ANIA FREINDORF
Photographer, filmmaker, multimedia director, and environmental storyteller based in the French Alps, Ania Freindorf has developed an international practice spanning documentary photography, environmental reporting, and contemporary visual art for more than twenty-six years.
Her work has been produced in collaboration with UNESCO, United Nations agencies, NGOs, governments, and international institutions, documenting social, cultural, and environmental transitions through long-term visual storytelling projects.
Throughout her career, she has worked across diverse geographical and cultural contexts, from humanitarian and development projects to environmental and artistic investigations, developing a visual practice that bridges documentary observation and contemporary art.
Her work has been exhibited internationally in galleries, museums, festivals, and contemporary art venues, including the Venice International Art Fair, UNSEEN Photo Fair, London Contemporary Art Fair, the official program of Paris Photo (GESTE Collection, Paris), FotoNostrum (Barcelona), Galerie de Bazillac (Palais Royal, Paris), Mind’s Eye Gallery (Paris), La Traboule (Chambéry), and Station Show (Lausanne), as well as institutional and cultural venues across France and Europe. Earlier recognition includes participation in UNESCO exhibitions in Paris and presentations at the Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan.
In 2007, she received the Photo Prize at Europe of Culture (Hungary).
NAKED GLACIERS
Initiated in 2017, Naked Glaciers is a long-term photographic expedition dedicated to documenting disappearing glaciers across all seven continents. In 2022, the project expanded into the non-profit organization Naked Glaciers, strengthening its environmental, educational, and cultural mission.
The project emerged from Freindorf’s earlier body of work, Humanus, a long-term photographic exploration of the human body that she began at the age of eighteen. Through close observation of skin, movement, texture, and vulnerability, she developed a visual language situated between representation and abstraction, where the body became both landscape and emotional territory.
After more than two decades working as a documentary photographer and multimedia director, including coverage of major humanitarian and social events for international organizations and media, a period of professional exhaustion following the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks led her to reconsider her relationship to photography. While documenting the aftermath of those events in the region where she lived, she gradually shifted away from news-driven image-making toward a more contemplative and personal artistic practice.
This transition ultimately gave rise to Naked Glaciers. Drawn to the interior worlds of glaciers—their crevasses, fractures, textures, and ephemeral forms—she discovered visual correspondences with the human body she had photographed for decades. Ice became a new territory of exploration: at once raw and fragile, monumental and intimate, documentary and abstract. Glacier surfaces often resemble skin, veins, scars, or anatomical structures, creating a dialogue between the human condition and the changing landscape.
Developed as both an artistic practice and an environmental archive, Naked Glaciers investigates glaciers as living geological bodies undergoing rapid transformation. Moving between documentary observation and abstraction, the work constructs a visual language in which ice becomes a metaphor for memory, vulnerability, time, and disappearance.
The project has been exhibited internationally at contemporary art fairs, galleries, and institutional venues, including the Venice International Art Fair, Borders Art Fair (Venice), UNSEEN Photo Fair (Amsterdam), London Contemporary Art Fair, Albumen Gallery (London), FotoNostrum (Barcelona), and numerous solo and group exhibitions in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Naked Glaciers continues as an evolving artistic and environmental archive of climate transformation, connecting photography, scientific observation, and public engagement.
TEACHING & FIELD PRACTICE
Alongside her artistic practice, Ania Freindorf leads photography workshops in alpine environments with Leica Akademie Switzerland, focusing on visual storytelling, field observation, and environmental photography in extreme landscapes.
ARTISTIC POSITION
Ania Freindorf’s work operates at the intersection of documentary photography and contemporary art, where image-making becomes both testimony and interpretation. Through long-term immersion in fragile environments, she develops a visual archaeology of disappearance, exploring the relationships between memory, vulnerability, landscape, and ecological transformation.
Moving between observation and abstraction, her photographs transform physical realities into visual metaphors. Whether examining the human body or glacial landscapes, her work investigates traces of time, fragility, and impermanence, creating images that oscillate between scientific observation, emotional resonance, and contemporary artistic inquiry.
Publications, Exhibitions & Awards (1999–2026)
2004 — Poland (book), published by Mondeos
2015 — Vanuatu booklet, published in Oceans – Keys to Act by Green Cross France et Territoires
2015 — Co-author and photographer of 50 Best Bars, published by Lonely Planet, United Kingdom
2016 — Circular Economy: The Key to Act booklet, published by Green Cross France et Territoires
Solo Exhibitions
2005 — Intimate Dance, Galerie Pauza, Kraków
2006 — Ivan, Les Mots à la Bouche Gallery, Paris
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Dream, Art and Culture Gallery, Évian-les-Bains
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Station Show Art Space, Lausanne
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Public Library, Maxilly-sur-Léman
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Albumen Gallery, London
2021 — The Fall Expo – Naked Glaciers, Maxilly-sur-Léman, France
2021 — Glaciers Nus, official Paris Photo agenda exhibition, GESTE Private Collection, Paris
2022 — Naked Glaciers, Cultura Orquídea, Paris
2023 — Naked Glaciers, Centre Hospitalier de Saintes, Saintes
2023 — Naked Glaciers, Sentiments Gallery, Paris
2024 — Naked Glaciers (solo exhibition), Mind’s Eye Gallery, Paris
2024 — Naked Glaciers (solo exhibition), Espace La Traboule, Chambéry
Selected Group Exhibitions
1999 — Young Photographers, Akty Gallery, Kraków, Poland
2005 — Acoustic Images, Sound Gallery, Paris
2006 — Moulin Rouge, ESA Business School, Paris
2007 — Europe of Culture, Hungary
2011 — Youth, exhibition at UNESCO, Paris
2021 — Venice International Art Fair, Palazzo Albrizzi Capello, Venice
2021 — Borders Art Fair, Palazzo Albrizzi Capello & The Room Contemporary Art Space, Venice
2021 — London Contemporary Art Fair, London
2021 — L’Océan Commence Ici, environmental exhibition near Lake Geneva
2021 — Honorable Mention Exhibition, 6th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, FotoNostrum, Barcelona
2022 — UNSEEN Photo Fair, Amsterdam — Naked Glaciers presented by Albumen Gallery
2024 — Naked Glaciers, collective exhibition at Galerie de Bazillac, Palais Royal, Paris
2024 — Naked Glaciers, collective exhibition at Espace La Traboule, Chambéry
2025–2026 — Collective Exhibition, Vibe Gallery / Interior Design, Chambéry, France
Awards & Recognitions
2007 — Photo Prize Winner, Europe of Culture, Hungary
2016 — Special Jury Award, Circular Economy, Green Cross France et Territoires
2016 — Second Photo Award, Oceans – Key to Act, Green Cross France
2018 — Nomination for Naked Glaciers by Association Nationale des Iconographes at Visa pour l’Image
2019 — Nominee, Professional Category, 5th Fine Art Photography Awards
2020 — Honorable Mention, Professional Fine Art Category, 15th Julia Margaret Cameron Award
Festivals & Special Presentations
2015 — Projection of photographs documenting the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks at Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan
2018 — Naked Glaciers nominated presentation at Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan
2020 — Naked Glaciers exhibition partnership with the Monaco Chamber of Environment (CEREM) at Mercure Courchevel, France
Photographer, filmmaker, multimedia director, and environmental storyteller based in the French Alps, Ania Freindorf has developed an international practice spanning documentary photography, environmental reporting, and contemporary visual art for more than twenty-six years.
Her work has been produced in collaboration with UNESCO, United Nations agencies, NGOs, governments, and international institutions, documenting social, cultural, and environmental transitions through long-term visual storytelling projects.
Throughout her career, she has worked across diverse geographical and cultural contexts, from humanitarian and development projects to environmental and artistic investigations, developing a visual practice that bridges documentary observation and contemporary art.
Her work has been exhibited internationally in galleries, museums, festivals, and contemporary art venues, including the Venice International Art Fair, UNSEEN Photo Fair, London Contemporary Art Fair, the official program of Paris Photo (GESTE Collection, Paris), FotoNostrum (Barcelona), Galerie de Bazillac (Palais Royal, Paris), Mind’s Eye Gallery (Paris), La Traboule (Chambéry), and Station Show (Lausanne), as well as institutional and cultural venues across France and Europe. Earlier recognition includes participation in UNESCO exhibitions in Paris and presentations at the Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan.
In 2007, she received the Photo Prize at Europe of Culture (Hungary).
NAKED GLACIERS
Initiated in 2017, Naked Glaciers is a long-term photographic expedition dedicated to documenting disappearing glaciers across all seven continents. In 2022, the project expanded into the non-profit organization Naked Glaciers, strengthening its environmental, educational, and cultural mission.
The project emerged from Freindorf’s earlier body of work, Humanus, a long-term photographic exploration of the human body that she began at the age of eighteen. Through close observation of skin, movement, texture, and vulnerability, she developed a visual language situated between representation and abstraction, where the body became both landscape and emotional territory.
After more than two decades working as a documentary photographer and multimedia director, including coverage of major humanitarian and social events for international organizations and media, a period of professional exhaustion following the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks led her to reconsider her relationship to photography. While documenting the aftermath of those events in the region where she lived, she gradually shifted away from news-driven image-making toward a more contemplative and personal artistic practice.
This transition ultimately gave rise to Naked Glaciers. Drawn to the interior worlds of glaciers—their crevasses, fractures, textures, and ephemeral forms—she discovered visual correspondences with the human body she had photographed for decades. Ice became a new territory of exploration: at once raw and fragile, monumental and intimate, documentary and abstract. Glacier surfaces often resemble skin, veins, scars, or anatomical structures, creating a dialogue between the human condition and the changing landscape.
Developed as both an artistic practice and an environmental archive, Naked Glaciers investigates glaciers as living geological bodies undergoing rapid transformation. Moving between documentary observation and abstraction, the work constructs a visual language in which ice becomes a metaphor for memory, vulnerability, time, and disappearance.
The project has been exhibited internationally at contemporary art fairs, galleries, and institutional venues, including the Venice International Art Fair, Borders Art Fair (Venice), UNSEEN Photo Fair (Amsterdam), London Contemporary Art Fair, Albumen Gallery (London), FotoNostrum (Barcelona), and numerous solo and group exhibitions in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Naked Glaciers continues as an evolving artistic and environmental archive of climate transformation, connecting photography, scientific observation, and public engagement.
TEACHING & FIELD PRACTICE
Alongside her artistic practice, Ania Freindorf leads photography workshops in alpine environments with Leica Akademie Switzerland, focusing on visual storytelling, field observation, and environmental photography in extreme landscapes.
ARTISTIC POSITION
Ania Freindorf’s work operates at the intersection of documentary photography and contemporary art, where image-making becomes both testimony and interpretation. Through long-term immersion in fragile environments, she develops a visual archaeology of disappearance, exploring the relationships between memory, vulnerability, landscape, and ecological transformation.
Moving between observation and abstraction, her photographs transform physical realities into visual metaphors. Whether examining the human body or glacial landscapes, her work investigates traces of time, fragility, and impermanence, creating images that oscillate between scientific observation, emotional resonance, and contemporary artistic inquiry.
Publications, Exhibitions & Awards (1999–2026)
2004 — Poland (book), published by Mondeos
2015 — Vanuatu booklet, published in Oceans – Keys to Act by Green Cross France et Territoires
2015 — Co-author and photographer of 50 Best Bars, published by Lonely Planet, United Kingdom
2016 — Circular Economy: The Key to Act booklet, published by Green Cross France et Territoires
Solo Exhibitions
2005 — Intimate Dance, Galerie Pauza, Kraków
2006 — Ivan, Les Mots à la Bouche Gallery, Paris
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Dream, Art and Culture Gallery, Évian-les-Bains
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Station Show Art Space, Lausanne
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Public Library, Maxilly-sur-Léman
2021 — Naked Glaciers, Albumen Gallery, London
2021 — The Fall Expo – Naked Glaciers, Maxilly-sur-Léman, France
2021 — Glaciers Nus, official Paris Photo agenda exhibition, GESTE Private Collection, Paris
2022 — Naked Glaciers, Cultura Orquídea, Paris
2023 — Naked Glaciers, Centre Hospitalier de Saintes, Saintes
2023 — Naked Glaciers, Sentiments Gallery, Paris
2024 — Naked Glaciers (solo exhibition), Mind’s Eye Gallery, Paris
2024 — Naked Glaciers (solo exhibition), Espace La Traboule, Chambéry
Selected Group Exhibitions
1999 — Young Photographers, Akty Gallery, Kraków, Poland
2005 — Acoustic Images, Sound Gallery, Paris
2006 — Moulin Rouge, ESA Business School, Paris
2007 — Europe of Culture, Hungary
2011 — Youth, exhibition at UNESCO, Paris
2021 — Venice International Art Fair, Palazzo Albrizzi Capello, Venice
2021 — Borders Art Fair, Palazzo Albrizzi Capello & The Room Contemporary Art Space, Venice
2021 — London Contemporary Art Fair, London
2021 — L’Océan Commence Ici, environmental exhibition near Lake Geneva
2021 — Honorable Mention Exhibition, 6th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography, FotoNostrum, Barcelona
2022 — UNSEEN Photo Fair, Amsterdam — Naked Glaciers presented by Albumen Gallery
2024 — Naked Glaciers, collective exhibition at Galerie de Bazillac, Palais Royal, Paris
2024 — Naked Glaciers, collective exhibition at Espace La Traboule, Chambéry
2025–2026 — Collective Exhibition, Vibe Gallery / Interior Design, Chambéry, France
Awards & Recognitions
2007 — Photo Prize Winner, Europe of Culture, Hungary
2016 — Special Jury Award, Circular Economy, Green Cross France et Territoires
2016 — Second Photo Award, Oceans – Key to Act, Green Cross France
2018 — Nomination for Naked Glaciers by Association Nationale des Iconographes at Visa pour l’Image
2019 — Nominee, Professional Category, 5th Fine Art Photography Awards
2020 — Honorable Mention, Professional Fine Art Category, 15th Julia Margaret Cameron Award
Festivals & Special Presentations
2015 — Projection of photographs documenting the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks at Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan
2018 — Naked Glaciers nominated presentation at Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan
2020 — Naked Glaciers exhibition partnership with the Monaco Chamber of Environment (CEREM) at Mercure Courchevel, France