Ilán Valdés is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, and creative consultant working across photography, painting, sculpture, installation, and visual strategy. With a background shaped by movement across cultures and disciplines — spanning Spain, Peru, Canada, and the UK — his practice merges emotional resonance with conceptual precision with a focus on Arts & Science, exploring fragility in all its forms: ecological, psychological, structural, and intimate.

Trained in audiovisual communication and later completing an MFA in Fine Art Photography, Ilán’s approach weaves together visual experimentation, philosophical inquiry, and material sensitivity. His work often begins with scientific phenomena or poetic observations — polarized light, chlorophyll, memory, distortion — which become the seeds for immersive, multi-sensory environments. Cracks, reflections, and ephemeral materials are not just aesthetic tools, but metaphors for what society fails to see.

At the heart of his work lies a fascination with perception, identity, and the politics of visibility. Whether through sculptural installations, analog distortions in photography, or layered fragments in painting, Ilán consistently interrogates the boundary between what is seen and what is overlooked. His practice is informed by queer theory, diasporic experience, and frameworks from the Global South — always rooted in emotional urgency and critical nuance.

Recent projects include Lumina (2024), a solo exhibition of transparent light sculptures and abstract works; LÁTEX (2015–2020), a long-term collaboration exploring constructed identity and portraiture; Clorofila, which used living leaves as photographic surfaces; and UMBRA, an ongoing series exploring AI, shadow, and systemic invisibility. His work has been featured in exhibitions, publications, and community-based projects across multiple countries.

Writing Practice

Writing is a parallel form of expression. Ilán is currently developing two major literary works: Love in the Year 5000, a speculative novel on intimacy in a hyper-technological future; and B & Z (Limeñito), a fragmented autofiction exploring queer trauma, obsession, and emotional dependence. An excerpt from Limeñito can be read here.

Interdisciplinary & Social Practice

Outside the studio, Ilán works across education, advocacy, and strategy. He has designed workshops in the Amazon, co-led university courses in London, and consulted on climate campaigns focused on visual literacy and youth protection. He regularly collaborates with scientists, educators, and grassroots groups to develop cross-disciplinary projects that turn complex research into emotional, accessible experiences. As a climate advocate and advisor on inclusive storytelling, he contributes to public conversations at the intersection of art, science, and social change.

Ilán Valdés moves fluidly between installations, novels, and social campaigns — not to prove versatility, but because some ideas demand it.