Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni are a photographic duo working together since 2013. They specialize in documentary and personal photography, focusing on the evolving relationship between people and their cultural, socio-political and natural environments, with recurring themes of transformation and identity.
Combining a documentary approach with a distinct personal visual language, they produce multi-layered narratives that invite emotional and instinctive engagement. Their immersive working method often involves living and working within the communities they photograph, fostering deep connections and authentic storytelling. They also integrate video, audio and interviews into their practice, creating multimedia narratives that complement and expand their photographic work.
Their work has received international recognition, including the Sony World Photography Award, the Earth Photo Award, the ISPA Award for Best Photo Story, the PHmuseum Of Humanity Grant, and has been exhibited at leading festivals and institutions such as the Biennale Für Aktuelle Fotografie, the International Month of Photojournalism, Planches Contact in Deauville, Phest and Fotografia Europea.
LINKS TO SELECTED INTERVIEWS AND REVIEWS
• British Journal Of Photography (for "Fastidiosa")
• Nearest Truth (for "Fastidiosa")
• Le Photographe Minimaliste (for the creative process)
• Dodho (for "En Présence De L'Absence")
• British Journal Of Photography (for “Güle Güle”)
• Il Manifesto (for En présence de l'absence)
> Exhibitions
2025
FRANCHEMENT - MACU Maison de la culture d'Amiens | France
FRANCHEMENT - Rovinj Photodays - Rovinj | Croatia
TROPICALIA - OKO Photo Festival Bohinj | Slovenia
LE CŒUR CACHÉ - La Citadelle + Centre de la photographie de Mougins - Villefranche-sur-Mer | France
TROPICALIA - Fotohaus Bordeaux - Bordeaux | France
FRANCHEMENT - Somerset House - WPO - London | UK
TROPICALIA - Environmental photography festival “Horizonte Zingst” - Zingst | Germany
FASTIDIOSA - Officine Fotografiche - Rome | Italy
2024
TROPICALIA - Yeast Photo Festival- Matino | Italy
NO WOMAN NO CRY - Kranj Foto Fest | Slovenia
TROPICALIA - Royal Geographical Society | UK
2023
CATHÉDRALE - La Chambre Gallery - Strasbourg | France
RHOME - Phest International festival of art and photography - Monopoli | Italy
'NZÌM - Phest International festival of art and photography - Monopli | Italy
FASTIDIOSA - Environmental photography festival "Horizonte Zingst" - Zingst | Germany
UMANA NATURA - Revela’t Festival - Barcelona | Spain
FASTIDIOSA - "Fotodoks" festival for contemporary documentary photography - Munich | Germany
GÜLE GÜLE - Fotografia Europea - Reggio Emilia | Italy
THE FIGHTERS OF MAIDAN - Ultra//Clash photography festival - Prato | Italy
THE SOUND OF DUNES - Spazio Musa Gallery - Turin | Italy
2022
FASTIDIOSA - Yeast Photo Festival - Matino | Italy
WAR DREAMS - Istituto Polacco di Roma & Interzone Gallery - Rome | Italy
LA SAPIENZA FOTOGRAFATA - MLAC Museo Laboratorio Arte Contemporane La Sapienza - Rome | Italy
THE SOUND OF DUNES - Spazio Musa - Torino | Italy
PRÉSENCE/ABSENCE - Interzone Gallery - Rome | Italy
2021
GÜLE GÜLE - La Chambre Gallery - Strasbourg | France
EN PRÉSENCE DE L’ABSENCE - Festival Planches Contact - Deauville | France
RHOME - Vizualizator Festival - Begrade | Serbia
THIS LAND IS MY LAND (Fastidiosa) - Festival della Fotografia Etica - Lodi | Italy
THIS LAND IS MY LAND (Fastidiosa) - Sì FEST - Savignano sul Rubicone | Italy
QUARANTEEN - Photo Brussels Festival - Hangar Photo Art Center - Brussels | Belgium
THIS LAND IS MY LAND (Fastidiosa) - IMP Festival - International Month Of Photojournalism - Padua | Italy
ISLAM RAMADAN - PEP Gallery - Berlin | Germany
UMANA NATURA - Il Forno Gallery - Città della Pieve | Italy
2020
GÜLE GÜLE - Biennale Für Aktuelle Fotografie - Mannheim | Germany
GÜLE GÜLE - Photographic Museum of Humanity Lab - Bologna | Italy
GÜLE GÜLE - Bird In Flight Prize - Kyiv | Ukraine
RHOME - Unsocial Studio Gallery - Modena | Italy
2019
GÜLE GÜLE - Sony WPO winner’s exhibition - Villa Reale di Monza | Italy
THE BURNING PLAIN - L’Artiere bookshop - Arles | France
RHOME - Offcine Fotografiche - Rome | Italy
GÜLE GÜLE - Sony World Photography Award Exhibition 2019 - Somerset House - London | UK
PASSAGGI | TRANSIZIONI | MICROCOSMI - f.project gallery - Bari | Italy
2018
RHOME - Voies Off screening nights - Arles | France
RHOME - Istanbul Photobook Awards (book dummy exhibition) - Istanbul | Turkey
LET ME IN - Fotofestival Lenzburg, "Im Wandel" - Lenzburg | Switzerland
2017
THIS LAND IS MY LAND - Phest Festa Internazionale della Fotografia - Monopoli | Italy
GALEAZZO - Nardini, Caimi & Piccinni - Interzone Gallery - Rome | Italy
THIS LAND IS MY LAND - Locus Festival - Locorotondo | Italy
LET ME IN - Kunsthalle-Emden - Emden | Germany
THIS LAND IS MY LAND - "New Visions" Cortona On The Move - Cortona | Italy
2016
LET ME IN - FOTOLEGGENDO Festival - Rome | Italy
TIME AND TENSE - Slideluck Rome III - Officine Fotografiche - Rome | Italy
FORCELLA - FOTOGRAFIA Festival - Galleria 001 - Rome | Italy
LET ME IN - Amnesty International - Scuola Barsanti - Pietrasanta | Italy
2015
WAR DREAMS - Delhi Photo Festival - New Delhi | India
FORCELLA - Leboudoir2.0 - Voies Off - Arles | France
FORCELLA - Cascina Farsetti - Rome | Italy
FORCELLA - Slideluck Bologna - Spazio Labò - Bologna | Italy
DAILY BREAD - Galleria Interzone - Rome | Italy
2014
DAILY BREAD - Reminders Photography Stronghold - Tokyo | Japan
THE WARRIORS OF MAIDAN - Galleri Vasli Souza - Malmo | Sweden
DAILY BREAD - Galleri Vasli Souza - Malmo | Sweden
THE FIGHTERS OF MAIDAN - Lumix Festival of Young Photojournalism - Hannover | Germany
DAILY BREAD/HUNGRY STILL - Format Gallery - Derby | UK
DAILY BREAD - Festival Encontros da Imagem - Braga | Portugal
2013
LIBYA AT THE CROSSROAD - Delhi Photo Festival - New Delhi | India
TRIPOLI CAFE’ - Photo Annual Award Final Wall Gallery Exhibition - Prague | Czech Republic
2012
GREEK CRISIS - Photo Annual Award Final Wall Gallery Exhibition - Prague | Czech Republic
2011
EXODUS: DISPLACED PEOPLE OF SOMALIA - Tavistock Clinic Gallery - London | UK
2010
EXODUS: DISPLACED PEOPLE OF SOMALIA - Cascina Farsetti - Rome | Italy
2009
URBAN TILES - Galerie Athéna - Paris | France
2008
TRACK 1 - Biennale di Video e Fotografia - Alessandria | Italy
about us
They have published several books, including Fastidiosa, documenting the plant epidemic threatening southern Europe, and a trilogy on cities in transition. Their book Güle Güle, about Istanbul, was a finalist for the Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award in Arles and shortlisted for both the Prix du Livre d’Auteur d’Arles and the Prix Nadar.
Among their long-term projects, they have been documenting Ukraine since 2013, focusing on the human stories behind the country’s evolving political landscape. Recent work includes Tropicalia, on how Sicilian agriculture is adapting to climate change, and A Rare Earth, a continuing study of the renewed presence of mining in rural European territories in the context of the green transition.
Their photographs are regularly featured in global media including Die Zeit, National Geographic, Le Monde, GEO, Wired and Internazionale. They also lead international mentoring programs, supporting emerging and established artists in developing new approaches to documentary photography.
> Awards
2025
Sony World Photography Awards - Finalist Portrait Category - “Franchement”
Rovinj Photo Award - Winner Portrait Category - “Franchement”
2024
Earth Photo Award - Winners - "Tropicalia"
Sony World Photography Awards - Second place for Environment - "Tropicalia"
Kolga Tbilisi Award - Finalist for single image and story - "Backstage of A Revolution" - "War Dreams"
Kranj Foto Fest - Open call finalists "No Woman No Cry"
2023
MUTANT Grant - Winners - “Rhome”
Revela’t Festival - Winners - “Umana Natura”
ISPA Italian Sustainability Photo Award - Photo Story Finalists - "Operation Sarno"
2022
Prix 6Mois du photojournalisme - Finalists - “Ukraine 2013-2023”
Premio Ponchielli - Finalist - “No Woman No Cry”
PHMuseum Of Humanity - Finalist - “No Woman No Cry”
2021
ISPA Italian Sustainability Photo Award - Photo Story Winners - “This Land Is My Land”
RESET - Sistema Festival - Winner - “This Land Is My Land”
Festival Planches Contact - Recipient of the residency Planches Contact/Photo4Food
Prix Maison Blanche - Selected Artist for the Projection Night - “Umana Natura”
2020
PHMuseum Of Humanity - Winner “Solo Exhibition” Category - “Güle Güle”
Hangar Photo Art Center - PhotoBrussels - Winners Call for European photographers - “Quaranteen”
Prix 6Mois du photojournalisme - Finalists - “Girls who repair cars”
Bird In Flight - Finalist - “Güle Güle”
Arles Author Book Award - Finalist - “Güle Güle. André Frère Éditions”
Prix Nadar - Finalist - “Güle Güle. André Frère Éditions”
2019
Sony World Photography Award - 1st Place Discovery Category - “Güle Güle”
Kassel Dummy Award - Special Mention - “Güle Güle”
LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award, Arles - Shortlisted - “Güle Güle”
PHotoESPANA Best Photobook of the Year - Shortlisted - “Rhome”
Premio Marco Bastianelli, Special Mention - Güle Güle”
Zine Tonic Photobook Award - Winners - “The Burning Plain”
2018
Alfred Fried Photography Award - Finalists - "The Sound Of Refugees"
Warsaw Photo Days - Finalists, "Güle Güle"
Istanbul Photobook Festival - Winners, "Rhome"
Voies Off - Official selection - "Rhome"
Lenzburg Fotofestival - Winners - "Let Me In"
2017
Gomma Grant - Best Black & White Documentary Story - Winner - "This Land Is My Land"
2015
Delhi Photo Festival - Finalist - "War Dreams"
HM BOP Best of Photojournalism - Portraits Category - "The Fighters of Maidan"
HM BOP Best of Photojournalism - Magazine Lifestyle Story - "Týždeň Magazine/Fighters of Maidan"
Oskar Barnak Award - shortlisted - "Forcella"
Cortona on the move/Slideluck - Finalist - "Maidan: Backstage of a Revolution"
Athens Photo Festival - Photobook Exhibition - "Forcella"
2014
LUMIX FESTIVAL OF YOUNG PHOTOJOURNALISM - Finalist - "The Fighters of Maidan"
LEICA PHOTOGRAPHERS AWARD - 2° Place - "Holy Days"
WPO Sony World Photography Awards - Shortlisted - "The Purgatory"
2013
Delhi Photo Festival - Finalist - "Libya at the crossroad"
Photo Annual Award - Finalist - "Tripoli Café"
2012
Photo Annual Award - Finalist - "Greek Crisis"
2008
Biennale di Video e Fotografia di Alessandria - 1° place
> Books
Fastidiosa | Overlapse
En présence de l’absence | Éditions Bessard
Rhome - Catalogue | Unsocial Studio Editions
Güle Güle | André Frère Éditions
The Burning Plain | ZineTonic/L’Artiere editions
Rhome | MAS/Fuam publishing
Forcella | Witty Kiwi Books
Daily Bread | T&G Publishing
Same Tense | Witty Kiwi Books
Mono Vol. 2 | Gomma Books
Raw: the making of Daily Bread | Interzone Editions
Hungry Still | Akina Books
> Artist Residencies
2025 — Côte d'Azur region → Photography Center of Mougins, France - Project: Le Cœur caché
2024 — City of Amiens → Diaphane, photographic center in Hauts-de-France - Project: Franchement
2023 — City of Strasbourg → La Chambre, exhibition space for imaging - Project: Cathédrale
2023 — Monopoli and the Apulian territory (It) → Phest photo festival - Project: ‘Nzim
2022 — Umbria and its territory → Il Forno, gallery and cultural space, Italy - Project: Umana Natura
2021 — Normandy → Festival Planches Contact, Deauville, (Fr) - Project: En présence de l'absence