Hannah Reyes Morales

Hannah Reyes Morales

Juvita holds a dragonfly before letting it go again in her home in Pampanga, Philippines on 19 June 2019. Juvita is part of the group ‘Malaya Lolas,’ or ‘Free Grandmothers,’ a group of survivors of mass rape during the second world war. Seven decades since their assault, the surviving women remain in the same vicinity of the house where they were held and repeatedly assaulted. Though the majority of the women who formed the group have now passed away, those who are still alive are still seeking reparations from the Japanese government, and more importantly, are dedicated to making a safe space for each other in the remaining days of their lives. 

From the series ‘Roots from Ashes,’ a project completed for the 2019 Joop Swart Masterclass.

Hannah Reyes Morales is a Filipina photographer who focuses on bringing historical memory and current events home, by looking at how they shape daily life. 

As a working photojournalist, she has been published in The New York Times, National Geographic Magazine, and the Washington Post, among others.

She is the recipient of photography awards, including the Tim Hetherington Visionary Award, the ICP Infinity Award, 2023 Pictures of the Year International, and a 2023 World Press Photo Award.

She was commissioned for the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition in 2021, and was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist for feature photography in 2024.

Born and raised in Manila, she is now based in London and currently focusing on longer term projects. She is a co-founder of Emerging Islands, an artist run residency program in the Philippines. She is a National Geographic explorer and completed a fellowship with Columbia University’s Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris.