Matilde Simas is a photographer from Boston, MA. Interested in the intersection of art, audience engagment, and social change, Matilde leverages the power of visual storytelling to inform, provoke discussions, and inspire action.  She achieves this by public speaking and exhibiting her work in museums, galleries, and public spaces.  Her unique style focuses on documentary and fine art, with her imagery simultaneously reflecting the sensitivity and the strength of her subjects. In her work, she actively seeks to allow her subjects’ agency — a way to impact the story and reclaim truth. Matilde's portraits of survivors of modern-day slavery aim to send a message; "Let our voices be heard, we are not afraid, and we are thriving.” The importance of engaging survivors in the creative process about how to best tell and represent their own personal stories serves to inform her audience to the realities of modern-day slavery, but through her diligent documentation is sharing the stories of those whom she honors with a wider audience.

Her work on human trafficking has been widely exhibited by varies UN agencies. Simas has made show appearances at State of the World PX3 Exhibition in Paris, Tokyo, and Taipei.  She has recently been awarded a UNICEF Photo of the Year award.  In 2017, she founded Capture Humanity, an organization focused on brining awareness to and preventing human trafficking. 

SELECTED Photography HONORS + DISTINCTIONS

Gold, Nature / Trees | Moscow International Foto Award | Dead Vlei Trees, 2020

Spotlight winner l Black & White Magazine l Student in Medan, Indonesia: 2020

FILM AWARDS 

COLLECTIONS

EXHIBITS 

Roma Fotografia Eventi | Rome, Italy, 2020

Best of Show exhibition in Moscow | MIFA | Moscow, Russia, 2020