Biography
Francesca Volpi, born in 1985 Brescia - Italy, is an independent photographer who through personal stories documents the humanitarian consequences of conflicts, exploring how the contexts of war, socio-economic disparities and climate change affect people's lives.
She began her career as a journalist. After graduating from London College of Communication, she worked for the BBC International Service Europe Today Radio Program, then she started her career with her first photographic reportage experience in the South-Kivu region in the Republic Democratic of the Congo.
She approached the world of photojournalism in 2013 when she documented the deposition of late President Morsi in Egypt. In 2014, she embarked on a freelance journey starting from the Maidan Revolution in Kiev, the annexation of Crimea to the war in eastern Ukraine where she had worked for two years.
Francesca prefers long-term jobs that allow her to linger and deepen her knowledge about the places and themes of her work. In 2016, she moved to Mexico and Central America where she began an in-depth documentation of Honduras. She was, indeed, looking for a different photographic narrative, dealing with 'micro' stories that helped her having a perspective on macro-issues including the violence of the world of the Maras , environmental conflicts, civil rights of the LGBTI community and health system problems. Together with her personal projects supported by various grants and fellowships of the International Women's Media Foundation, Francesca continuously collaborates with the Wall Street Journal for which she has extensively covered the pandemic of Covid-19 in Northern Italy, then Bloomberg News, The Washington Post, The New York Times, L'Espresso, Le Journal du Dimanche, The Guardian and various important international organizations.
Francesca is a member of the Women Photograph Organization, which is concerned with changing the gender make-up of the photojournalism community. In fact, it aims at greater inclusion of women to ensure that the industry's leading storytellers are as diverse as the communities they hope to represent.
Trained in battlefield first aid after a course with Reporters Instructed in Saving Colleagues (RISC) and attending there times an HEFAT Course with Global Journalist Security (GJS).
I speak Italian, English, Spanish, and French (at a basic level).
Available for assignments worldwide.
Awards
- 2018: Eddie Adams XXXI Workshop student
- 2018: student at the Nikon/NOOR Masterclass in Turin, Italy.
- 2017: IWMF Adelante Fellowship 2017 - Fellow and grantee in Honduras
- 2016: IWMF Great Lakes Fellowship 2016, USA - Fellow in the DRC
- 2015: Los Premios Ciudad de Alcalá 2015, Spain - Winner 1st Prize, with "Ukraine War Chronicles"
- 2014: Ragusa Fotofestival 2014, Italy - Winner 1st Prize, with "Ukraine War Chronicles"
- 2014: Moscow Fotoawards 2014 - Honorable mention with "Ukraine War Chronicles"
Exhibitions
- 2016: Triennale in Milan, 2016 - Selections from "Ukraine War Chronicles" within the collective exhibition 'L'altro Sguardo"
- 2014: Foiano Fotofestival 2014, Italy - Collective exhibition of "Ukraine War Chronicles"
- 2014: Alcalá de Henares, 2014, Spain - Personal exhibition of "Ukraine War Chronicles"
-2014: Ragusa Festival 2015, Ragusa, Italy - Personal Exhibition of "Ukraine War Chronicles"
Collections
- Donada Pizzi Collection, Italy
