Mathias Depardon grew up in France, Belgium, and the U.S. After studying communication and journalism in Brussels, Mathias briefly joined the Belgian national newspaper Le Soir before devoting himself to reportage and feature work. His immersive process, and slower approach to journalism contribute to the production of comprehensive bodies of work that reveal and frame important social, economic, political, and environmental issues in volatile regions, such as those in Turkey and Iraq, where he questions the idea of identity and territory.

In Tales from the Land in Between he focuses on the impoverishment of the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, highlighting the emergence of a "water war" in a region already marred by violence and political unrest. For the past couple of years, Depardon has been working on a new project called Moving Sand, where he reports on the use of sand and the environmental and social consequences of its extraction. He has traveled throughout various regions of the world to produce six feature stories on sand in collaboration with and funded by the French news outlet Le Monde.

He was exhibited at the 49th edition of the Rencontres d'Arles as part of the “A Pillar of Smoke” exhibition, a look at Turkey’s contemporary photography scene. In 2019 he was among the photographers chosen for the “Regards du Grand Paris,” a French national grant sponsored by the Ateliers Médicis and the CNAP (National Center of Applied Arts). In 2020, Mathias Depardon won the Yves Rocher Foundation Photo Prize for his project on the rivers of Mesopotamia.In 2022, he was selected to be part of the Grande Commande for photojournalism granted by La Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF). His photographs have been exhibited at several institutions, such as the BNF, the Musée Carnavalet, the Musée des Archives Nationale in Paris, and, more recently, at the Filature de Mulhouse for his TransAnatolia exhibition. Éditions André Frère published TransAnatolia in 2020. 

His work is published and regularly commissioned by leading international periodicals, including National Geographic, Le Monde Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine, Elle Magazine, Monocle among others. He is a member of the National Geographic Photo Society.


Solo/Group Exhibitions


2023 - Zoom Photo Festival Saguenay. Moving Sand.  Chicoutimi, Canada

2023 - Hangar Photo Art Center. Floating Islands. Moving Sand. Brussels, Belgium

2022 - Musée Carnavalet. Les Regards du Grand Paris. TRANS URBANIA. Paris, France

2022 - PhotoDoc. 6Mois. Tales From the Land in Between. Paris, France

2022 - Festival La Gacilly - Baden PhotoLes larmes du Tigre. Baden, Autriche. 

2022 - Les Magasins Généraux. Les Regards du Grand Paris / TRANS URBANIA. Paris, France

2022 - La Friche Belle de Mai. Fraeme Project. Cabane Georgina. Sous la Rose. Marseille, France

2022 - L’Alliance Française de Malaga. Avenir 2050. Tales From the Land in Between. Malaga, Es     

2021 - La Filature. TRANS ANATOLIA. Mulhouse, France 

2021 - Galerie Sit Down. TRANS ANATOLIA. Paris, France

2021 - Festival Ôrizons. TRANS ANATOLIA.  Périgueux, France

2021 - La Gacilly. Les larmes du Tigre. La Gacilly, France

2020 - Planches Contact. Being yourself is the best Revolution. Deauville, France

2019 - Paris Photo. TRANS ANATOLIA. Gallery The PILL. Paris, France

2019 - Photaumnales. Tales from the Land in Between. Groupshow. Beauvais, France

2019- ImageSingulières. Tales From the Land in Between. Solo Exhibition. Sète, France

2018- Jimei X Arles International Photo Festival. Une Colonne de Fumée. Group show. Xiamen, China

2018 - Thessaloniki Photo Biennale. Iron Earth, Copper Sky. Group Show. Thessaloniki, Greece

2018 - Les Rencontres d'Arles. Une Colonne de Fumée. Group show. Arles, France

2017 - Musée des Archives nationales. TRANS ANATOLIA. Solo Exhibition. Paris, France

2017 - Rule-Breakers The Exhibition. GoldRivers. Group Show. London, England

2017 - Les Rencontres d’Arles. Projection of Gold Rivers. Arles, France

2017 - Just Another Photo Festival. The WildWest. Varanasi, India

2017 - Tbilisi Photo Festival. Gold Rivers. Tbilisi, Georgia

2016 - Tianshui Photography Biennale. Postcards of The Black Sea. Tianshui, China

2015 - Foto Istanbul Festival. Postcards of The Black Sea. Istanbul, Turkey

2015 - Institut Français d’Istanbul. Postcards of The Black Sea. Istanbul, Turkey

2014 - Transcontinent/Obscura Photo Festival. Postcards of The Black Sea. Penang, Malaysia

2013 - Mahal Cultural Center. Beyond The Borders. Cannakale, Turkey

2013 - Institut Français d’Istanbul. Beyond The Borders. Istanbul, Turkey

2012 - Hannover Young Photojournalism Lumix Festival. Beyond The Borders. Hannover, Germany

2012 - Dust and Scratches Gallery. Beyond The Borders. Moscow, Russia

2011 - Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Bourse du Talent. BeyondThe Borders. Paris, France

2011 - Press Scoop Grand Lille. UnPrintemps Arabe. Group Show. Lille, France

2011 - Instituto Cervantes. Revolutiones with CensuraLab and MJR. Group Show. New York, USA


Awards/Grants

2022 - Prix Pictet. 'Human'.Moving Sand. Nomination. London, UK

2022 - La Bibliothèque nationale de France. Radioscopie de la France. Paris, France

2022 - Fondation François Schneider. Talents Contemporains. Finalist. Strasbourg, France

2021 - Prix Pictet. 'Fire'.Tales from the land of fire. Nomination. London, UK

2020 - Yves Rocher Foundation Grant. Winner. Visa / Perpignan, France

2019 - Atelier MEDICIS / CNAP. Les Regards du Grand Paris. Laureate. Paris, France

2018 - Grand Prix de la Photographie Documentaire. Images Singulières/Mediapart. Finalist. Sète, France

2018 - CNAP. Soutien à la Photographie Documentaire et Contemporaine. Nominee. Paris, France

2016 - Gd4Photoart Award by MAST Foundation. Shotlisted nominee. Bologna, Italy

2011 - International Photography Awards. Honorable Mention. Editorial Reportage. Los Angeles, USA

2011 - Bourse du Talent/Reportage. Winner. Paris, France


Agencies


2017/2020 - Institute of Artist. Los Angeles/London (Contract ended) 

2012/2016 - Getty Images. New York, USA 

2011/2012 - Getty Reportage/Emerging Talent. New York/London 


Residencies


2020 -Planches Contact / Les Franciscaines. Deauville, France

2016 - Docking Station. Amsterdam, Holland

2016 - Tianshui Photography Biennale. Tianshui, China

2011 - Eddie Adams Workshop XXIV. New York, USA




Using Format