Mariella Furrer, Swiss/Lebanese, was born in Beirut and has lived in Africa her whole life. She attended the Documentary Photography & Photojournalism Program at the International Centre of Photography in NYC, and has since been working as a freelance photojournalist based between Kenya and South Africa. She has covered Africa extensively and has worked on stories in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.





She can communicate in several languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Swahili).





Mariella has been documenting child sexual abuse in South Africa for the past 8 years. This body of work includes photography, interviews, journals, and artwork among other things, and will be published in a book in 2012





GRANTS & AWARDS


2011 - Amnesty International Media Award , UK - Magazine-2011 - 7punt7 Award, Spain


2010- Anthropographia Award for Photography & Human Rights, Canada – Shortlisted.


2007 - Sante Fe Prize for Photography, USA – Nominated


2006 - UNICEF Photo of the Year, Germany – Honorable Mention


2005 - 3P (Photographers for Photography) Foundation, France – Grant


2003 - Hasselblad Foundation, Sweden – Grant


1993 - Eddie Adams Workshop- Eastman Kodak USA -Most Promising Young Photojournalist Award.





EXHIBITIONS & SLIDE SHOWS


2011 - Siemens - COP 17, Durban, South Africa


2010 - Anthropographia Award for Photography & Human Rights, Canada – travelling exhibition


2006 - Visa Pour L’Image - Perpignan France - Projection of Child Sexual Abuse project


2001 - Day in the Life of Africa (Group Show-travelling exhibition)


2001 - “The Condition of Women in Africa”, Museo Popoli e Culture del Pime, Milan, Italy


1994 - Visa pour L’Image, Perpignan, France - Group Projection of work on Rwandan Genocide





Mariella has been published in various books around the world and her work on the Rwandan Genocide is on permanent display at the Memoria y Tolerancia Museum in Mexico City.





Mariella has worked for these organisations amongst others:


UNICEF


Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation


UNHCR


MSF (Doctors Without Borders)


Cluster Bomb Munitions (CMC)


UNAIDS





She has been published by these newpapers & Magazines among others:


Sunday Times Magazine of London


Time Magazine


Newsweek


Life Magazine


New York Times


Chicago Tribune


Outside Magazine


Talk Magazine


Paris Match


Sports Illustrated


Vogue


Der Spiegel


Marie Claire





She has done commercial work for:


Hewlett Packard - USA


Siemens - Germany

Nestle - Switzlerland


Sandoz - Germany


Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation





And has worked with:


Ogilvy & Mather, NYC


72 & Sunny, LA


Brand(X) Communications, London


Esterson Associates, London