Spanish photographer Ruben Tomas is captivating audiences with his unique approach to photography that emphasizes listening rather than capturing, feeling rather than simply seeing. His latest exhibition, "Symbiosis," currently running at Picto New York in Brooklyn through September 5, 2025, showcases his distinctive vision of the interconnectedness between humans and nature.
Born in Valencia, Spain, Tomas has developed a cosmopolitan artistic perspective through his travels and experiences living in Spain, France, Italy, the United States, and Brazil. This international background has shaped his borderless visual language that connects diverse subjects and environments. Before transitioning to photography, Tomas worked as an actor and model, experiences that have given him an intimate understanding of body language, breathing, and rhythm—elements that now inform his photographic work.
Using a Canon 5D Mark III, Tomas creates images that breathe with life and emotion. His approach runs counter to the spectacular and instantaneous trends in contemporary photography. Instead, he works with extreme concentration and absolute trust in intuition, creating photographs that don't impose themselves but rather infiltrate the viewer's consciousness. His images touch audiences not through what they show, but through what they remain silent about—absence, solitude, and perhaps inner peace.
In "Symbiosis," Tomas explores the rare grace of intertwining realms where humans and animals share the frame not as objects of mutual fascination, but as equals connected by common energy. These are not staged scenes but epiphanies captured in moments of genuine connection. For Tomas, nature is never mere decoration—it is a character in its own right. Water, rocks, and vegetation become partners in the photographic gesture, with humans either blending into or contrasting with these elements, always with radical humility.
Tomas's artistic universe consists of silent contrasts: strength and fragility, beauty and gravity, control and surrender. What unites his works is a form of naked, almost spiritual truth that transcends both fashion and reportage. His goal is not to seduce or convince, but to deeply feel what it means to be present. His images serve as visual ellipses, moments of eternity suspended between two heartbeats.
In a comprehensive interview, Tomas reveals his artistic philosophy and influences. When asked about his first photographic breakthrough, he recalls "a moment of calm" alone in nature with soft light and thick silence, where he felt something unexplainable but knew he had to capture it. He cites Vivian Maier, Diane Arbus, and Sophie Calle as inspirational figures who revealed intimacy and vulnerability with honesty, creating images that resemble deeply personal confessions without fear.
Regarding memorable photography, Tomas expresses admiration for Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl," whose eyes "carry the weight of a thousand lives," and Richard Avedon's portrait of his dying father, which he describes as "painfully human, courageous and tender." He is angered by images that exploit suffering without respect or dignity, and considers "The Falling Man" from September 11 as an image that changed his world, capturing "the unbearable weight of human life at the heart of tragedy."
For Tomas, emotion is what makes a photo memorable, and timeless images speak beyond their era—not through fashion or perfection, but through truth. While technique can reinforce emotion, it cannot replace it. "What remains is what the photo makes us feel, not its perfection," he explains. "Emotion is the soul; technique is just the frame."
When discussing the elements that make silence visible in photography, Tomas emphasizes space, light, and restraint. "When you don't force the image, silence invites itself in. It's something you feel more than you see," he notes. He believes uniqueness can come from both captured moments and staging, but personally prefers moments filled with feeling and energy that cannot be manufactured.
Tomas's current work continues to focus on the connection between human and natural subjects. His most recent photographs capture New York building facades, where ordinary walls suddenly seemed alive under cinematic lighting. He particularly values one of his "Symbiosis" diptychs featuring a human figure and a shark—two different beings sharing the same spirit.
Looking ahead, Tomas is excited about an upcoming residency and exhibition in Sardinia with Fondazione MACC, where he will photograph Mediterranean life and traditions, representing a new chapter in his exploration of symbiosis between humans and nature. When asked about future subjects he'd like to photograph, he mentions actresses Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett, describing them as "artists who carry mystery and depth in their presence."
Tomas recommends Sophie Calle's "Blind" as an essential photography book and recalls using a Polaroid camera in his childhood before transitioning to his current Canon 5D Mark III. His personal relationship with fitness serves as his preferred addiction, while nature provides his best means of disconnection.
Reflecting on social media's impact, Tomas prefers Instagram for its visual, quick, and intimate nature, though he believes the explosion of social networks has changed our relationship with images. "It's now so accessible, sometimes overwhelming. We see more, but feel less," he observes.
For Tomas, photography represents his way of processing life—serving as memory, poetry, and presence. He believes art's purpose is to make people feel, reflect, and imagine, opening emotional and intellectual doors. His greatest professional extravagance was spending a month in Namibia, "chasing light through deserts and silence" with just his camera and the need to feel something real.
The photographer's ultimate aspiration is to be remembered as someone who "created with his soul and remained faithful to it." Everything he photographs, he emphasizes, he has first felt. His final word is "gratitude—for the light, the silence, and every connection along the way."
The "Symbiosis" exhibition runs from May 23 through August 22, 2025, at Picto New York, located at 77 Washington Ave, 3rd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11205. Fine-art prints are available for purchase through the official SQUADRA website. More information about Tomas's work can be found at www.rubentomas.com and on Instagram @ruben_tomas.
