Blanco Alex

Born in 1988 in Odesa, Ukraine.

Surrounded by the vibrant colours of fruits, vegetables, and long southern summers, Alex developed a visual sensitivity from an early age. She has a background in journalism and began her career working for Cosmopolitan and Elle magazines in Ukraine as a reporter and talent scout for fashion and beauty stories.

Years later, after moving to the Netherlands, she fully committed to photography. She earned a Master’s Degree from Leiden University and completed a practical semester in photography at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague. Her graduation project — a portrait series of her mother — explored generational trauma passed between women in her family. It later evolved into Meat, Fish & Aubergine Caviar (2016–2021), a personal story about her relationship with both parents and a tribute to her hometown Odesa and its culinary culture. The book was published by Overlapse (UK) in 2023 and received the Nobuyoshi Araki MA-g Award.

Her work has appeared in i-D Magazine, ZEIT Magazin, Monocle, Le Monde, Dazed, Republik, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, among others. Inspired by the fragile, vulnerable and fleeting, Alex focuses on revealing aspects of people they may not yet know themselves. Her portraits are dreamy and introspective, while her landscapes and still lifes are contemplative and atmospheric.

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