About Me

KIKO ALCAZAR

About me

There’s an ostensibly innocent enchantment to the work of Kiko Alcázar, a literally wide-eyed naïveté that belies his sophisticated artistry and ironic aesthetic. He portrays many of his subjects with a quality of timeless youth and playfulness. As a photographer, Kiko Alcázar infuses his medium with painterly and cartoon qualities, blurringdigital realism and fantasy to create ageless, doll-like portraits of his subjects, and distinguishing each with its own characteristic expressiveness. The preternaturally huge gazes delight of his “Toys” serie, seduce and intrigue like disarmingly precocious children. His photographies are an extension of his imagination, but they also reflect the culture at large and its ironic contradictions: youth and age, innocence and sexuality, realness and artificiality.
Born and educated in Tarragona, Spain, Kiko Alcázar taught himself photography after leaving art school, which he felt wasn’t a good fit. Encouraged by an award from the Tate Modern and by people such as Grace Coddington, Boy George, Princess Stephanie and Prince Albert of Monaco or Marcus Leatherdale, he dedicated himself to creating his own distinctive style, rendering Photoshop virtually into a fine art. Now Barcelona-based, Kiko Alcázar’s photographic subjects include some of the most acclaimed pop stars and celebrities.

Publications

-Book “Street or Studio”, edited by Tate Modern Museum (London), 2008.
-Book “Flying Grahics”, Monsa Editorial, 2009.
-Grace Coddigton personal space, creative director at Vogue, EEUU, 2013.
-The Omen Mag, directed by Marcus Leatherdale, New York, 2015.
-Magazines: Vogue Spain, Vanity Fair, i-D, Tentaciones El Pais, Metal Magazine, Photograhic Art AFes, Yo Dona, Time Out, El Mundo, La Vanguardia.

Exhibitions

-Tate Modern (London, 2008)
-Lcrew (Madrid, 2009)
-Hegoak (Bilbao, 2009)
-Pecha Kucha Night (Seville, 2009)
-La Booktique, LIBRERÍA DEL DISEÑO (Valencia, 2009)
-Lesgaicinemad Film Festival (Madrid,2009)
-A la esencia por el artificio (Collective exhibition,Madrid, 2009)
-II Expo Cruz (Collective exhibition, Pastrana, 2010) by Paco Clavel.
-III Expo Cruz(Collective exhibition, Pastrana, 2011) by Paco Clavel.
-Antifashion 3, Hartmann Gallery La Santa (Collective exhibition, Barcelona, 2013)
-Beautiful Freak, Holy Hole Studio (Barcelona, 2013)
-Toys compilation, Wakü Store & Gallery (Barcelona, 2014)
-Millenials (Collective exhibition, Barcelona, 2015)
-Open day Poble Nou, Addicted to Life Gallery (Barcelona, 2015).
-Arte Otro, Johnny Coolart Gallery (Collective exhibition, Madrid, 2016)
-Pequeño Deseo, Senda Gallery (Barcelona 2016)
-Espectacular, Vogue Fashion’s Night Out, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada Shop (Madrid, 2017)

Awards

-Street or Studio Award by Tate Modern Museum (London), 2008.
-Solan de Cabras Award, special edition bottle design, 2013.
-Pre-selected for Latin Grammy as best cover, 2012.

OTHERS
-“Grace Kelly pop” art piece is part of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco private collection, acquired via public auction by H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco in 2015.
-”Under Construction” photo is chosen to take part of the benefit auction “Make a wish” in Senda Gallery by Christie’s (2016)