artist in residence
2026
The Cherbourg Atomics
The Cotentin is now one of the most heavily nuclearised regions in the world. Amidst its wooded countryside, cliffs and industrial infrastructure, employment is growing in step with the major projects spearheaded by the State. In March 2024, the programme Aval du futur has announced a new reprocessing plant and three spent fuel storage pools, making the area the centre of what is being billed as ‘the world’s largest industrial project’. The local residents, however, are finding out about it through the press.
It is against this backdrop that Cristina de Middel interviews people of all ages in the Cotentin region: young people in training, anti-nuclear campaigners, and residents who have stayed out of necessity or a sense of attachment.
A Spanish-Belgian photographer born in 1975 in Alicante (Spain), Cristina de Middel examines the concept of truth in photography by exploring the tension between documentary and fiction. Trained in journalism and fine art, she began her career as a photojournalist for the Spanish press and NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières. She gained international recognition with The Afronauts (2012), she shifted her practice towards a more conceptual approach, blending staging, archival material and surrealist imagery to challenge the stereotypes and conventions of the photographic language. The winner of numerous international awards, including Spain’s National Photography Prize, she is a member of Magnum Photos, where she served as chair between 2022 and 2025. Her works are held in the collections of the Tate Modern.