Alex Elena

Alex Elena was born and raised in Rome into a family of artists and musicians. He started playing drums at the tender of three. By the time he was 17 he was living in London and playing professionally. His thirst for creative development prompted a move to New York to begin producing music. His unconventional approach eventually landed a Grammy nomination for the soul singer Alice Smith. Alex has also produced successful artists such as Lily Allen, Evan Dando, Citizen Cope, and Michelle Shaprow. Alex's work evolved to include photography in 2009 when a sudden decision to create a portrait of the Darien Strip took him to the jungles in Panama. His father was his first creative mentor in music, but regarding photography, he is completely self-taught. He's photographed a range of subjects spanning the globe: from the slums of Kenya, everyday life in The Gambia, the vanishing Indigenous Tribes in Central America, to the aftermath of the war in the former Yugoslavia. His book of photography entitled "A Mission in Panama" was installed as a multimedia event in London and Rome. All proceeds from the sales of this work were donated to charity for the preservation of the Indigenous cultures of Central America. Alex currently lives in Los Angeles