Alessandro Cinque
Alessandro Cinque (b. 1988) is an Italian photojournalist based in Peru. His work examines the social and environmental consequences of extractive industries in South America, with a strong focus on Indigenous communities affected by mining.
Through his long-term project El Precio de la Tierra, he has documented how mining transforms landscapes, cultures, and daily life across the Andes. Cinque’s images highlight both the human cost and the resilience of communities living under constant pressure from environmental degradation.
Cinque approaches his subjects through sustained engagement, combining investigative depth with empathy. El Precio de la Tierra extends beyond photography into film and a fanzine distributed in Andean villages, ensuring local communities can access and share their own narratives. His blend of grassroots storytelling and international visibility gives his work both intimacy and impact.
He has received recognition from leading institutions, including World Press Photo, Sony World Photography Award, Prix Terre Solidaire, Prix Pictet, and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award. In 2022, he was named a National Geographic Explorer, and his photographs have appeared on the magazine’s cover. His projects have also been supported by the Pulitzer Center and the National Geographic Society.
Cinque’s photographs have been published in The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and Reuters. His exhibitions have travelled across Europe, the United States, and Latin America. His visual narratives illustrate polluted rivers, fragile agriculture, and cultural erosion, alongside the dignity and determination of Indigenous peoples. By documenting both crisis and resilience, his work reveals the profound tensions between economic policy, ecological damage, and cultural survival. El Precio de la Tierra stands as a vital record of human endurance in the face of environmental and political upheaval.
Alessandro is currently preparing a photo book of El Precio de la Tierra, designed by Santiago Escobar and edited by Sarah Leen, to be published by Raya in 2025. His dedication continues to merge investigative photography with powerful storytelling that seeks justice and respect for those most affected.