ABOUT

For several years, Olivier Unia has devoted a significant part of his work to Morocco, where he has extensively documented Tbourida, an iconic equestrian tradition combining technical mastery, collective spirit and cultural heritage. This immersion has given rise to HORSE, MAN & FIRE, a photographic book exploring the human, aesthetic and symbolic dimensions of this ancestral practice.

In 2024, he won First Prize in the “Faras” category at the Grand Prix de la Photographie au Maroc. In 2025, Olivier Unia was named Open Photographer of the Year at the Sony World Photography Awards in London for his photograph Tbourida, la Chute. Selected from more than 420,000 images submitted by photographers from around the world, this distinction ranks among the most prestigious international recognitions in contemporary photography. It honours a body of work built on long-term commitment, immersion in the field and a constant pursuit of meaningful visual storytelling.

His work has also been exhibited internationally, including Rabat, Paris, London, Berlin, Milan, Dubaï and Tokyo, bringing his photographic vision to audiences around the world.

Today, Olivier Unia continues to pursue a photographic practice rooted in immersion and visual storytelling, with a particular focus on the cultures, traditions and human stories shaping the contemporary world.

Olivier Unia is a member of the Hans Lucas agency.

Olivier Unia is a French photographer based in Rabat, Morocco, since 2009. His work lies at the intersection of documentary photography and visual storytelling. Guided by an immersive approach, he develops long-term projects exploring the relationships between people, traditions and territories.

His work is rooted in close relationships with his subjects and extended periods spent in the field. This approach allows him to gain access to worlds rarely observed from within and to offer a personal interpretation of them, with light, movement and composition at its core. Beyond mere documentation, his photographs seek to convey the intensity of an experience, the power of a ritual and the memory of a place.