Alessio Mamo

Mamo was born in on the Italian Island of Sicily. He initially studied in university, but choose instead to travel and pursue a career in photojournalism. In 2007, he earned a degree in photography from the European Institute of Design in Rome.[1]

Mamo works as a freelance photographer in collaboration with Redux Pictures, covering economic, political, and social issues, most notably the European migrant crisis and the Iraqi Civil War. His 2017 image of a convalescing Iraqi boy won the 2nd place prize for the World Press Photo of the Year 2018's People category.[2][1]

In July 2018 a series of photos Mamo produced in 2011[3] titled Dreaming Food generated controversy. The photographs, which depicted poor Indian farmers covering their eyes behind a table laden with fake food, were decried by social media as being insensitive, with the outcry in turn generating extensive media coverage.[4][5][6][7] After all the criticism Mamo apologized, saying that it was not his intention to discredit the people he featured in the photoshoot.[8]

During the 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic, Mamo documented and photographed his isolation in Catania, Sicily. His photo-essay was published in The Guardian and some of his pictures were widely circulated.[9][10]