CV

Manel Clemente (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1966) combines the use of photography as an anthropological research tool with teaching in the field of image semiotics. He lives in La Garriga, a village close to Barcelona. He works as a professor of Photography and Image Theory at the institutions Escola d'Art i Superior de Disseny Pau Gargallo de Badalona (Barcelona) and ESDAPC campus Pau Gargallo. He is also the ERASMUS coordinator of these two institutions. He has exhibited his work in various galleries and museums. His photographs have been published in several magazines, and he has regularly collaborated with various Barcelona publishing houses. However, in recent years, he has abandoned applied photography to pursue personal photography projects and explore, through photography, the political use of public space. Among the other projects he has also been working on we can highlight "On sale", a interpretation of consumer society, "Ghost towns", a project related to the Spanish housing bubble, "Forgotten ruins", a selection of abandoned places around Barcelona, "Dark tourism?", a selection of tourist spots historically associated with death and tragedy and "World Souvenir", an anthropological reseach about urban and cultural tourism around the world. In 2018 he is started to work on a project related to the recovering of «historical memory» in Spain: "for the Spain they believed to be better" / "por la España que creían mejor" and this project was the starting point of his PHD Thesis about heritage commemorating Spanish Civil War in Catalunya. This thesis, under the name «Patrimoni monumental de la Guerra Civil a Catalunya» / «Monumental heritage of Civil War in Catalonia» was directed by Phd Xavier Roigé in the context of the Phd programme about Society and Culture: History, Anthropology, Arts, Heritage and Cultural Management at the UB / Universitat de Barcelona. Read in July 2024 and qualified as Excelent Cum Laude was published some months later: https://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/handle/2445/216985 The thesis, focused on the study of monuments, also incorporated the testimony of those who suffered during the Spanish Civil War -ex-combatants, exiles and victims- through video interviews. At the same time, Manel Clemente expanded the scope of his research to investigate through photography the political use of public space in contemporary Europe and he is sharing part of his research on the website IN MEMORY OF: https://manelclemente.myportfolio.com/ In recent years he has given talks and conferences on the semiotics of images, contemporary Spanish photography and the political use of public space in different European universities and other institutions: Vilnius College of Design (2025), Art Academy of Latvia (Riga, 2024), Espai Lluís Companys (El Tarròs, 2024), University of the National Education Commission, Krakow (2023), Estonian Academy of Arts (Tallin, 2022), University of Arts in Belgrade (2022), University of Barcelona (2022, 2024), SS.Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje (2020), University of Jordan (Amman, 2019), La Maison des Relations Internationales Nelson Mandela (Montpellier, 2016)... SOLO EXHIBITIONS -2018 "for the Spain they believed to be better / por la España que creían mejor", Torroella de Montgrí, Claustre de l'Hospital -2017 "Dark tourism? / Turisme obscur?" Calella, Sala Polivalent Fàbrica Llobet. Festimatge 2017 "Dark tourism? / Turisme obscur?" Igualada, La Cotonera. Fine Art Fotografia Igualada 17 -2016 "Dark tourism? / Turisme obscur?" Olot, Claustres del Carme. XI Biennal Internacional de Fotografia Olot 2016 "Runes oblidades, Forgotten ruins". Calella, Sala Polivalent Fàbrica Llobet. Festimatge 16 "World souvenir, une selection". Montpellier, La Maison des Relations Internationales Nelson Mandela -2014 "Forgotten ruins", linked to the project "Time line / Ajajoon". Tartu, Estonia, Gallery Noorus. "Runes oblidades, Forgotten ruins". Castellfollit de la Roca, Esgléssia Vella. XI Biennal Internacional de Fotografia Olot 2014 -2012 "World souvenir, a selection". Barcelona, Euskal Etxea -2011 "World souvenir, a selection". Madrid, Sala Ultravioleta -2009 "Europe Souvenir". Barcelona, Forum Altaïr -2004 "Barcelona Souvenir". Barcelona, Salas Llibreteria, Primavera Fotogràfica 04 -2000 "2º 26' 6'' / 41º 46'' 35'." Granollers, Museu de Ciències Naturals -1999 "Naturalezas manufacturadas". Roveretto, Palazzo Balista -1998 "Las Bardenas". Barcelona, Nafarren Etxea "Espais Inventariables". Barcelona, Auditorium Crisol, Primavera Fotogràfica 98 -1996 "Villa Dolores", with Santi Erill. Vic, Col·legi d'Aparelladors, Primavera Fotogràfica 96 -1995 "En los andenes". Madrid, Museo del Ferrocarril -1994 "Las Bardenas". Barcelona, Museu de Geologia -1993 "La Llanterna Màgica". Riva del Garda, Spazio espositivo De Pellegrin and travelling exhibition. Sales d'Art Jove de la Generalitat de Catalunya: Vic, Barcelona -1992 "La Llanterna Màgica". Travelling exhibition Sales d'Art Jove de la Generalitat de Catalunya: Manresa, Figueres, Lleida LECTURES, A SELECTION "Spanish contemporary Photography" VDK International Week, Vilnius College of Design 01.04.25 "In memory of ... Monumental heritage of Civil War in Catalonia", PhD defence Universitat de Barcelona 01.07.24 "In memory of... Memorial monumental heritage in Europe: removal, conservation and creation of new memorials. The case of Catalonia". Art Academy of Latvia, Riga 14.05.24 "Memorial monumental heritage of the Spanish Civil War in Catalonia". III Jornades Memòria i República. Espai Lluís Companys. El Tarròs. 20.04.24 "Spanish Contemporary Photography". Institute of Arts and Design, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow. 08.03.23 “Caídos, Management of Francoist monuments in Catalonia". Congrés Legacies. Universitat de Barcelona 22.06.22 "Spanish Contemporary Photography". Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallin 11.05.22 "from Belgrade to Barcelona: Memorial monumental heritage of the Spanish Civil War in Catalonia, a semiotic analysis". University of Arts in Belgrad 02.02.22 "Spanish Contemporary Photography". SS Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje 26.02.20 "In search of the Fine Photography". School of Art and Design, University of Jordan, Amman 02.04.19