Lebanon sails adrift in history at the shores of the Mediterranean sea - The Marenostrum- facing the twilight of the ancient empire of Phoenicia, a rich civilization that originated in the Levant region, primarily modern Lebanon.
The explosion in Beirut in August 2020, is just the tip of the iceberg. The country was already experiencing a deep economic and financial crisis that prompted a wave of protests in October 2019 against political deadlock, systemic corruption, and the continued interference of foreign powers.
The project aims to shed light on the Lebanese broken social mosaic
Diego Ibarra Sánchez is a documentary photographer, based in Lebanon.
Diego assumes a very critical stance regarding the use of images in our own society, defining this historical moment as «lobotomized era of “tourism” on the other’s pain»: in his work he endeavors to ensure that photography is no longer merely a window allowing a view on what happens in the world, but becomes a means to raise questions and generate reflections.
Diego is very self-motivated, working on his own body of works while publishing many of his stories in numerous newspapers and magazines, such as The New York Times
Awards He has been award with an Award of Excellence by Pictures of the Year International 2021 for “THAWRA: Lebanese Revolution” in the "Impact 2020: Protests and Movements" category. The NEW YORK TIMES best pictures of 2020, Getty Images Grant 2020, the 2nd place Photographer of the year POY Latam 2019, best pictures of 2018 by the New York Times, two honorable mentions at the Photographers Association ( NPPA ) for "Dispatches from Mosul" ( International News Picture Story National Press) and "Hijacked Education" (Contemporary Issues Story) on 2017, Aragón Journalism Association Award on 2017, Third place at FINI´s Mexican University Photo Award on 2016, First place at International Photographic Awards (IPA non-pro) on 2012, best of 2012 by TIME, second place at Humanitarian award of AECID “Juan Bartolomé” on 2011, and the Spanish Human Right Award with MeMo coop… His work has been exhibited all around the world and his works have been highlighted during the screening nights of Visa pour L´image several times… among other mentions.
