Irina Werning is a freelance photojournalist based in Buenos Aires who focuses on personal long-term projects. We interviewed Irina as part of our annual collaboration with the World Press Photo contest, for which he was a winner in the Stories category of the South American region in 2022. She first became captivated by the relationship between hair and indigenous roots in 2006, after photographing three girls with long hair in the Andes. This fascination became a full-blown project, “Dear Long Hair,” and her latest series, “The Promise,” which we spoke to her about, follows similar themes. She collaborated with 12-year-old student Antonella Bordon, who offered up her most precious treasure—her hair—in exchange for getting her life at school back, and the project became a commentary on the education crisis her continent faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
