Interviewee: Ekaterina Frolova
Project: Young Cuba / Border Stories
Website: ekaterinafrolova-ph.com
Instagram: @ekaterinafrolova.ph
Ekaterina Frolova is a documentary photographer with a background that spans cultures and continents: a degree in Foreign Languages and Area Studies from Lomonosov Moscow State University, a master’s in Photography and Design from ELISAVA in Barcelona, and studies at the TSEKH school in Saint Petersburg, the New York Film Academy, and West Virginia University.
Her work explores the dynamic relationship between people, space and environment, with a particular focus on young people as a source of hope and resilience. In 2024 she won the first edition of the Patricia D. Richards Award, a special prize within the URBAN Photo Awards open to photographers under 35, with Young Cuba, a photographic project offering an intimate and contemporary portrait of young Cubans, capturing their culture, aspirations and everyday challenges.
The recognition opened the door to a fellowship which, under the mentorship of Denis Curti, led to the creation of Border Stories, a project developed between Nova Gorica and Gorizia, European Capitals of Culture 2025, and culminated in a photobook. The work was subsequently exhibited at Trieste Photo Days 2025.
In this Artist Spotlight, Ekaterina reflects on what winning the award meant to her, how Young Cuba came to life, and how working with Denis Curti accompanied her into a new phase of her artistic journey.
