Cristina de Middel

Cristina de Middel (born 1975) is a Spanish-Belgian documentary photographer and artist living and working in Uruapan, Mexico. She is a full member of Magnum Photos and her work is held in the Tate collection.

Early life and education De Middel was born in Alicante, Spain. She is half-Belgian, half-Spanish.

She graduated with a M.A. in Photography from the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, USA in 2000; with a M.A. in Fine Arts from the Technical University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain in 2001; and with a Postgraduate Degree in Photojournalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain in 2002.

Life and work De Middel spent ten years working as a photojournalist at a Spanish newspaper. She left in 2012 to pursue personal projects.

She self-published The Afronauts in 2012, a photobook about the short-lived Zambian space program in Southern Africa. The book explored the history of the failed 1960s space program through staged re-enactments, challenging "viewers' perceptions about what's real and what's not." She was nominated for the 2013 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize for The Afronauts.

In 2017 she became a nominee member of Magnum Photos and in 2022 became a full member. In June 2022, she became the first Spaniard to be elected president of Magnum. That year, she participated in the Fall 2022 pre-collection by Alexander McQueen, an initiative involving 12 female artists from around the world, including Marcela Correa and Hope Gangloff.

In Journey to the Center (2024), De Middel documented the caravans of migrants who travelled through Mexico from its southern border with Guatemala to Felicity, a small town in California.

Publications Publications by De Middel The Afronauts. London: Self-published, 2012. . Edition of 1000 copies. Second edition. Bilbao, Spain: This Book Is True, 2016. Edition of 1500 copies. Vida Y Milagros de Paula P (Life and Miracles of Paula P). Alicante, Spain: Museo de la Universidad de Alicante, 2009. Edition of 500 copies. Spanish. Early work featuring the "real story of a fake prostitute" Paula P. SPBH Book Club Vol III. London: Self Publish, Be Happy, 2013. Edition of 500 copies. . Party: Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung. Madrid: RM; London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2013. . Edition of 1500 copies. Afronauts. Zine Collection 12. Paris: Edition Bessard, 2014. . Edition of 300 copies. This is What Hatred Did. Mexico; Barcelona: RM Editorial / London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2015. . With text by Amos Tutuola, "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts". Sharkification. São Paulo, Brazil: Editora Madalena, 2015. . Edition of 100 copies. Man Jayen. Pamplona, Spain: Trama, 2015. . Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Museum of the University of Navarra. Edition of 1000 copies. Cucurrucucu. Bilbao, Spain: This Book Is True; self-published, 2016. . With a text by Cuauhtémoc Medina. The Perfect Man. Madrid, Spain: Editorial La Fabrica, 2017. . Jungle Check Barcelona, Spain: Editorial RM, 2018. . Midnight at the Crossroads Bilbao, Spain: This Book is True; self-published, 2018. Preparados, Listos, Archivo. Madrid, Spain: Spanish Ministry of Culture, 2018. Gentlemen's Club Bilbao, Spain: This Book is True; self-published, 2023. The Kabuler Bilbao, Spain: This Book is True; self-published, 2023. Journey to the Center. RM, 2024. .

Publications about de Middel Cristina de Middel. Colleción PHotoBolsillo. Madrid: La Fábrica, 2015. .

Awards 2013: Nominated, Deutsche Börse Photography Prize for The Afronauts 2014: Party: Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung won PhotoEspaña's Best Photography Book, international category award 2020: Prix Virginia, award for female photographers, for Journey to the Center

Collections De Middel's work is held in the following permanent collection: Tate, UK: 46 prints