Lyam Bourrouilhou

Born in 2001, Lyam Bourrouilhou is a French photographer whose work lies at the crossroads of photojournalism and documentary photography. After completing a vocational baccalaureate, he began working at an early stage by joining a Parisian agency, where, from 2017 onwards, he covered a wide range of social movements and public events. From the Yellow Jackets protests to anti-fascist and anti-racist demonstrations, as well as rallies by healthcare workers and firefighters, his lens documents the contemporary tensions running through French society. At the same time, he developed a portrait practice closely linked to the political sphere, photographing government figures.

His approach soon shifted towards international settings marked by conflict and its human consequences. In 2021, he turned his attention to the fallout from Brexit in Northern Ireland, exploring the stories of those experiencing renewed tensions linked to the question of independence. The following year, he travelled to Ukraine, where he spent several months documenting the daily lives of civilians caught up in the war, notably in Bucha, Izium, Bakhmut and Dnipro, placing individual stories at the heart of the conflict.

Having joined Sipa Press, Lyam Bourrouilhou continues his work in crisis zones and covering contemporary disasters. He has reported on the earthquake in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, the 2024 floods in Valencia, and the bombings in Beirut. Through his reporting, he has developed a visual style focused on the human consequences of events, favouring an immersive, first-person approach to documentary storytelling.

His work has been published by various international media outlets, featured in several exhibitions, and recognised with a number of awards.