Laura Gálvez‑Rhein: social photography that transforms

“For me, photography takes on another meaning when it can help. When it is collective, not an ego thing or an artist’s commodity, but when it has transformative power and helps people reach other places,” says Laura Gálvez‑Rhein. At 27, the half‑Andorran, half‑German photographer — born in Frankfurt and living between Barcelona and Andorra — has long been clear about what photography means to her.

What defined her practice was a project run with the Setba foundation at the Wad‑Ras women’s prison in Barcelona. Prisoners volunteered for a photography workshop in which they alternated roles as photographer and subject. “It was very powerful, because they don’t have a good image of themselves. It was beautiful to be able to see themselves through the eyes of their companions.” The project culminated in a November 2023 exhibition, La bellesa inhòspita, at Sala Sergi Mas.

Gálvez‑Rhein describes herself as a social photographer who believes teaching the world requires a minimum of morality and sensitivity. Despite her commitment, she is acutely aware of the sector’s precariousness. “It’s a very sectarian and difficult world,” she notes, but she is determined not to lose hope. To make a living while pursuing photography, she combines her practice with work at two Andorran editorial offices.

Her experience living for a semester in Hanover contrasted sharply with the situation she sees locally. There, she found a more stimulating artistic environment, continuous exhibitions, and a photography scene a step ahead in both education and promotion. “There are many grants and many colleagues can live fully from their work,” she says.

Looking ahead, she hopes to exhibit at CO Berlin and is preparing a project on the oral transmission of culture and collective memory, as well as other works she cannot yet detail.