Lorenzo Meloni is an Italian photographer.

He has documented some of the defining conflicts of the 21st century across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. For more than a decade, he has worked in territories marked by wars, revolutions and profound political and social transformations, developing a visual practice that views conflict not merely as an event, but as a historical, material and cultural process.

In recent years, his work has expanded beyond the battlefield. Revelation, an ongoing project, explores how science and technology are changing our relationship to the material world.

In 2022, he published the monograph We Don’t Say Goodbye, a fragmented narrative on the rise, dominance and fall of the Islamic State as a territorial entity. TIME named it one of the 20 Best Photobooks of 2022.

On episode 287, Lorenzo discusses, among other things:

• How he has changed his way of working
• 'Starting as a revolutionary and becoming a deserter'
• How his photography journey began in Yemen
• How the power of photography is metaphorical not descriptive
• His interest in borders and history
• His book, We Don’t Say Goodbye. The theme of repetition. And why the cover is orange
• The caliphate and Islamic State
• His now project, Revelation
• Focussing on one thing at a time
• Dealing with the instability of a freelance life and keeping some freedom

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