Ana María Arévalo Gosen, born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1988, is a distinguished visual storyteller focusing on women’s rights, social justice, and environmental issues. She intertwines thorough research with deeply personal narratives, striving to enact societal change through emotional, candid, and authentic visual narratives. Her career began in Toulouse, France, where she first discovered her passion for photography. Later, her journey took her to Hamburg, Germany, where she embraced a life dedicated to freelance visual storytelling. she works mainly in Latin America, where she engages deeply with her protagonists, capturing the essence of their struggles and triumphs.
Arévalo Gosen is not only a celebrated photojournalist but also an educator and a leader in her field. As a National Geographic Explorer and a member of Ayün Fotógrafas, she has contributed significantly to the discourse on critical social issues through her workshops and lectures. She founded the Ojo Pelao workshops in Venezuela, offering free education to emerging documentary photographers, thereby nurturing the next generation of visual storytellers.
Poli-Valencia, Venezuela. – March 2018. Women rest on the mattresses in their cell in the detention center.
She has made a mark in photojournalism with her pivotal long-term project “Días Eternos,” which documents the severe conditions women face in prisons and pretrial detention facilities across Latin America, including Venezuela, Guatemala, and El Salvador. This profound work has drawn attention and earned her several prestigious awards. In 2021, she won the Leica Oskar Barnack and Camille Lepage prizes, marking her as a significant voice in contemporary photography. In 2024, she was the runner-up for the Alexia Vision Grant, and in 2023, she was a finalist at the Human Rights Foto Festival in Barcelona.
Ana María Arévalo Gosen’s impact extends beyond her accolades. In 2023, she won the Marilyn Stafford PhotoReportage Award for “Abuelas con 30,” a series that sheds light on teenage parents in Venezuela—an unintended consequence of the migration wave of parents that leave their children behind without family structure, education and love. Her ability to connect personal stories with broader social contexts brings a unique depth to her photographs,
Franyelin Daniel Huerta, 18, breastfeeds her daughter at home on February 28, 2020.
Her exhibitions have been featured at prominent locations such as Fotografiska New York, Ernst-Leitz Museum, and Photoville New York, GBG Arts Gallery in Caracas. Additionally, her work has captivated audiences at international events like Open Your Eyes Fotofestival in Zurich, FRAC Biennale, the Helsinki Photo Festival, Manifesto Festival in Toulouse, and the LUMIX Festival in Berlin. Her exhibitions have also graced the Leica Gallery in multiple cities including Salzburg, Madrid, Miami, Taipei, and London, further solidifying her status as a significant figure in contemporary photography.