Dario De Dominicis (Rome, 1965) began his career as a professional photographer in 1993, publishing work in leading Italian and international outlets such as L’Espresso, Newsweek, Le Monde, Sunday Times, El País, and Die Zeit. In 1999 he was commissioned to produce a black-and-white reportage on life inside the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary, published by the Vicariate of Rome for the Jubilee of 2000. He later undertook major projects including a four-year investigation into the monarchist movement in Italy (published in Corriere della Sera) and a photographic documentation for the non-profit “Thirty Hours for Life” in 2002, which was presented in an exhibition and book.
From 2002 to 2009, De Dominicis taught photojournalism at the Roberto Rossellini State Institute for Cinema and Television in Rome and held courses at Officine Fotografiche. In 2004, he published A Cuban Story (Postcart), a long-term black-and-white project spanning fifteen years that documented Cuba’s transformation after the fall of the socialist bloc. In 2009 he moved to Rio de Janeiro, focusing on Brazilian socio-political developments as the country prepared for the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. Between 2011 and 2014, his collaboration with Le Monde yielded major reportages on the military occupation of Rio’s largest favela, the construction of the Belo Monte Dam, visits of Pope Francis, and city portraits during the 2014 World Cup.
More recently, De Dominicis was featured in the photography exhibition Il Cantico delle Creature in Assisi. His practice has expanded into documentary film and video work, such as directing photography for films including a project about Brazil’s blind football team. He has also participated in festivals like Paraty em Foco, leading workshops on visual language and reportage, and has published work including The Rubber Soldier (2015).
