About

Paloma Tendero (b. 1988, Spain) is a visual artist working across photography, sculpture, and mixed media. Her practice explores themes of heredity and the ways the body carries histories that shape identity and the course of a life. She often uses her own body as a subject, investigating the spaces between wellness and sickness, vulnerability and resilience, while questioning the politics of representation and ideals of bodily perfection.

Tendero holds a BA in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid and an MA in Photography from the London College of Communication, where she received a Mentorship Award for her graduating project Inside Out. She has participated in artist residencies, including Xenia Residency Retreat (2024), Sarabande Foundation, established by Alexander McQueen, London (2020), and the KulturKontakt, The Austrian Federal Chancellery AIR, Vienna (2018)

Recent awards include the 70:15:40 Project UK (2024) and an Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant (2026). Her work has been exhibited internationally at Galleria Cavour, Padua (2019), Arnolfini Arts Centre, Bristol (2021), Messums West (2022), the Centre for British Photography, London (2023), Photo London (2023 and 2024), University College London Hospitals (2025), and Apsara Studios (2026). She is currently exhibiting with the Artist's General Benevolent Institution (AGBI).

EDUCATION 
2013- 2015  MA Photography, London College of Communication
2006-2011 BA Fine Arts, Universidad Complutense, Madrid
COURSES
2019- The Possibilities of the Body The Photographer's Gallery
2019- Art and Anatomy: The Fabric of the Human Body Royal Academy of Arts
2019- The Vogue of Vanity and Mortality Royal Academy of Arts

ARTIST RESIDENCIES & AWARDS
2026 Upcoming - Kolodium Glass Residency, Prague
2026 Arts Council grant England, National Lottery Research and Development Grant
2024 Xenia Creative Retreat Artist Residency
2023 70:14:50 Project UK, created by MPB and supported by SheClicks, Peerspace, The Royal Photographic Society and UK Black Female Photographers.
2020 AIR Sarabande, The Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation, London
2020 PhotoFusion Salon Commendations- 100 Heroines & Photographer’s Gallery
2019 Artquest Peer Forum at The Photographers' Gallery -  Participating artist
2018 AIR Kultur Kontakt, Vienna, Austria. 
2017 AIR Free Space Project-Kentish Town Health Centre, London.
2015 Graduation Award - Mentoring program Troika Editions.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2026 Bodies, AGBI / Artist's General Benevolent Institution, London, March 5 - Nov 5
2026 Holding Both, Apsara Studios, London April 19 -25
2025 PhotoLondon, House of Bandits by Sarabande, May 15 - 18
2025 HLTH Europe, Amsterdam. June 16 - 19
2025 Inheritance, University College London Hospital, Feb 12 - May 31
2024 70:15:40 Project UK, Handbag Factory, London Nov 22 - Dec 3rd
2024 Earth Monsters, International Women’s Day Supported by Victoria Secret and Sarabande Foundation, 6-13th March
2024 Document Now, Bermondsey Project Space, February 6-17
2023 Tangle Teaser: Untangling the Knots of Female Power, Sarabande, curated by Shirin Fathi, June 23
2023 PhotoLondon: Writing her own script, Public programme Exhibition, organised by Hyman Collection. May 23
2023 Headstrong: Women and empowerment, Centre for British Photography, curated by Women in Photo Feb-May23
2022 Body Language, Messums Gallery, Curated by Katy Barron, 21st Oct - 21st Nov
2022 The Demon Show, Women Artists Art Week, London, 8th -15th of June
2021 Corpus Mentis, The VOV curated by Hikari Yokoyama and Sarabande 17th May - 28th June
2021 A Picture of Health, Hyman Collection at Arnolfini Contemporary Arts Centre, Bristol. (Upcoming 14th Nov-Feb2021)
2020 House Of Bandits Pop Up Gallery at Burberry, Mayfair, London. (Oct-17th Dec 2020)
2020 Stall Summer Group Show - Sarabande Foundation, London
2020 Online Exhibition- Traia Photo Lab and Pinsharp Magazine
2020 Live Flesh- International Women’s Day, Curated by Charlotte Jansen at Sarabande Foundation, London
2020 With Monochrome Eyes- Curated by Tom Lovelace at Borough Road Gallery, Londo
2019 PhotoFusion Salon19- Brixton, London
2019 Political Bodies- Galleria Cavour. Padua, Italy
2018 Votes for Women-Online Exhibition. The Hyman Collection. British Photography
http://www.britishphotography.org/artists/19217/paloma-tendero
2018 Transcultural Emancipation. Billboards. Fluc praterstern Park. Vienna
2018 Corporeal- AAcollections Gallery, Vienna.
2018 HERstory-Artist in Residence at Kultur Kontakt, Vienna
2017 PKD Studies at Kentish Town Health Centre, London. Residency project
2017 Between Selves-Camden Town. London
2017 Vacant. In Use-Old Police Station, Deptford X Festival. London
2017 Traces-Free Space Project, London
2017 My Mother's Daughter- Free Space Project, London

COLLECTIONS
Hyman Collection, British Photography

TALKS & SEMINARS
2026 AGBI - Interview with the curator
2025 UCLH Institute for Women's Health - Exhibition Tour and Q&A
2024 70:15:40 Project UK - in conversation with the winners.
2024 UCL Medical Students – Lunchtime lecture. Exploring Genetic inheritance through art - Guest Speaker
2023 Centre for British Photography, moderated by Jean Wainwright
2022 Body Talk, Symposium day at Messums Gallery, UK
2020 Decoding the Personal. Webminar organised by Arts and Health Hub.
2020 Live Flesh Q&A with Elephant Magazine chief editor at Sarabande Foundation,
2018 Vienna Academy of Arts. Guest speaker
2016 Out of Sight. Hiding as a creative strategy. A symposium about photography and performance. London
2016 'Error?' The role of erring in thinking and art. The Latvian Centre of Contemporary Art, Latvia
2015 Seminario UIMP Visiona "Autobiography: narrative and construction of subjectivity in contemporary art" Huesca, Spain.

WORKSHOPS, COMMISSIONS & COLLABORATIONS
2026 UCL Medical Students – lecture & Workshop - Guest Speaker and Workshop Facilitator
2025 UCLH Body mapping workshop with Jill Mueller - Workshop Facilitator
2022 Dulwich Picture Gallery - Family Fridays Workshops Workshop Facilitator
2021 A Still-Life Photography Workshop with Paloma Tendero and Charlie Thomas Workshop Facilitator
2021 BOUND: G.F Smith Paper and Sarabande Artist Collaboration
2020 Conference: On Care, Arts and Health hub in Creativity and Wellbeing week, Co-curator and organiser
2020 Online Workshop for Sarabande Foundation- Make your own Artists Journal
2020 King’s College University, London - Marbling and Journal Workshop Workshop Facilitator
2020 Sarabande Foundation, London- Hybrid Bodies, Sculpture Workshop Facilitator
2019 Royal Academy of Arts, London - Family Workshop Drop-in Quiet Zone: Face to Face Workshop Facilitator
2019 Cavour Gallery, Italy- Political Bodies, Photography Workshop Facilitator
2018 Free Space-Photography Workshops Series Workshop Facilitator
2017 Alumni Ambassador MA Photography at London College Of Communication
Exhibitions : Vacant. In use. The Old Police Station in Deptford, part of Deptford X Festival. (Curator and Organiser)
Symposiums : Out of Sight- A symposium about photography and performance, Organiser
2017 Sproxton Photography Award Judge
2017 Tim Andrews- Over The Hill- Photographer (Commission)


PUBLICATIONS & PRESS

  • 2021 Arterritory

  • 2020 House of Bandits Press included Vogue, Love Magazine, Evening Standard