Light, Shadow, and Memory: Inside the Art of Alexandra Diez de Rivera

This month, we are excited to feature the work of Alexandra Diez de Rivera, a Spanish-Argentine visual artist based in London, whose practice explores the intersection of memory, psychology, and the body. Known for her large-format film work, cameraless photography, and creative darkroom techniques, Alexandra's images evoke a powerful sense of space and absence, often focusing on vacant objects and spaces marked by time and human interaction.

Her series, Resonating Spaces, captures locations like a confessional or a draped alcove, all of which have been used and inhabited but are now vacant, inviting viewers to step in. Similarly, her photograms of children’s clothes—made without a camera by placing antique garments directly on photo-sensitive paper—hold the essence of their previous wearers, transferring skin cells and body oils onto the prints. These works explore the tension between presence and absence, and the psychological weight carried by everyday objects.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Alexandra about her work, her experience in the darkroom, and the role that SW Darkroom plays in her creative process.

Interview with Alexandra:

SWD: Your photograms are both striking and intricate. What initially drew you to this analogue technique? How do you see it fitting within the broader context of your artistic practice?

Alexandra: I have always been drawn to the darkroom - the surreal space, the red light, the ticking clock, the swaying chemicals. Photography as we know it today is so far from the experience of the darkroom and I love the very physical, hands-on process involved in making a picture by hand; locking oneself away in that black box and seeing what comes of it.

My practice involves different techniques, both analogue and digital; long exposure photography, light painting, paper embossing, AI-generated images. My cameraless prints, the photograms, are an important part of the work which deals with trace and the presence of absence. What is a photogram if not the trace of the object that has just been placed on the photosensitive paper? My antique children’s clothes have a particular significance in this aspect as the skin cells and body oils of their wearers seep into the prints through that contact, becoming a part of them. The DNA held in the clothes transfers onto the photographs, imbuing them with life.

SWD: Your work often explores themes of light, shadow, and form. How do you approach the interplay of these elements when creating your photograms and what inspires the shapes and compositions you choose?

Alexandra: Much of my film and digital photography is inspired by the photograms. My images are frontal and clear-cut, like photocopies of space, blueprints of the objects and places I’m interested in; empty but charged spaces marked by the passage of people and time. I present my work without distractions or artifice, drawing attention to one thing at a time. When making a photogram, I also have this diagram-like idea in my mind. I lay my clothes and materials out flat, like a dissected frog. I like symmetry. The challenge is in bringing my subjects to life, laying them out in their simplest, most understandable form, but making sure they are active and breathing in the picture.

SWD: Creating large photograms requires a unique set of techniques. Could you share some of the challenges and rewards of working on such a scale in the darkroom?

Alexandra: You’re using your whole body when creating a large photogram in the darkroom, it’s very physical; getting the 1m wide paper out of the box, unrolling it to the right length, carving through it quickly, getting the paper in the correct place for exposure, placing weights on the four corners, making the picture and then rolling it through the developing chemicals for what seems like an eternity, heavy and dripping. You will break a sweat. I actually need an extra pair of hands to help me process my large format photograms in the darkroom, I can’t manage the size of the prints and their weight through the chemicals on my own. It is, however, very rewarding to be so physically involved in the making of one’s work.

I feel like a sculptor when I’m making a photogram. If I want a garment to come to life in a picture, I can’t just plonk it on the paper and expose it to light, I have to be nimble with my fingers and almost theatrical in my actions so the piece of clothing lands with just the right energy on the paper.

SWD: You've created many of your large photograms at SW Darkroom. Could you tell us about your experience working in our space? How has the space supported your creative projects?

Alexandra: I have only ever made photograms at SW Darkroom since graduating from the Royal College of Art, where I discovered the process. It’s going to sound silly but I need to feel comfortable and safe to be able to get creative in the darkroom and the atmosphere at SW is always welcoming, professional and fun. I love the team. People at SW are genuinely supportive and always excited about whatever project comes through the door. It is always possible for me to have that extra pair of hands I need for managing large photograms at SW too, always someone up for getting that workout in!