VISUAL MINDS

Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson is South Asia Editor for Reuters Pictures. Based in New Delhi, she leads the photography team across the sub-continent. Previously Gabrielle was the Senior Editor for The Wider Image, Reuters award winning imprint for long-form photojournalism and led the Yannis Behrakis Photojournalism grant program - a year long mentorship program for young photographers.

“Paul Ninson is the founder and executive director of Dikan Center based in Accra, Ghana. Dikan Center is a visionary non-profit institution dedicated to shaping the next generation of Africa's creative leaders. Founded in 2022, Dikan Center is swiftly gaining recognition for its unwavering dedication to visual education, establishing the first photo library in Africa comprising an extensive collection of African history and books.  Before establishing the Dikan Center, Paul accumulated a diverse professional background, contributing his talents to globally renowned entities like BBDO, AstraZeneca, Vivo Energy, Next Door, and Humans of New York, where he served as a producer and photo editor. Paul's educational journey led him to acquire a degree in Industrial Art from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Furthering his expertise, he immersed himself in the realm of Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism at the distinguished School of the International Center of Photography in New York.  Recognised for his achievements through features in prominent publications and his roles as a leader and educator, Paul's mission is to impact whiles making visual education accessible in Africa. He accomplishes this through innovative initiatives & programming such as educational programs, Curating, culture heritage & archiving, and community engagement.  Paul has lectured and continues to teach at various schools and programs, such as Dikan School, Babson College, ICP, Nassau Community College, etc. He has curated exhibition extensive in Ghana.” Text and photo credit: paulninson.com

“Martina Bacigalupo – Italian photographer born in 1978, member of the VU’ Agency since 2010, she is based in Paris (France), after having lived 10 years in East Africa. After studying literature and philosophy in Italy, then photography at the London College of Communication, Martina Bacigalupo moved to Burundi in 2007. As a committed photographer, she works on human rights issues, particularly on the place of women in the Global South, collaborating with various international organizations (Médecins sans Frontières, Save The Children, Handicap International, Care International, the United Nations, Comité International de la Croix Rouge…) […] Photo director of the French magazine 6 MOIS since 2018, Martina Bacigalupo is part of the World Press Photo Jury in 2020. Regularly published in the international press, her work has been awarded prestigious prizes such as the Amilcare Ponchielli Grin Award in 2009, the Canon Woman Photojournalist Award in 2010 and the FNAC grant for creative work in 2011. Her series “Gulu Real Art Studio“, published by Steidl in 2013, was exhibited at the Walther Collection Project Space in New York in 2013, at Paris Photo, Unseen Fair and Rencontres d’Arles 2014 as well as at the Triennale di Milano in 2016, and integrates the Artur Walther Collection as well as the Donata Pizzi Italian Photography Collection.” Text and photo credit: agencevu.com

Christoph Bangert works as a photographer, author and educator. He studied photojournalism and documentary photography at the International Center of Photography in New York. On assignment for the New York Times, he documented the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2005 to 2013. He is the author of several books, including War Porn (Kehrer 2014), Rumors of War (Kehrer 2021) and The Fotobus Manual (Eigensinn 2022). Bangert is the founder of the Fotobus Society, one of the largest non-profit photography student projects worldwide. Currently, Bangert is a professor of photography at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Bangert serves on the executive board of the laif cooperative.

Fabiola Ferrero is a journalist and photographer born in Caracas in 1991. Her personal work is the result of how her childhood memories contrast with nowadays Venezuela, her home country. Looking to portray her country's crisis beyond the news, emotion is a key element in her storytelling. She wants to complement the question "What is happening?" with "How is this affecting our souls"? Using her background in writing and investigative journalism, she develops long term visual projects about South America, and especially Venezuela's crisis, focused on collaborative ways to speak about the human condition under hostile contexts. Interested in bringing opportunities to other newcomer photographers in the region, Fabiola founded Semillero Migrante in 2021, a mentorship program around migration that empowers Venezuelans and Colombians and promotes integration of both cultures. She was a jury member for the World Press Photo 2022 contest South American region and Magnum Foundation Fellow for the Social Justice Program in 2018.  She’s a frequent contributor of several international media outlets, such as Le Monde, Bloomberg and New York Times. Bio: fabiolaferrero.com Portrait credit: Stefano Pozzebon

Dudley M. Brooks is based in Washington D.C, US and the deputy director of photography for The Washington Post. He is also the photo editor for The Washington Post Magazine. Proceeding this, Brooks was the director of photography and senior photo editor for the monthly magazine Ebony and its weekly sister periodical Jet - both published by Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago. These iconic publications chronicled the African American experience for over seven decades.  In addition to his primary responsibilities at the Post, he is also a award winning photographer and  a co-founder of The Obsidian Project – an organization committed to promoting culturally diverse points-of-view within the visual industry.

Olfa Feki is an architect, curator and artistic director/founder of #Kerkennah visual art festival. She has contributed into the establishment of the new generation of photojournalists of the North African shores following the Arab spring. After founding the first visual art center in Tunisia, she decided to move out to extend her experience. From project manager of ‘Something Else Cairo biennale’, to regional representative of NOOR Images agency in Amsterdam. She also curated the second edition of the Biennale of Photographers of the Contemporary Arab World in Paris. She has been a curator for several biennales such as Dak’art 2014 and Bamako Encounters 2017. But also,  jury/nominator for various contests: La chambre Claire Morocco 2016/2018, Joop Swart Masterclass for the World Press Photo 2017-2020, Paul Huf Price for the Foam Museum 2017-2019, Cap Prize 2017-2018, Magnum foundation Grant 2017… In 2019 She was named ‘Chevalier des arts et des Lettres’ by the French Minister, as a reward for having contributed in the artistic field and her contribution to the dissemination of arts in France and in the world.

Claudia Hinterseer is senior video producer at the award-winning South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Before she worked as managing multimedia producer at China Daily Asia. Prior to pivoting from photography to video, she was photo editor at Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. In 2007, she founded NOOR photo agency and served as its MD for seven years. Earlier in her career she set up photojournalistic educational programs around the globe for World Press Photo. She obtained an MA in Visual Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam.

Sarker Protick is a Visual Artist from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is the recipient of Joop Swart Masterclass, Magnum Foun-dation Fund and the World Press Photo Award. His work has been shown in museums, galleries and festivals including Yokohama Triennale, Hamburg Triennale, Paris Photo, 4A Center of Contemporary Asian Art, RMIT Gallery, Singa-pore Art Week and more. Protick is represented by East Wing Gallery and is a faculty member at Pathshala-South Asian Media Institute and cocurator at Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography.

Joumana El Zein Khoury is the executive director of the World Press Photo Foundation. She has over 15 years of experience in international cultural exchange, developing programs and fostering new talent. She was previously the director of the Prince Claus Fund, an internationally renowned institution supporting culture under pressure, where she was crucial to strengthening fundraising capabilities. Joumana was the director of Lutfia Rabbani Foundation for Euro-Arab exchange, for which she now continues her involvement as a board member. She has also worked with organizations including the Arab Image Foundation and the Baalbeck Festival.