Laura Boushnak
Laura Boushnak is a Kuwaiti-born Palestinian photographer, whose work focuses on women, literacy and education reform in the Arab world.
Boushnak’s documentary project “I Read I Write” explores the role of literacy in improving the lives of Arab women, and the barriers they face to accessing education.
After completing a BA in sociology at the Lebanese University, Boushnak began her photography career covering news for the Associated Press in Lebanon.
She later worked as a photo editor and photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP) at its Middle East hub in Cyprus and its headquarters in Paris.
Her nine-year wire service experience included covering hard news in conflicts such as the war in Iraq and the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Her photographs have been published in the New York Times, The Guardian, The National Geographic, Le Monde and many more.
Since 2008 Laura has been working as an independent photographer, devoting more time to her long-term projects. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
Boushnak was recently awarded the first Getty Images/ lean-in editorial grant. She is a 2014 TED Global Fellow.
In 2013 she was the overall winner of the Terry O’neil Photography award in the UK, and received an honorable mention in the UNICEF photo award.
Her work I Read I Write: Egypt- Illiteracy series was acquired by the British Museum in 2012, and in private collections.
Boushnak co-founded RAWIYA collective, the first all female photo collective in the Middle East.