Irene Barlian is an independent documentary photographer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Her practice focuses on social, environmental, cultural, and women’s stories. The most significant element of her professional ventures is devoted to personal, long-term projects.
Barlian is a National Geographic Explorer and a member of Women Photograph, a photography collective centering on women and non-binary visual journalists. Her work has been published by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times, One World, Vice, Reuters, and more.
In 2022, Barlian was granted the Objectifs Documentary Award. The same year she was also shortlisted for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award and Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award. Barlian participated in multiple exhibitions in venues worldwide, such as the Objectifs Center in Singapore, the Ernst Leitz Museum in Wetzlar Germany, the Jakarta International Photo Festival, and the Bucharest Photo Festival.
