Alessandra MignardI
Curriculum Vitae
Work Experience
2010 – present
Freelance Photographer
Freelance Photographer
2016 Farewell Photography
Tilburg, The Netherlands
Tilburg, The Netherlands
2005
National Volunteerism Capacity Building Officer
United Nations Volunteers / UNDP
Kabul, Afghanistan
National Volunteerism Capacity Building Officer
United Nations Volunteers / UNDP
Kabul, Afghanistan
2004
Assistant Head of Mission
INTERSOS – NGO
Kabul, Afghanistan
Assistant Head of Mission
INTERSOS – NGO
Kabul, Afghanistan
2001 – 2003
Programme Officer – United Nations Fellowship Program
Development Cooperation Office – Embassy of Italy
New Delhi, India
Programme Officer – United Nations Fellowship Program
Development Cooperation Office – Embassy of Italy
New Delhi, India
2000
Humanitarian Assistance Officer
A Bridge to Baghdad – NGO
Baghdad, Iraq
Humanitarian Assistance Officer
A Bridge to Baghdad – NGO
Baghdad, Iraq
1999
External Relations Officer
A Bridge to Baghdad – NGO
Rome, Italy
External Relations Officer
A Bridge to Baghdad – NGO
Rome, Italy
Education
2007
Digital Arts Foundation Certificate
Sessions School of Design — Online Digital Art School
Digital Arts Foundation Certificate
Sessions School of Design — Online Digital Art School
2000
Postgraduate Degree in Development Studies
Università di Roma “La Sapienza” — Faculty of Engineering
Postgraduate Degree in Development Studies
Università di Roma “La Sapienza” — Faculty of Engineering
1999
Master Degree in Political Sciences
Università di Roma “La Sapienza” — Faculty of Political Sciences
Master Degree in Political Sciences
Università di Roma “La Sapienza” — Faculty of Political Sciences
Personal Background
Alessandra Mignardi was born and raised in Veroli, Italy, in 1973. Between 1999 and 2005 she lived, worked, and travelled extensively throughout the Middle East and South-East Asia.
In 2005 she moved to Medan, Indonesia, to accompany her husband, who was appointed as a humanitarian aid manager following the tsunami. During that period she chose to dedicate herself to photography, a passion she had carried since childhood.
She has lived in Tilburg, The Netherlands, since 2006, together with her husband and their three children.
In 2005 she moved to Medan, Indonesia, to accompany her husband, who was appointed as a humanitarian aid manager following the tsunami. During that period she chose to dedicate herself to photography, a passion she had carried since childhood.
She has lived in Tilburg, The Netherlands, since 2006, together with her husband and their three children.
Artist Statement
Alessandra Mignardi is an Italian photographer based in the Netherlands, with a professional background in humanitarian aid and international development. Before working behind the camera, she served in conflict and post-emergency contexts, including Iraq, Afghanistan, India, and Indonesia. These experiences shaped her way of seeing: attentive, patient, and deeply respectful of human presence and vulnerability.
For Alessandra, photography emerged not as a career strategy, but as a way to return to stillness and meaning after years shaped by urgency. Her work is grounded in quiet observation — an approach that allows her to be present without intrusion, and to create space for real stories to unfold.
Her practice moves between two distinct yet connected fields: the intimacy of farewell photography and the sensory simplicity of food photography. In both, she is drawn to honesty, care, and the subtle gestures through which people express love and connection. Whether documenting a final goodbye or the devotion of a chef preparing a dish, her work explores the universal need to preserve memory and celebrate human connection.
Alessandra works primarily with natural light and approaches her subjects with sensitivity and humility, trusting that meaning resides not in spectacle, but in truth.
