“Alvaro Laiz has found his unique way of expressing himself by concentrating on the complex relationship between man and nature, shifting between conflict and fascination. He tries to focus on realities that are usually ignored by the mass media. Every image is like a poem with a structure, and just like a poem, his images compress an emotional experience.” –
Ruth Eichhorn, Germany, freelance photo editor and curator
Álvaro Laiz (b.1981) is a Spanish photographer and artist whose work deals with narratives where traditional culture, nature and industrial development converge.
Since 2014 he has committed himself to exploring the links between our distant past and our near future through a multidisciplinary study of hunter-gatherer populations, revealing the profound connection between natural world and ourselves.
In 2017 he published his first book, ‘The Hunt’ (Dewi Lewis/RM, 2017), the story of man against nature’s most fearsome and efficient predator in the Boreal Jungle: the Siberian tiger. It was presented at Les Rencontres d'Arles 2017 and selected by the British Journal of Photography as Best of 2017.
Álvaro’s work has been recognized by a number of institutions including Magnum, Ideas Tap Foundation, Burn Photography, Visura, Photolucida and Center Santa Fe. He is also the recipient of the 2016 National Geographic Explorer’s Grant for his ongoing project ‘The Edge’, a journey following the steps of the paleo-siberian populations through the Bering Strait Bridge 20,000 years ago to become the first settlers in America.
His work, both photography and large-scale video installation, resides in public and private collections such as Museo de América and Fundación INELCOM, curated by Vicente Todolí. It has been exhibited in museums and art fairs such as Musée d'Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne (MAC/VAL) in Paris, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC) and ARCO. His editorial clients include National Geographic, New York Times, Traveller and Forbes among others.
See Álvaro Laiz's 'If you see a tiger for one second, he has been watching you for one hour' on Witness, World Press Photo's online magazine.
Álvaro Laiz received nominations from Arianna Rinaldo and Ruth Eichhorn.
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