Experience

Talent Show: Lua Ribeira

Olga Osipova August, 1 2016

Spanish artist Lua Ribeira became known to the world in 2015. She received several prestigious awards, and Simon Bainbridge from the British Journal of Photography said her work was intriguing. Bird In Flight asked Lua to showcase her best photographs and tell us about herself.

Lua Ribeira Age 29

Born in Spain. Studied Graphic Design at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona and Documentary Photography in the University of South Wales in Newport. Exhibited her works in Spain, Great Britain, Italy, and Germany. Recipient of several grants, including Firecracker Grand 2015, Ditto Press Scholarship 2015, and The Reginald Salisbury Fund 2016.

Website

— I was studying graphic design in Barcelona and I discovered photography there. I was introduced for the first time to Nan Goldin, Araki or Robert Adams among many others. Truly fascinated, I started to make the exercises and I took them to the limits, soon after that, I decided to adopt photography as vocational.

I am not sure about my style. I like to think about achieving the freedom that would allow me to evolve and to go closer to myself, closer to nothing in a way. Style, I think, is consequence and perhaps not worthy of analysis.

Style is not worthy of analysis.

I wish people would question things when they see my work. However, I think
some art and photography at the moment is getting translated into literal forms or anecdotes that explain the work itself, not very open to the ambiguity, mystery and importance of visual language. Not ready to be inspired. I often feel more inspired by Vogue ads than by an art exhibition.

I often feel more inspired by Vogue ads than by an art exhibition.

I hope my pictures are both funny and sad. It would be so boring if they were just sad and too simple if they were just funny.

I would love to work in Russia for a bit. In Spain and the UK there is still a peculiar perception of Russia that recently has been developed with online memes and videos. People are portrayed as caricatures of themselves, we are still in the Cold War era closer to the Simpsons.