nicolás combarro

Nicolás Combarro (A Coruña, 1979) uses different artistic forms to establish a dialogue with the processes of transformation of architecture and its socio-political context. He is currently working on the repressive architecture of Franco's regime in the context of European totalitarian governments.

He has held solo exhibitions in museums and art centres such as the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris), the Maximiliansforum (Munich), the CGAC (Santiago de Compostela), and in galleries such as Solo Galerie (Paris), Kwanhoon Gallery (Seoul), Galería Morarty (Madrid), Galería Taché (Barcelona), and Galería Nordés (Santiago de Compostela).

He has created site-specific pieces for the I Manila Biennale (Philippines), Kreativquartier (Munich), and the 42 Salón Nacional de artistas (Cartagena de Indias). He has also created specific projects for art centers such as Caixaforum (Madrid, Barcelona), Tabacalera (Madrid), and the Pabellón de España de la XV Bienal de Venecia de Arquitectura.

Grants and awards: Lauréat de la Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, fellow of the Real Academia de España in Rome, Lauréat of the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, 20 Fotopress grants from La Caixa, Saab Award for the best exhibition at the Festival Off of Photoespaña, among others.

Published books (selection): Sotterranei (Academia de España in Rome), Interventions (Maison Européenne de la Photographie), Forma/acción (Centro Galego de Arte Contemporáneo), Arquitectura espontánea (Fundación La Caixa), Arquitectura y resistencia (Ed. Cabeza de Chorlito).

Nicolás Combarro has been selected as the artist for the residency programme under the Ministry of Culture's Public Grants for the Creation, Research and Production of Artistic Projects in Residence.

The project he will be working on during these months at La Escocesa, Images of Repression, deals with the concentration camps of Franco's regime. The project combines archival work with different creative and writing strategies to shed light on a little-known dark strategy of Francoist repression.