Mandana Mahdavi is a documentary photographer based in the United States. Born to Iranian-German parents and raised in London, she spent her formative years in Madrid and New York, drawing on a multicultural foundation. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences and a Master’s in Management, and began her career in the visual arts before transitioning to photography. This interdisciplinary background informs her research-driven, narrative-focused approach. She is an alumna of the International Center of Photography’s Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program, where she was awarded the Director’s Fellowship, and was selected for the Eddie Adams Workshop XXXIV. Her work has been recognized and supported by institutions including the International Center of Photography, Documentary Arts, the Lucie Foundation, The Alexia, The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. Mandana’s practice centers on long-form, community-engaged storytelling that explores identity, resilience, and social justice, uncovering the psychological undercurrents that define human experience.
