Artist Statement

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Sometimes, when I look at animals, they look back at me. They make a gesture and I receive it as a gift. They are telling me: we are right here, breathing the same air, touching the same soil, held by the same land. What else are they telling me that I can’t understand?

One day, I dreamt that hundreds of chickens challenged me to explain why my gusto for chicken pesto lasagna justified the loss of their lives. Because I didn’t find a convincing answer, I stopped eating all types of animal products. Weeks later, I found myself taking care of a spider, taking her outside from a room where she was not wanted. Me, who was scared of spiders, me who would have stepped right onto her a few months earlier.

Now, I can’t stop reading about animal behaviour and physiology, and philosophical discussions on animal consciousness and human-animal relations. This literature has given me the language to ask the questions that guide my practice: How is this world perceived and experienced by other creatures? We can now acknowledge that pigs grieve, bluejays play, octopuses dream, snakes see through smell, and that females of many species often have a predilection for beautiful mates (which plays an essential role in evolution). How do these facts unsettle prevailing definitions of what it means to be human?

I use the camera to imagine how creatures that are not human see, feel, perceive, and give meaning to their surroundings. Through subjective camera work and material experimentation with photosensitive materials, I work towards opening portals that skew our human point of view. The meeting point between art and science embodied in the camera reflects my commitment to an interdisciplinary practice. My art is driven by a hungry curiosity and stubborn devotion toward understanding the multiple worlds and experiences contained in our shared planet. I seek to discover, influence, and inspire kinder ways to be human.

Education

International Center of Photography
Certificate in Creative Practices
2026

New York University
M.A. Animal Studies
2022

Universidad de Los Andes
B.A. Literature
Minor in Philosophy
2019

Residencies

Gowanus Darkroom
Artist in Residency
Fall 2026

Uniondocs
Collaborative Studio Residency
2025

School of Visual Arts
Interdisciplinary Practices in Bio Art Residency
2024

Exhibitions & Festivals

International Center of Photography
Evidence of Existence: 2026 Recent Graduates Exhibition
May 2026

Independent, Gabriela Ordoñez, Curator
Enraizadas: Garden Photography Exhibition
April 2026

Science New Wave Fest
Soil Story’s Premier
October 2025

Uniondocs
Public Preview
June 2025

International Center of Photography
Look Up: Recent Graduates Exhibition

Contact

laalvearroa@gmail.com

Last Updated 07.08.2026

Heart Project (working title)