About me:

Raul Ariano is an Italian photographer based between Shanghai (China) and Bangkok (Thailand). His work moves between portraiture, documentary, and long-term personal projects.

Since 2014, he has explored marginalized communities in China, developing a long-term interest in LGBTQ+ narratives and forms of social invisibility. Following the first outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, he turned his attention toward the emotional and spatial conditions of isolation, resulting in the project The Spring Has Yet to Come. This work led to his selection for the Eddie Adams Workshop (XXXIII), where he received the National Geographic Award in 2020.

Born and raised in Milan, Ariano began his professional practice there before continuing his development in New York City. He later worked across Tokyo and Hong Kong before settling between Shanghai and Bangkok.

His work has been published internationally in TIME Magazine, The Financial Times, The Economist, The New York Times, The British Journal of Photography, Stern, Der Spiegel, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Le Monde,and Bloomberg, among others.

He has worked commercially with clients including Zeiss, Nestlé, DIOR, IKEA, FAO, IMF, Philips, Volvo, Golden Goose, McKinsey, and WeWork.

His work has been recognized with awards and shortlistings including The Fence, PDN Photo Annual, Sony World Photography Awards, Alfred Fried Photography Award, Felix Schoeller Photo Award, and Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award. His photographs have been exhibited and projected internationally in New York, London, Dresden, and Lodi.

He is an alumnus of the Eddie Adams Workshop XXXIII and the New York Portfolio Review.