Marisol Mendez is a photographer and researcher from Cochabamba, Bolivia. She uses her camera to study the tension between truth and fiction, the tight relationship between what a photograph creates and the (sur)real it comes from. Driven by research-led and self-initiated projects, she seeks to deconstruct traditional modes of representation and weave nuanced narratives with multiple layers of meaning.
At the heart of her artistic pursuit lies the exploration of humankind. Marisol is moved by the desire to build genuine connections with the people on the other side of the lens. Her objective is to encapsulate the intimacy of shared experiences, the tenderness or friction of mutual recognition.
Embracing the horizontality of images, she utilizes a diverse array of visual languages to tell stories that traverse the boundaries between individual experience, collective memory, and imagination. Rooted in the landscapes and folklore of her culture, Marisol's work oscillates between candid and staged, naturalistic and mythical. Ultimately, she wishes to challenge preconceptions, spark dialogue, and prompt viewers to reconsider their perspectives on reality and representation.
Marisol Mendez has been part of numerous exhibitions and festivals like Sharjah Biennial 15, Format Festival, Getxophoto, and Athens Photo Festival. Her work has been published worldwide including in Wallpaper, Vogue Italia, Balam and GUP Magazine. In 2021 her project MADRE was the cover of The British Journal of Photography and FotoFilmic.
Mendez's practice has earned acclaim and received various awards like first place in the 2023 Sony World Professional Award Environment category and the 2021 PhMuseum Photography Grant New Generation Prize. Last year she was selected as a Foam Talent 2024-25 and published MADRE with Setanta Books (UK).
