposition Four. New York, USA 2015
- La Fabrica, Heads will Roll, Madrid, Spain 2016
- Fotofest Biennial, Heads will Roll, Houston, USA, 2016
- Gallery NoW, Heads will Roll, Seoul, Korea, 2016
Group exhibitions
- FotoTageTrier Triennial, Trier, Germany 2010
- Fnac. Madrid and Barcelona, Spain 2011
- Fotoventas. Madrid, Spain 2011
- Photographers Network, Siegen, Germany 2011
- Klompching Gallery, Winter Salon. New York, USA 2012
- Diemar/Noble Photography, The Gathering, London, UK 2012
- Post Script, Cork, Ireland 2012
- Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Photo Forum, USA 2012
- Rencontres Internationales, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France 2012
- AIPAD. Klompching Gallery, New York, USA 2013
- Welde Kunstpreis, Alte Feuerwache, Heidelberg, Germany 2013
- Premios Lux, 20 años, Palau Robert, Barcelona, Spain 2013
- Rencontres Internationales, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin; Germany 2013
- Klompching Gallery, ; Städtische Galerie, Face-to-face, Iserlohn, Germany 2013
- FestFoto-Diálogos Internacionais, Propositions, Porto Alegre, Brazil 2104
- AIPAD. Klompching Gallery, New York, USA 2104
- Videos FestFoto, Proposition Two, Porto Alegre, Brazil 2014
- Darmstädter Tage der Fotografie, Darmstadt, Germany 2014
- SOAF. Gallery NoW, Seoul, Korea 2014
- Gallery NoW, Modern Memories, Seoul, Korea 2014
- Korea International Art Fair, Gallery NoW, Seoul, Korea 2014
- Fotofest, The Collector’s Eye: The Maloney Collection, Houston, USA 2014
- Klompching Gallery, About Face:, New York, USA 2014
- SOAF, Gallery NoW, Seoul, Korea 2015
- AIPAD, Klompching Gallery, New York, USA 2015
- Institute of Contemporary Art, Relics, San Jose, USA 2015
- New Vision, Gallery NoW, Seoul, Korea, 2016
- AIPAD, Klompching Gallery, New York, USA, 2016
Awards
- Grand Prix Jury's Special Award, Fotofestiwal 2010, Poland
- National Award of Professional Photography, 2010, Spain
- Encontros da Imagem, 2011, Portugal
- Rencontres Internationales 2012, Paris/Berlin/Madrid
- Welde Kunstpreis, 2013, Germany
- Gallery NoW Artist Award, 2014, Korea
- LensCulture, Heads will Roll, 2014 photo-books of the year
- Discoveries of the Meeting Place, Houston, USA, 2016