vision & mission

Even if most of us get overwhelmed by the intensity of the visual exposure in our daily lives, the power of photography has not faded. On the contrary, it can be leveraged to reveal the raw reality, raise awareness and activate reflection for the common good and the improvement of humanity.

My work as a photographer, a singer and an artist, aims to relentlessly create a positive impact through emotional, straightforward & honest storytelling. My mission is to trigger lasting social change.

biography

Ana María Arévalo Gosen, born in 1988 in Caracas, Venezuela, is a visual storyteller whose journey has traversed multiple continents. In 2009, she relocated to Toulouse, France, to pursue studies in Political Science at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques. Here, she discovered her fervent passion for photography at ETPA, Ecole de Photographie. Her quest for knowledge and artistic expression led her to Hamburg, Germany, in 2014, where she embraced the life of a freelance visual storyteller.

Now based in Madrid, Arévalo Gosen frequently travels to Latin America to work on her projects. She has dedicated her craft to visual storytelling that champions women’s rights, social justice, and environmental issues. As a National Geographic Explorer and a member of Ayün Fotógrafas, she intertwines thorough research with deeply personal narratives, striving to enact societal change through emotional, candid, and authentic visual narratives. Arévalo Gosen is a visual artist and an educator, serving as a lecturer at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and founding the Ojo Pelao workshops, which provide free education to budding documentary photographers in Venezuela.

Arévalo Gosen’s profound impact on photojournalism is evident in her long-term project “Eternal Days,” which examines women’s harsh realities in prisons and pretrial detention across Latin America, including Venezuela, Guatemala, and El Salvador. This significant work has garnered prestigious accolades, such as the Leica Oskar Barnack Prize and the Camille Lepage Prize in 2021. In 2023, it was a finalist for the Human Rights Foto Festival in Barcelona. Her commitment and skill were further recognized with the LHSA scholarship, the LUMIX Photo Award, the Lucas Dolega Award in 2020, and the POY Latam award in 2019, where she secured first place in “The Strength of Women” category. Her continuous exploration of critical issues has been supported by grants from The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and Women Photograph.

In 2021, Ana received the World Peace Photo Award for her insightful work with National Geographic, and in 2023, she was honored with the Marylin Stafford PhotoReportage Award for her poignant series “Abuelas con 30,” which delves into the experiences of teenage parents in Venezuela.

Arévalo Gosen’s compelling visual narratives have caught the attention of international media powerhouses like The New York Times, National Geographic, and El País Semanal. Her photography has captivated audiences worldwide with exhibitions at esteemed venues such as Fotografiska New York, GBG Arts Caracas, Capitis Gallery Hamburg, the Ernst-Leitz Museum, Photoville New York, the Helsinki Photo Festival, Manifesto Festival Toulouse, LUMIX Festival Berlin, and the Leica Gallery in cities including Madrid, Miami, Taipei, and London.

integrity

I make sure my work is conducted with respect towards the protagonists of the stories and honesty about what I am documenting.

authenticity

The images I give life to express my own personal language, signature and unique creativity.

COMMITMENT TO research

Before going to the field, I spend time doing research on the project, understanding the context of the story and preparing a shot-list.

reflection

My work focuses on increasing awareness. Its intention is to make the audience reflect, think and ultimately empathize with my protagonists.