Paolo Woods

Paolo Woods was born in the Netherlands to a Canadian father and a Dutch mother. He grew up in Italy and has lived in London, Paris and Haiti. He now lives in Florence.

He is committed to long-term projects in which photography serves as a tool for investigating the contemporary world.

Each project generates an exhibition, a book and a series of publications for the international press.

In 2003, together with journalist Serge Michel, he published UN MONDE DE BRUTE (A Crude World), an investigation into the world of oil for which he travelled to twelve countries, including Angola, Russia, Kazakhstan, Texas and Iraq.

In 2004 he published the book AMERICAN CHAOS, a detailed report on the Western debacle in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both books were published in France and Italy, and as portfolios in magazines in more than ten countries.

In 2007/2008 he documented China's conquest of Africa. The book CHINAFRICA, again co-authored with Serge Michel, was published in France and translated into eleven languages, including English, Spanish and Chinese. The work has been described as the most in-depth investigation of the phenomenon and as an exemplary encounter between research and documentary photography. The book was a considerable commercial success, selling more than 40,000 copies in France alone.

In 2010 he completed the project WALK ON MY EYES, an intimate portrait of Iranian society. The book was published in French, German, Spanish and Persian. The exhibition, which opened at the Rencontres d'Arles festival in France, subsequently travelled from New York to Berlin.

In 2011 Paolo Woods moved to Haiti. In 2013 he published the books STATE and PEPE, both co-authored with writer Arnaud Robert. The accompanying exhibition was produced by the Musée de l'Elysée and became the most-visited exhibition in the museum's history. Together with photographer Gabriele Galimberti, he spent three years working on THE HEAVENS, the first photographic investigation into the workings of tax havens. The exhibition premiered at the Rencontres d'Arles festival in France and has since toured worldwide. The book was selected as one of the best books of 2015.

His projects are regularly published by international outlets such as National Geographic, Time and Le Monde. He has held solo exhibitions in France, the United States, Italy, Switzerland, China, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and Haiti, as well as numerous group shows around the world. His images are held in private and public collections, including the Musée de l'Elysée, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the FNAC, the Sheikh Saud Al-Thani collection, and the Servais collection.

He has received various awards, including two World Press Photo awards. He is co-founder of RIVERBOOM, a collective and publishing house exploring the boundaries of photographic language.

He is currently working on his first documentary film, HAPPY PILLS, co-directed with Arnaud Robert.

Publications

Paolo Woods, Gabriele Galimberti, "The Heavens", Delpire/Dewi Lewis, Paris-London 2015

Paolo Woods, Arnaud Robert, "PEPE", Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne 2013

Paolo Woods, Arnaud Robert, "STATE", Photosynthèses, Arles 2013

Paolo Woods, Serge Michel, Marche sur mes yeux, Grasset, Paris 2010

Paolo Woods, Serge Michel, La Chinafrique, Grasset, Paris 2008

Paolo Woods, Serge Michel, American chaos, Le Seuil, Paris 2004

Paolo Woods, Serge Michel, Un monde de brut, Le Seuil, Paris 2003