Photography is approaching its second centenary, and while classic documentary practices—once major producers of iconic imagery—have given way to new, more fragmented visions, they have also opened the door to individual narratives shaped by increasingly singular perspectives, as well as to new methods of execution and formalization influenced by the rise of digital technologies.

Nevertheless, photographic practice continues to maintain a close link with the surrounding reality and with concerns relevant to both specific communities and territories and to society as a whole. Its relationship with conflict—whether personal, historical, political, or social—remains. And its role continues to be essential in post-conflict contexts, acting as a tool for memory, dissent, atonement, restitution, and as a driver of voluntary or involuntary change.

Under the title “After Everything”, this new edition of PHotoESPAÑA focuses on the work of photographers, movements, and visual artists who, across different historical contexts, have chosen to critically confront reality in order to—perhaps—allow themselves and us to dream a different one.

Within this framework, PHotoESPAÑA and Palibex, through its Truck Art Project, have invited photographers Luciana Demichelis and Jesús Madriñán to intervene on two truck trailers, jointly composing a generational portrait of youth in the wake of the pandemic, economic crises, and an uncertain social climate.

Truck Art Project is a cultural initiative launched by the transport company Palibex to promote cutting-edge art in an accessible and innovative way. Since its inception in 2016, this art-on-wheels project has turned industrial trucks into canvases for contemporary artists. Converted into itinerant galleries, these trucks follow their usual routes throughout Spain, turning us into involuntary and fleeting spectators of mobile art.

Jesús Madriñán

Jesús Madriñán (Santiago de Compostela, 1984) uses large-format analog photography to reinterpret and update the portrait as an artistic genre. His work arises from a subversion of traditional studio photography, going beyond its standard parameters and drawing on the paradox of employing meticulous, old-school techniques in spontaneous and elusive contexts.

This contradiction is at the heart of series such as Good Night London (2011), Boas noites (2013), Dopo Roma (2016), and I Am Light (2019). The result is a moving generational portrait where values such as youth, diversity, and tolerance prevail.

Madriñán’s work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including I Am Light at the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea, Mil noches y una noche at the Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània in Valencia, El tiempo revelado at the Centro de Arte Alcobendas for PHotoESPAÑA, and shows of Good Night London at the Centro Cultural Kavlin in Punta del Este (Uruguay) and the Cultural Centers of Spain in Mexico City and Montevideo.

He has also participated in major festivals and art fairs such as Paris Photo, Unseen Amsterdam, Photo London, ARCO, and the International Photography Awards in New York.

Alongside his artistic practice, Jesús Madriñán works in commercial photography and education. He has taught as an associate professor at the Universidad Autónoma del Caribe (Colombia), and currently accepts commissions from The New York Times, TIME Magazine, ABANCA, Marie Claire, and the advertising agency Shackleton.

Luciana Demichelis

(Born in Ensenada, 1992) An Argentinian photographer with a non-binary identity. Selected as one of the “15 most promising emerging photographers in the world” by the British Journal of Photography in its 2023 Ones to Watch list.

Demichelis holds a degree in Communication with a focus on Journalism from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, and a Master’s in Contemporary Photography from LENS School of Visual Arts (Madrid). Their work explores Latin American imagery, rituals, dissident identities, and the political value of celebration.

In March 2023, they traveled to the UK as a guest of the Format Festival‘s main exhibition and exhibited work at PEP Photography Exploration (Berlin), the Printed Photography Festival (CEF, Córdoba), the Centro Cultural Kirchner (Buenos Aires), FIF Festival (Santa Marta, Colombia), the International Photography Festival of Valparaíso, GetxoPhoto, Adolescent Content Annual Photography Publication (USA), and Noorderlicht International Photo Festival (2021).

In 2023, Demichelis was awarded the LENS Author Photography Grant (Madrid), the Campo.lat Argentina Grant in 2021 for the Photobook Creation Master’s (Mexico), the Getxo Photo – MAPS Grant (Blackkamera / Bilbao), and the National Fund for the Arts Creation Grant (Argentina, 2021).

In 2020, they participated in the Valparaíso Festival with Cristina de Middel, in the Image Threads Collective (USA) with Juan Orrantia, and received the annual photojournalism scholarship from Blackkamera (Bilbao) and the Campo.lat photobook program (Mexico–Argentina).

In November 2022, Demichelis won Second Prize in the National Visual Arts Salon (Argentina) in the Photography category with their project La tierra es un satélite de la luna (The Earth is a Satellite of the Moon), which reflects on satellites and space sovereignty.

From August 2021 to December 2023, they worked daily with Vist Projects (vistprojects.com), a major Latin American photography platform directed by Claudi Carreras and Jorge Panchoaga, where they shared projects from across the continent.

Between 2013 and 2019, they created the photographic archive of the School of Arts and Crafts at the Argentinian Theatre of La Plata, and since then have worked with the communications team of the Cultural Institute of the Province of Buenos Aires.

They have led photography workshops since 2011, and since 2015 have taught at the Argentinian Theatre of La Plata (Photography I, Photography and Portrait, Photography and Fiction). In 2020, they launched Freezer, a platform for photography workshops, where they coordinate the course Fiction and Simulation, focusing on creators who use imagination as a tool for production and creation.

Since 2023, they have been a lead lecturer in the seminar Introduction to Photographic Projects, and since 2025, have been teaching Photography V and VI in the new Photography program at the Faculty of Arts, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.