Javier Hirschfeld Moreno [es]
Born in 1979 in Málaga, Spain
Lives and works between London, UK and Málaga, Spain
Profile
« Javier Hirschfeld Moreno builds his work on the memory of the history of art, on the pursuit of beauty, searching for the cathartic capacity of the classic icons. His approach moves away from the instantaneous capture of the image, he goes from being a hunter of photographs to become a builder of images. Masters such as Caravaggio, Zurbarán, among others, are the references that build his aesthetic through photography. In Hirschfeld's work we can openly recognize these references, thus establishing a direct dialogue between classical and contemporary art. On the other hand, we can perceive in his recent works his interest for the African studio portrait and the reference to artists such as Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé or Samuel Fosso. » – Alfonso Silva
With Profile, Hirschfield explores queer identity and invisibility by connecting portraits used as calling cards in the 1860s, the first example of socializing and flirting through photography, to gay dating app profiles, where expected portraits are often substituted with photographs of bucolic landscapes for purposes of discretion. He discusses notions of surveillance and control, and contemporary strategies of self-representation in an online emotional marketplace.
Alongside his activity as a photo editor for BBC Culture, Hirschfield graduated in 2018 with a BA in History of Art at Birbeck, University of London. Laureate of the photography competition proposed by the Alliance Française de Madrid, in collaboration with the Citoler Foundation, his work has been awarded twice by the association SOS Racismo, including a first prize for the individual image in 2014. It is frequently shown in Spain, including the Centre Pompidou in Malaga, and internationally: Sao Paolo, Dakar, Washington, London. Javier Hirschfield Moreno is also a curator and editor of artists' books as a member of the collective Los Interventores.
