Joan Fontcuberta
Photographer Visual artist Writer
Joan Fontcuberta, born in 1955 in Barcelona, stands as a prominent Catalan photographer, artist, and writer, whose work delves into the intricate realms of truth and manipulation within the photographic medium. Fontcuberta has consistently challenged the boundaries between reality and fiction, raising questions about the nature of photographic representation itself.
Educated at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Fontcuberta earned a degree in communication in 1977. Initially, he served as a photographer and editor for local newspapers before embarking on his artistic journey.
Fontcuberta's oeuvre spans a range of innovative projects, including "Herbarium" (1984), "Fauna" (1987), and "Sputnik" (1997). These endeavours ingeniously interweave science, nature, and technology, subverting traditional notions of photography and art.
An esteemed author, Fontcuberta has published a series of books on photographic culture and visual language, most notably "El beso de Judas: Fotografía y verdad" (1997), an insightful exploration of the relationship between photographic images and truth.
Accolades bestowed upon Fontcuberta include the 1998 Spanish National Photography Prize and the prestigious 2013 Hasselblad Foundation International Award in Photography. Fontcuberta's work continues to push the boundaries of the photographic arts and expand the conceptual dimensions of the image.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
HERBARIUM (1988). Paris: Editions Contrejour.
FAUNA (1991). New York: The Quantuck Lane Press.
SPUTNIK (1994). Barcelona: Actar Editorial.
EL BESO DE JUDAS: FOTOGRAFÍA Y VERDAD (1997). Barcelona: Gustavo Gili.
LANDSCAPES WITHOUT MEMORY (2010). New York: Aperture Foundation.
PANDORA'S CAMERA: PHOTOGR@PHY AFTER PHOTOGRAPHY (2014). London: MACK.
FONT'S FLORILEGIUM: A FLORAL ALLEGORY (2021). London: RM Verla
