Martin Herrera Soler - Photographer
I’m interested in photographic projects that deal with identity and reflect on place and culture.
Bio
With a vast professional experience in the corporate world, Martin decides to venture into the artistic world, and starts his path into photography in 2004, in spite of the strong suggestions of his horoscope to do otherwise.
In 2008 he returns to Uruguay with the intention to re-connect with his country, now from the perspective of a photographer, and through the lens of his camera.
He has participated in individual, group and juried exhibits in Los Angeles and Venice Beach (California, USA), Berlin (Germany), Santos (Brazil) and Montevideo (Uruguay).
Artist Statement - Why I Photograph
My life has been shaped and, in some ways, defined by a series of relocations. This has made me wrestle with my notion of roots and belonging, often feeling a void that no single place has been able to fill. Photography is for me the vehicle to search for a deeper sense of identity and to explore my cultural roots.
Photography is also a means for self-reflection – the most competent tool to face that which I’m not able to brave in any other way. I am interested in using photography as a way to not only document, but also synthesize and understand my life as it unfolds.
Ultimately, I’m interested in telling photographic stories that deal with identity and reflect on place and culture.
Education
1993 - 1998
Business Management, Universidad ORT, Montevideo, Uruguay.
2002 - 2003
Master in Psychology, University of Santa Monica, CA, USA.
2014 - 2016
Master in Photography, University of Hartford (Low Residency Program)
[One semester pending]
Exhibitions
Dreams of Dogs, Kominek Gallery – Berlin, Germany [2015].
Looking at Ourselves: Portraits featured on Lenscratch, Guate Photo Festival, Guatamala City, Guatamala (Nov 2012). Juror: Aline Smithson.
Photo Review International Photography Competition 2012, Online show and printed publication, Langhorne, PA, USA (juried group show, Nov 2012). Judged by: Peter Barberie, Curator of Photographs, Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The Art of Photography Show 2012, an international exhibition of photographic art at San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA, USA (juried group show, Nov 2012). Judged by: Julian Cox, Curator of Photography and Chief Curator, de Young Museum.
Perfect Exposure 2012, The Perfect Exposure Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA (juried group show, Jul 2012). Judged by: Nick Ut, Eli Reed, Jose Aurelio Barrera, Aline Smithson, and Armando Arorizo.
364más1 – Afros beyond candombe, Gallery Punto de Encuentro, Montevideo, Uruguay (solo show, Nov-Dec 2011). Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture for the celebration of the bicentenary of Uruguay.
Journal of a Portrait, Gallery El Subte – Fotograma 2011, Montevideo, Uruguay (solo show, Sep-Oct 2011).
Un Barrio, una mirada, First price in photography competition, Montevideo, Uruguay (May 2009).
Show Off, Julia Dean Gallery, Venice Beach, California, USA (juried group show, Dic 2007).
Around the World, Group show in The Whole 9 Gallery, Culver City, California, USA (group show, May 2007).
Publications
Doble Chapa Documentary Film. A project on the border of Brazil and Uruguay. By collective Garapa and Dokumental in partnership with TVE (Fundaçaõ Cultural Piratini) and Instituto Estadual de Cinema do RS. Financed by Pró-cultura RS, Secretaria da Cultura RS, Brazil (Mar 2013 ~ Apr 2014).
Lens Culture Editor’s Pick, March 2014, Peñarol Project.
F-STOP Photography Magazine, Issue 62, Black and White Photography (Dec 2013). Group Exhibit.
F-STOP Photography Magazine, Issue 54, Latin America Photography (Aug 2011). Group Exhibit.
Leica Fotographie International, Martin Herrera Soler Portfolio – Discarded (Jan 2012).