OPEN ECO: Francisco Gonzalez Camacho, Do(I)ce, from the series Reverting, 2024
Reverting is a work part of a visual research through materiality on the commoditization of nature in the context of the tourist industry in Iceland. Developed in Reykjavík with the SIM artist-in-residence program. Gentrification, waste and environmental degradation are some of the problems related to tourism, challenging the idealized image of the Icelandic landscape.
During my stay, I photographed highly visited natural locations, which I reinterpreted in combination with the creation of my own handmade recycled paper from waste. This exploration mirrors the transformative process of manifesting something from the void —a form of alchemy of waste— with the delicate equilibrium of our environment, and the perpetual cycle it follows.
Francisco Gonzalez Camacho is a Spanish visual artist based in Helsinki. He holds a BA in Documentary Photography at the University of South Wales, currently studying a Masters' degree in Photography at Aalto University. Gonzalez Camacho's work presents a process-based approach interweaving photography and graphic printing methods.
His practice is a result of intuitive exploration centered around themes such as materialiy, immigration and the connectedness between landscape and self. He has been exhibited internationally including The Finnish Museum of Photography (FI), The Center for Photographic Art (US), The Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (JP) and featured in publications such as Der Greif, Booooooom and C41 magazine among others. He was awarded a photobook award by Booooooom back in 2022 and selected as a finalist for the Carte Blanche students by Paris Photo in 2023.
Photo Fringe invited artists to propose a single image to engage audiences and help us imagine a greener, fairer world. Artists were asked to respond to the question “How can photography make a difference to the climate crisis?"
The resulting outdoor exhibition of selected images by nineteen artists can be found on Brighton seafront next to the Upside Down House until 17 November 2024.
See all of the images together here
Created with funding from Arts Council England National Lottery Project Fund and the UK government and Brighton & Hove City Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. With print sponsorship from SAS Graphics.
Thanks to our judges Siân Berry, MP and Laura Summerton, Photography Manager, WaterAid.