Artist Statement
For many years, Gwenn Dubourthoumieu employed his bachelor’s in Business Administration and a master’s in Humanitarian Affairs in work for NGOs, at home in France and then in Somalia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. After two years living in Congo, Gwen decided to begin using his camera to document the issues he’d observed as an aid worker, and he now works full time as a freelance photographer. He has been awarded several photographic prizes, including the Getty Images Grant for Good in 2011.

 

 

Gwenn Dubourthoumieu (b. France, 1978) became interesting in photography while working in Africa for NGOs. He worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2007 and established himself in Kinshasa as a professional photographer from April 2010 to February 2012, working, among others, for the French Press Agency. He recently moved to Paris and joined Myop agency. Since 2010, his work has been regularly awarded. This year, he was awarded the 2nd place at the NPPA Best of Photojournalism Awards in the category «The Art of Entertainment», his work “Turkana warriors” has been short listed at the Sony World Photography Awards among the ten best series in the category “Fine Art – Portraiture” and his feature about “the child-witches of Kinshasa” has been awarded the jury’s special prize at the 8th Days Japan International Photojournalism Festival. In 2011, the same work was awarded the jury’s special mention at the Roger Pic Prize and the investigation prize at the European Journalism Festival, and Gwenn received the Getty Images Grant for Good for his work “Raped Lives” about sexual violence in the DRC. In 2010, he was already short listed among the exceptional finalists of the same grant, and was awarded the jury special prize at the International Scoop and Journalism festival of Angers for he work “Etat d’Armes”.

 

Cross-Reference