Bio
Matilde was born in 1974 from a French mother and an Italian father. After studying History at the Universite’ des Sciences Humaines in Strasbourg, France, she decided to follow her passion for visual arts becoming a photographer. Matilde works mainly in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa due to her interest for those regions. She started her career as a photojournalist and later embraced also Architecture, Corporate, Portraits and Fashion photography. Her work is published on Time, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, The Observer, Die Zeit, Foreign Policy, Neon Magazine, Geo, The New Yorker, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, Elle, Emirates Women.
Her personal project focuses on water issues around the world, related to war, ecological and natural disasters, drought, desertification.
Her book Uzbekistan, 10 years after independence; published in 2002 was made in collaboration with the Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid, one of the major experts of Central Asia and Afghanistan. The book depicts a social frame of Uzbekistan 10 years after its independence from the USSR and poses the delicate question of the future of the Uzbek nation, the most powerful country in Central Asia thanks to its strategic geographical position.
Matilde has been based in Dubai for four years and has worked as a corporate photographer for clients such as HSBC, Shell, Bosch, Al Habtoor Leighton, Ferrari, Meydan, Formula 1 Abu Dhabi, Baccarat, Publicis, Wundermann, TDIC and many others.
Matilde is currently based between Lebanon and Dubai and is available for assignments.
Online Galleries
The Observer – Yemen Water Crisis
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/audioslideshow/2010/sep/20/water-yemen
Vanity Fair – Drought and Fear in the Horn of Africa
http://www.vanityfair.it/news/mondo/2011/08/07/kenya-campo-profughi-pi%C3%B9-grande-mondo-foto
The Guardian – Drought and Fear in the Horn of Africa
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/jul/24/famine-kenya
IPA – Dark Side of Dubai
http://invisiblephotographer.asia/2011/09/15/photoessay-sonapurdubai-matildegattoni/
Foreign Policy – The Sisters of the Brotherhood
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/11/16/the_sisters_of_the_muslim_brotherhood
The Observer – War Over Water
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2008/nov/02/water-jordan
Bibliography
“Uzbekistan, 10 years after independence”, Tranchida Editore, Milan, 2002
“A better time”, Cartiere del Garda, 2008
Awards
2005: Black and White Spider Awards – Fine Art – Honorable Mention
2006: International Color Awards – Photojournalism
2007: Pilsner Urquell International Awards IPA
2008: Pilsner Urquell International Awards IPA
2009: PX3 Prix de la Photographie; Water Competition – Honorable Mention
2009: International Color Awards, Nominee in Photojournalism
2010: IPA International Photography Awards. 3rd Place Editorial/Feature Story
