Visa pour l'Image - Interview with Alexandra Avakian

The British Journal of Photography talks with Contact Press Images photographer Alexandra Avakian at this year's Visa pour l'Image photojournalism festival in Perpignan.

Alexandra Avakian is a native of Manhattan and Malibu who chose to spend two years in Gaza where she saw and suffered violence at close range. In Somalia, where death can come at any time, she faced murderous militiamen with loaded guns. In her journeys she has captured the cold, crazed stare of a gun-toting child, the anguish of families torn apart by terrorism, the beauty of festivities and the everyday happiness of Muslims across the world. She has traveled with refugees, diplomats, guerillas, and leaders, including Yasser Arafat who referred to her as the "dictator" but granted her access for many years. She spent eight weeks with Hezbollah, and has explored countries under the most repressive regimes. The project "Windows of the Soul" spans almost two decades.

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