Cristina de Middel

Cristina de Middel is a renowned Spanish photographer, known for her unique approach that combines documentary photography with elements of fiction.

Born in 1975, she initially worked as a photojournalist before turning to more personal and artistic projects. Her series “The Afronauts,” which reimagines a Zambian space program from the 1960s, garnered international attention and was praised for its inventive exploration of history and collective memory.

Cristina de Middel often uses staging and image manipulation to challenge traditional narratives and offer new perspectives on social and political issues. Her works, showcased in numerous exhibitions worldwide, blur the boundaries between reality and fiction, inviting viewers to rethink how we perceive and interpret the world around us.

“The Afronauts” is one of Cristina de Middel’s most famous projects. This photographic series, created in 2012, is a fictional reinterpretation of a real event: the 1964 Zambian space program, led by Edward Makuka Nkoloso. Nkoloso, a science teacher, dreamed of sending Zambians to the Moon and Mars using rudimentary means.

Cristina de Middel discovered this little-known story and transformed it into a series of photographs that blend reality and fiction. In “The Afronauts,” she recreates and stages imaginary situations inspired by this improbable space program, with handmade costumes and simple settings. The images are often surreal and whimsical, playing on the idea of a grand but unrealistic dream.

“The Afronauts” is a work that challenges the conventions of traditional photojournalism and invites viewers to reassess their perceptions of history and reality.