María Andrea Parra is an explorer, documentary photographer, visual storyteller, filmmaker and graphic designer contributing most of her work to NGOs and platforms for social change. Master in Documentary and Artistic Photography of the TAI institute of Madrid.
Her particular focus on social issues has led her to immerse herself in different lands of the Amazon, the north, and the mountains of Colombia, as well as other Latin American countries, always seeking to show fascinating ways of life through a journalist communication.
Her photographic work has been published on various digital and print platforms such as Domestika, Cartel Urbano Magazine, Latam Portraits and the Network of Public Libraries of Medellín. Likewise, several of her projects have been featured on the Behance platform within the photography and photojournalism categories.
One of her most important achievements was to have launched together with the Colombian NGO Saving the Amazon, the book "Saving the Amazon, community development platform" at the Bogota book fair. All the photographs in the book are the authorship of María, thus having her own publication within her photographic work.
Her honors include being selected for Descubrimientos PHotoEspaña 2022, Winner Enfoque Conecta 2022, Selected for Fotofeminas Portfolio Review 2022, Special Mention in the Domestika Colombia Young Talent Book 2020 and being the Young Winner of the Wild Fauna Visual Chronicles contest of the Mayor's Office of Bogotá. María has participated in different spaces for documentary creation such as Amazonas Documental, Nueva Venecia Documental and Photography as Storytelling workshops at FUGA Barcelona. Her work has been exhibited at the Círculo de Bellas Artes of Madrid, España; Espacio Est_Art, Alcobendas, España; Galería Alianza Francesa, ABLAC gallery (Art Bureau Latinamerican Certification); Museo de Bogotá in Bogotá, Colombia; and the Diego Madrazo street (open air exhibition), Santander, España.
PUBLICATIONS
- Publication of personal work in Cartel Urbano Magazine: https://cartelurbano.com/creadorescriollos/la-cotidianidad-selvatica-y-rural-en-las-fotos-de-maria-parra
- Publication of the Hijos del Agua project in the 4th edition of the digital magazine Portraits LATAM: https://issuu.com/retratoslatam/docs/retratoslatamed04/8 (Pg. 8-14)
- Special Mention for the book Young Talent Colombia 2020 DOMESTIKA. Digital and Print (Pg. 114-115) https://issuu.com/pablo.gonzalez-domestika/docs/domestika_talento_joven_colombia_2020/114
- Artist of the Month, Network of Public Libraries of Medellín: https://bibliotecasmedellin.gov.co/parque-biblioteca-fernando-botero-san-cristobal/2020/07/10/artista-del-mes-maria-andrea-parra-velez/
- Saving The Amazon. Community development platform. Bogotá Book Faire. https://leoindependiente.co/fichas/OE0120/salvando-el-amazonas-saving-the-amazon-plataforma-de-desarrollo-comunitario-community-development-platform
AWARDS
- Selected within 25 winners of ENFOQUE CONECTA 2022
- Selected Photographer Descubrimientos PhotoEspaña 2022- Selected Artist and Special Mention DOMESTIKA Portfolio 2020
- Finalist. Scholarship for the Documentary Photography Masters Degree, Centro de la Imagen, Perú. 2020
- Young Winner of the Wild Fauna Visual Chronicles contest of the Mayor's Office of Bogotá. 2019- Best documentary script with the project "Y eleva por la vida una canción" from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University. 2017
EXHIBITIONS
- Paisajes Vacíos. Exposición al aire libre (Calle Diego Madrazo). Santander, España. 2023
- GERMINAL. Galería Nueva. Madrid, España. 2022
- Latinoamérica Conecta. Galería Alianza Francesa de Bogotá, Colombia. 2022- The Shortlist 22'. Festival WE:NOW. Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, España. 2022
- Feria de libro fotográfico White Balance. Espacio Est_Art, Alcobendas, España. 2022
- Aquí se respira Amazonía. Museo de Bogotá. Bogotá, Colombia. 2022
- Calefacción Central. Escuela de Artes TAI Madrid, España. 2022
- Saving the Amazon Book Launching. Academia Colombiana de la Lengua. Bogotá, Colombia. 2019
- Emergente II. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia. 2018
- Con la marca en el cuerpo. Arte Studio, Bogotá, Colombia. 2018