Arianna Arcara was born in Monza, Italy, in 1984. After studying photography, she co-founded Cesura, a photo collective that explores different approaches to documentary photography, and the connected publishing house Cesura Publish. Her artistic practice delves into the ever-changing meaning and shape of boundaries; natural, urban, or cultural. In several of her long-term projects, Arcara aims at walking along one of these boundaries through the creation of collaborative processes.

Arianna is constantly seeking and reflecting on new ways to engage and empower her subjects, and how her photography impacts the people and stories she follows. Her work has been exhibited at the Triennale/Milan, LeBal Space/Paris, MoCP/Chicago, Kulturhuset/Stockholm, Deichtorhallen/Hamburg, Nobel Peace Center/Oslo among others.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Ukraine Stories of Resistance

The main goal of the "Ukraine Stories of Resistance" project was to document and shed light on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict through a multi-faceted approach. This included photographic documentation of invaded and liberated areas in Ukraine, personal testimony collection from those affected by the invasion, and the creation of a comprehensive archive combining photographs with narratives. The project aimed to provide a human perspective on the conflict, fostering empathy and understanding.

The project's main activities included traveling to Ukraine to visually capture the impact of the conflict, engaging with Ukrainian civilians and photographing individuals with firsthand experiences. It also involved conducting interviews to gather 20 personal testimonies from those affected by the invasion and transcribing and combining testimonies with photographic records to create a documentation archive. The project was promoted through social channels and lectures within Italian universities, schools, and cultural associations. Arianna visited institutions in Bologna and Milan to discuss the project and reached about 100 people.

See more photos and tetimonies here

"Through the power of photography and personal testimonies, I aspire to raise awareness, foster empathy, and inspire meaningful dialogue among the wider public, particularly students...my goal is to contribute to a greater understanding of the human impact of conflicts and promote a sense of global responsibility and solidarity." - Arianna Arcara

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Arianna was a participant in the IVLP Project A Global Moment in Time - Photojournalists Document the Challenges and Opportunities in the COVID Era, organized by the U.S. Department of State and World Learning.

Her exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "This [program] inspired me to develop the 'Ukraine Stories of Resistance' project, aiming to document and share the experiences of those impacted by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. My IVLP journey reinforced my commitment to using photography as a tool for education and community engagement."

U.S. Communities Visited

Washington, DC; St. Petersburg, FL; Minneapolis, MN

"Through my IVLP experience, I was inspired by the power of storytelling and photography to create empathy and raise awareness. Engaging with international professionals and speakers, I realized the importance of capturing the stories of resilience in conflict-affected communities." - Arianna Arcara

Country: Italy

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