Yadira Hernández-Picó is a documentary photographer and educator based in her home country of Puerto Rico. Her work centers on visual storytelling combining photos and text to accurately portray social justice issues and the human impact of climate change.
Self-Portrait, 2020
Her long-term project chronicling the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Volver a casa [Returning Home], is the recipient of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Fund for the Arts Grant and the National Endowment for the Humanities Grant in partnership with the Puerto Rican Endowment for the Humanities.
Yadira’s work has been published in major publications such as The World of Photography (FotoNostrum 2023), NPR’s The Picture Show, Lens Magazine, and Woman Magazine Austria. She has received several awards, including the Julia Margaret Cameron Award, the Lucie Foundation Guardian Project, and the BarTur Photo Award.
A VII Academy – Foundry Photojournalism Workshop alumni, her work has been exhibited worldwide, most recently as part of the 2023 BarTur Photo Award Exhibition held in Germany and Poland, the 2022 Exhibition by Fotógrafas Latinoamericanas in Paris, and the 2022 Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography in Barcelona.
Yadira holds a master's in Arts and Cultural Management from the University of Puerto Rico, where she is currently a professor of photography. She is a Women Photograph, Diversify Photo, and Authority Collective member.
Deeply committed to environmental and climate issues, Yadira employs natural and sustainable materials, exploring nontoxic, plant-based alternative photographic processes like anthotypes and chlorophyll printing.
Honors + Awards
-
-
Book and Exhibition — The World of Photography: An Introduction to the Expansive Realm of Photography (FotoNostrum 2023)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Selected Exhibitions
The World of Photography (Book and Exhibition) – FotoNostrum Mediterranean House of Photography; Barcelona, Spain
2024
BarTur Photo Award Exhibition – The Fort Institute of Photography; Warsaw, Poland
2023
BarTur Photo Award Exhibition – F³- Space for Photography; Berlin, Germany
2023
The world seen by Latin American women by Fotógrafas Latinoamericanas – 59 Rivoli Gallery; Paris, France
2022
Visions of Motherhood (Online Exhibition) by The Luupe
2022
6th Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography – FotoNostrum Mediterranean House of Photography; Barcelona, Spain
2022
Four Degrees: Eco-Anxiety and Climate Change (Online Exhibition) by Humble Arts Foundation and Strange Fire Collective
2021
Exposición Internacional del II Encuentro de Mujeres Artistas Visuales (Online Exhibition)
Convergencia en Medio de la Pandemia (Online Exhibition) by Asociación de Artistas Plásticos de Puerto Rico
2021
2020
New York Latin American Art Triennial ‘Progressive Transition’ – Taller Boricua Galleries; New York, United States
2019
Perspectivas Temporales: Exploraciones del contexto histórico-social contemporáneo – Museo de Arte Francisco Oller; Bayamón, Puerto Rico
2019
Volver a casa: Dos años después del Huracán María (Solo Exhibition) – Sala de Arte Fotográfico Galería de los Gigantes; Carolina, Puerto Rico
2019
Nor Wind, Nor Water – Da Vinci Art Alliance; Philadelphia, United States
2019
Volver a casa: crónica visual del Huracán María en las Indieras (Solo Exhibition) – Fundación Banco Popular; San Juan, Puerto Rico
2018
Mission + Vision
Photography can be a tool for social good. It has the capacity to ignite change. It compels us to take action and lets people understand the world together. In every photograph, there is a chance to provoke, comment, hear the absent voices, see people's experiences, and reveal truths.
Being portrayed with dignity and respect is an important, empowering step forward. As a photographer, I am responsible for honoring the access people give me to their lives. Documenting them with empathy, integrity, and honesty — not only with a camera but with my heart.
In 2017, I founded the photography-based nonprofit organization “El duende que habita en tu alma” [The duende that inhabits your soul], delving into the possibilities for visual storytelling to advance social justice within underrepresented communities in my home country of Puerto Rico.
The NGO’s name is a tribute to my father. The words were taken from his letter after my first solo show: “¡Qué fotos preciosas, eh! Pero ninguna se asemeja a las que pinta el duende que habita en tu alma” [Beautiful photos, eh! But none resembles those painted by duende that inhabits your soul].
