Spanish photographer based in Lebanon, a regular contributor to The New York Times since 2012, specializing in long-term projects.
Internationally awarded and author of the photobook The Phoenician Collapse, Diego Ibarra Sánchez defines himself as a painter of light in times of violence. His photography seeks to transcend pain, transforming into a form of magical realism that sparks curiosity and critical thinking. His work avoids stereotypical answers and instead poses new questions about the contemporary world.
He began working with The New York Times in Pakistan in 2012, a country where he lived for five years. He also collaborates with El País Semanal, UNICEF, UNHCR, and has been a cameraman for France 24 Latino for the past eight years. He is part of Canon Spain’s PRO MASTER program, an ambassador for ThinkTank Photo, and a lecturer in visual storytelling at universities and mentorship programs.
He has covered major events such as the death of Bin Laden, the situation of mentally ill patients in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the floods in Pakistan, attacks on education in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Colombia, Pakistan, and Nagorno-Karabakh, the fall of the Caliphate in Mosul, the Yazidi genocide, the escape of Islamic State prisoners in Syria, the war in Ukraine, the earthquakes in Turkey and Nepal, the conflict in Lebanon, the reform of the prison system in Gambia, and the war against polio in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, and Lebanon.
For over 12 years, Diego Ibarra Sánchez has been documenting the impact of war on education through his project Hijacked Education, developed in a dozen conflict-affected countries. In recent years, he has focused on raising awareness about the need to protect education in war zones through lectures and talks at national and international institutions such as Canon Spain, Fundación Ibercaja, Fundación Telefónica, the United Nations, Escuela Mistos, Escuela EFTI, and others.