Carabinero De Chile

A woman is detained by police during a protest commemorating the day of the Race in Santiago Chile, October 2015. Thousands of protesters marched in Chile's capital, Santiago, denouncing discrimination against the country's indigenous peoples amid the annual Columbus Day commemorations

Biography:
For over 25 years Chilean born documentary photographer Luis Ascui covered stories for the world’s major agencies (Reuters, AP, Getty Images) and publications. Early in his career he covered the Taliban and Northern Alliance fight for control of Afghanistan and the UN sponsored elections in Cambodia. Based in Singapore he covered events including the Asian tsunami and Pakistani earthquake. He follows human stories that explore history, identity and contemporary challenges threatening indigenous cultures. His visual narratives reflect a common theme of people’s struggle for recognition and justice.

Winning a grant from Panos (London) he pursued a project about Mayan culture in Central America, exhibiting the work at the United Nations Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen).

Returning to Chile he documented the remote indigenous Mapuche communities along the Chilean-Argentinian border.

His coverage of Indonesia’s political turmoil and election (1999) earned him the Asian Nikon Award for Photojournalism (2000).

He lectures in photojournalism, mentors, and assesses portfolios at Australian and Chilean universities.