About
Hi, I’m Ximena™ (he-mē-na)
I am a multidisciplinary visual artist based in the UK. My work depicts a closer relationship between humans, nature and space while combining an interest in architectural structures, landscapes and cultural schemas. I frequently dedicate time to creative projects that document traditional practices expressing synergy & rhythm.
My background in Graphic Design has contributed to a photographic aesthetic that balances fresh perspectives and creative expression.
Data Curiosity
Editorial
Right-handed illustrator of aesthetic concepts
and ideas including imagery layout within columns.
Photography
A medium I interact with to visually communicate.
Most of the monochromatic images, I have developed and hand-printed them in a dark room.
Software
Proficient user of design tools: Adobe Creative Suite, Lightroom & Capture One. Microsoft Office & Google Docs, when required.
Sports
Ex-Volleyball player
Football, Ping Pong and Badminton for fun
Brand
British Colombian
Model
Made in the late ’80s
Merch
I worked within the fashion and marketing industry as a Visual Merchandiser.
Commissions
I have been commissioned to participate in a few photography projects abroad. Italy, 2017
Spain, 2018
Facilitating
I participated in Wonderlust Festival 2019 and travel to Costa Rica for a self-initiated photo documentary project, while volunteering at a Yoga retreat centre. I supported Julian Calder in one occasion and I also Art Curated at Gallery 8 in London, 2020
Vitamins
Currently on a provision of gluten free nutrients based on pescetarianism.
Fun Facts
I can do cartwheels, move my ears and score goals with my left foot.
I am now qualified as a yoga teacher*
More Below
Inspire before you expire…
I was delivered in Colombia long ago and raised in London since 2015, I was also driven by sports from an early age and was always keen on building puzzles. Mum introduced me to the world of Latin American rhythms and fascinated me with her floral arrangements and her photography skills, while Dad got me into reading, typesetting and the love for nature.
When I was at college, I made my first black hole camera and since then my curiosity for the arts started —on a profound level.
I even remember making arches and architectural models in high school. And how to forget the work experience at the end of secondary school; Archiving law cases and photographs at the local notary. —Those were the funky wicked days!
In 2011, I went to university until achieving a Hons BA in Graphic Design and an MA in Photography at Middlesex University. After nearly 7 years of long hours at the studios, volleyball training and matches, sleepless nights at the library, several writings, and dissertations… I finally made it!
To my surprise, it took me another few years to really master the journeys, the commissions, the framings, the archives,
and the hard work behind it. Not to mention, the mood alterations and the reset buttons pressed along the way…
Travelling was and continues to be one of my passions, it’s the only way one can truly know the world unless one reads a thousand books about the cities on the globe and reimagines every single word. To this day, I have crossed the ocean countless times, always in search of new horizons and cultural encounters. From my times in Egypt, India, Costa Rica and the Euro Rail Express journey till today, I can never get enough joy from the amalgamation that travel translates.
Overall, life has been pretty fair, although a road accident in 2013 did knock me down and later on in 2018 the actual consequences started to appear, and foot surgery was the only solution. So for a few months, I wasn’t able to move at all but strength training exercises, combined with physio was the path to recovery. Later, my love for Yoga and Pilates became my go-to motion therapy.
I have now happily recovered and I live between North West & South West London surrounded by nature, deer and humans. Very often I find myself developing images on and off the screen, and occasionally I like to write poems, soon I’ll be writing some chapters —The Olive Butter Radish is one of them!
My retirement from the physical darkroom has allowed me to open the digital one 12/7 and my Shoreditch Gurus can develop any film in less than a week.
* For 1:1 / group yoga flow and collaborations contact me at: hola@ximenatorres.co
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