Monica Estrada- Saldana is a San Antonio based artist and photographer. She has been photographing and documenting life since she received her first camera at age 8. In high school she discovered her love of storytelling through photography and writing in her journalism class. She learned to use the camera to convey what words could not. Monica spent 6 years as a makeup artist working on film sets, television, and print. As a self taught Artist/Photographer she began to really study the photographers and filmmakers on set and learned from them. Her experience as a makeup artist introduced her to some very amazing and incredible photographers and artist from around the country. Four years ago Monica put down the makeup brushes and picked up the camera lens.
She is inspired by nature, traveling, and her own everyday life. Her work can be described as soft with romantic points of view. She shows you the world through her eyes.
Monica is a fulltime photographer who works and lives in San Antonio. In her short time as a fulltime artist/ photographer she has had her photos published on Vogue Italia online numerous times, her documentary photography has been featured in Yes Ma’am zines award winning “The Dream” issue. She has had her art published in a number of publications and has shown her art in galleries in Los Angeles, New York, and several galleries in San Antonio and around Texas.
Art Shows/ Published works/ Awards
February 2022 Group Exhibiton/Curated “45th Annual Segundo de Febrero- Mapping New Narratives, Centro Cultural Aztlan, San Antonio
December 2021 Group Exhibition “Celebracion Al La Virgen De Guadalupe” Centro Cultural Aztlan, San Antonio, TX
October 2021 Group Show/ Curated “The San Antonio Show” (Art Photography), Say Si, San Antonio, TX
September 2021 Group Show “Still Shooting an unincorporated Photo Exhibition” (Art Photography) Brick at Blue Star, San Antonio, TX
June 2021 Group Show “Street Fatale collaboration “(Art Photography) Brick at Blue Star, San Antonio, TX
June 2021 Group Show/ Curated “Art Collector Mixer” (Art Photography) Cherrity Bar/Southtown Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
May 2021 Group Show/ Curated “Photography Pop Up 2” Show (Art photography) Southtown Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
March 2021 Group Show/ Curated “Icons'‘ (Art Photography), Southtown Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
February 2021 Group Show/ Curated “Photography Pop Up” show (Art Photography), Southtown Art Gallery, San Antonio, TX
March 2020 Group show “Rowdy Women Takeover” Art show (Art Photography), Texas Museum of Pop Culture, San Antonio, TX
February 2020 Art Photography on the cover of Lots of Light Literary foundation poetry book
January 2020 Group Show/ curated “Street Fatale” photography show, San Antonio, TX
December 2019 Group Show/ Curated “Small Works” (Painting) Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
August 2019 Group Show “Priority Mail” (Painting) Ground Floor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
June 2019 Group Show/ Curated (Art Photography) “Collective Consciousness” All Things Project, Manhattan, NY
May 2019 Group Show “Wish you were here” (Documentary Photography) A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
March 2019 Group Show / Curated traveling show “Collective Consciousness” (Art Photography) Credit Human FCU, San Antonio, TX
February 2019 Group show / Curated/ Catalog “On & Off Fredericksburg” Bihl Haus, San Antonio, TX
February 2019 Group show/ Curated “Street Fatale Movement show” San Antonio, TX
January 2019 Published in Broken Pencil Magazine (documentary photo) from Yes maam Zine The Dream issue Best political zine
November 2018 Group Show/ Curated “Frida and Diego” (Art photography/ Self portrait) Credit Human FCU, San Antonio, TX
September 2018 Joint show (Full Photgraphy Collection), The Impact Guild, San Antonio, TX
March 2018 Published in Yes Maam Zine “The Dream Issue” (Documentary Photography) Award winning Zine Best Political Issue
March 2018 Group Show “Lupe: La Virgen II” (Art Photography) Pan Dulce Gallery, San Antonio, TX
March 2018 Group Show / Curated “ Viva La Mujer: Boss Lady” (Documentary Photography) Las Photos Project, Los Angeles, CA
January 2018 Group Show/ Curated “Nasty Women” (Painting) Yes Maam, San Antonio, TX