Fernando Criollo
Lima, Peru
@monarcacriollo
I work as a photographer, director, and film archive curator. I use still and moving images to explore how violence, myth, and the divine intertwine, and how these dimensions shape our understanding of the place we occupy in the world. My images seek to convey the uniqueness of recognizable places and evoke timelessness, while also exploring the tension between the human and the supernatural. I have worked across different media and am constantly searching for new ways to coherently share a vision that expands ideas and reflections about the world around me. My debut short film, “Cumbres y Cenizas”, premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival and was invited to the MoMA's New Directors/New Films festival, among others.
Studies and Scholarships:
• 2009 – 2011 | Professional Photography Program – IPAD, Lima, Peru
• 2015 – 2016 | Latin American Master's in Contemporary Photography – Centro de la Imagen, Lima, Peru
• 2017 | “La Jaula” – Online workshop with Julián Barón, Spain
• 2018 | Databending Workshop – Fundación Telefónica, Lima, Peru
• 2019 | Artistic Residency Grant – ISSP, Riga, Latvia
• 2019 | Cross-processing in 8mm and 16mm Film – Baltic Analog Lab, Riga, Latvia
• 2020 | Winner of the National Short Film Contest for “Cumbres y Cenizas” – Special Mention for Best Cinematography and Best Sound
• 2020 – 2021 | Quechua Studies – PUCP, Lima, Peru
• 2022 | Artistic Residency Grant “Otro Norte” – La Libertad, Peru
• 2022 – 2023 | Scholarship for the International Photobook Masterclass “FOLIO22” – PhMuseum, Bologna, Italy
• 2023 | Short Film Production Grant for “Anima Mundi” – Ministry of Culture of Peru
Work Experience:
• 2014 – 2016 | Freelance Photographer at the National School of Dramatic Arts – Portraits, advertising
• 2015 – 2019 | Freelance Photographer for Somos magazine – Portraits
• 2015 – 2023 | Freelance Photographer for the Museo Máximo Laura – Textile artwork reproduction
• 2019 | Director of Photography for the feature film “Laguna Negra” by Felipe Esparza
• 2021 | Director and premiere of the short film “Cumbres y Cenizas” by Fernando Criollo
• 2021 | Director of Photography for “A Cielo Abierto” by Felipe Esparza
• 2020 – 2024 | Director of the restoration department, “Half a Century of Visual Anthropology” – Films by César A. Vivanco
• 2022 | Director of the official music video “Impro 8” by Dafne Castañeda
• 2022 | Experimental work “Seuj” as part of the Otro Norte program
• 2023 | Director of Photography for the development of “El Niño Sin Milagro” by Felipe Esparza
• 2024 | Development of the film “Anima Mundi” – Lima, Peru
• 2024 | Director of Photography for the development of “Los Espectadores” by Alondra & Yuri
• 2025 | Director of the official music video “Automatique” by Caos.808
• 2025 | Sound editing and mixing for “Food for Everyone: Deities, Nature and Humans” by Prin Rodriguez
Exhibitions:
• 2016 | “Understanding the World Without Words” – Group show, Galería Larcomar, Lima, Peru
• 2016 | “Entropies of Memory and the Present” – Group show, Centro de la Imagen, Lima, Peru
• 2018 | “Uku Pacha: Inner World” – Solo show, Ryoichi Jinnai Gallery, Lima, Peru
• 2018 | “In Other Image, When Words Fail” – Group show, National Library of Singapore
• 2020 | “Uku Pacha” – Group show at La Nuu Festival, Barcelona, Spain
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – 50th New Directors/New Films, MoMA, New York, USA
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, France
• 2022 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – REGARD – Saguenay International Short Film Festival, Canada – WINNER – AMERICANA
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival, Greece
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – Lille International Short Film Festival, France
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – Tabor Film Festival, Croatia
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – La Plata Independent Film Festival, Argentina
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – Linea d’Ombra Festival, Salerno, Italy
• 2021 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival, Brazil
• 2022 | “The Birth of Antares” – Finalist, Gomma Grant, USA
• 2022 | “The Birth of Antares” – Vannes Photos Festival, France
• 2022 | “Cumbres y Cenizas” – 27th Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Switzerland
• 2023 | “The Birth of Antares” – PhMuseum Gallery, Bologna, Italy
• 2023 | “The Birth of Antares” – PhMuseumDays Festival, Bologna, Italy
• 2025 | “Quyllur Alfa” – Porto Photography Biennial, Portugal
monarcacriollo@gmail.com