The argentine photographer Federico Estol explores photography as a tool for social change and its connection to artivism (art and activism): In a society increasingly fragmented in its inequalities, it is important that artistic and photographic initiatives function as a tool for ethical social change, betting on the active participation of civil society in the spaces of creation, including popular aesthetics in the visual message and a community control of the final destination of the co-created narrative.

Federico Estol is the winner of Preus museum’s Open Call 2024. The series «Shine Heroes» was selected as the winner among 1,500 submitted entries for this years open call. The series follows shoeshiners in La Paz and was created through close collaboration between the photographer and the individuals depicted in the series.

Federico Estol is a photographer and artivist that works as a visual storyteller in Latin America. His long-term projects are focused on the relationship between cultural identity, inequality and social justice. He is also the artistic director of the international festival San José Foto and editor of photobooks at El Ministerio Ediciones.

Estol holds a bachelor's degree in photography from the UPC-Barcelona Tech University and a degree in popular education. His work has received numerous awards, and his photography has been exhibited in galleries, cultural centers and festivals around the world. He have been featured in publications such as The Guardian, Die Zeit, El País and Financial Times, and his works are represented by East Wing Gallery Doha-Berlin.

Estols exhibition «Shine Heroes» can be seen i room 8.