The morning sun illuminates the autumn of the City of Light and from the cafeteria of the Grand Palais Ephémère, the headquarters of Paris photowhere the Spanish artist lives in London Almudena Romero He talks to ABC about his career and exclusively about his new project, the top of the Eiffel Tower seems shrouded in fog.
The environment is ideal for the largest photography fair in the world, which ends this Sunday and where Romero exhibited his work.The pigment change” in 2021 after being named the tenth winner of the BMW Residency, which aims to support emerging talent through mentorship and visibility. He admits that this opportunity has opened many doors for him, even though he has long enjoyed success, including in the United Kingdom.
Romero, born in Madrid with Valencian roots, has lived in London for more than a decade and also has British nationality. His creative practice predominantly uses photography, as in this work in which he “photographic processes that occur in plants such as photoperiodicity, photobleaching and photosynthesis to create art that grows, petrifies and disappears”, a work that was already presented in Spain in June this year at the CaixaForum Barcelona as part of the exhibition “Expanded Visions”.
Now he aims to create one of the largest works of art ever created: the ephemeral image of an eye measuring 30,000 square meters, a project in which he has a luxurious companion: the scientist Nicolas LangladeResearch Director of the ASTR team of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (Inrae), a French research organization specializing in agricultural sciences, nutrition and the environment.
Both have joined forces to “develop a unique and groundbreaking method.” based on photosynthesis “cultivate the largest photograph ever produced” thanks to “the use of genetic differences in wheat that result in tonal variations in the grass to produce or cultivate agricultural photographs.”
To achieve the image, which will grow in the Inrae fields “over a period of eight months, from November 2024 to June 2025 and peak from March to June 2025,” they “enlisted the help of a specially developed algorithm» for this idea as well as «from the genetic information in the Inrae databases». Langlade and Romero want to grow old seeds without pesticides. After developing a series of simulations, this month they are planting the first test palette, “which will allow us to determine the accuracy of the simulations created digitally using a technique based on pixel matching” of an image showing wheat fields .
36 green wheat shades
In this way, the artist explained, they identified a series of varieties that led to: 36 shades of green wheatgrass and 22 mature wheat brown tones, a “palette rich enough to produce a distinguishable image when the plots are combined in a specific order.”
The project that combines artistic and scientific research socio-ecological concerns “Reflects the historical practices and cultures of wheat in Europe, their heritage and their future importance in terms of food supply and sustainable agriculture.”
The work of Romero, who also wrote his book “The pigment change‘ (Fisheye Editions), which “explores questions about our relationship with nature and production and reproduction in the context of the current climate crisis”, was honored by Thomas Girstglobal head of cultural engagement at the BMW Group, which has been a sponsor of Paris Photo for 21 years.
Protect beauty
Speaking to ABC, the German doctor and art expert gave positive reviews of the creations of Romero and other artists the group has supported over the years, such as: Eva Nielsen and Marianne Derrien, artist and curator, who won the BMW Art Makers program this year with their project “Insolare”. According to specialist critics, it is one of the favorites of 2023 and reflects the changes in the environment that are leading to the disappearance of certain urban, industrial and natural landscapes, where the human footprint is always in question.
For Girst, “there is one Discourse in art, which now turns to plantss, he’s done works like Almudena’s” and “that huge eye project is amazing… And you know what’s incredible?” “That’s not for sale.” For him it’s important that artists receive fair compensation for their work preserved, but art that doesn’t sell, like this latest project from Romero, needs the support of companies and organizations that are committed to culture and give them absolute creative freedom. “We have been working for fifty years with museums, art fairs and many incredible artists from around the world, but also with emerging artists” who are offered the opportunity “to gain greater exposure and have platforms on which to present their work .”
The author of several books also reflected on the meaning of art in the current context in which “ugliness is spreading, with wars, nationalism, xenophobia… And it’s ridiculous.” I feel that Beauty is something that needs to be protected», perhaps now more than ever.
