October 23, 2025, 4:30 PM
Guided tour in Ukrainian
Guided by: Julia Ogińska, photographer and educator at BWA Gallery
Michael Christopher Brown – a visual artist who challenges the boundaries of documentary photography, using imagery to spotlight major humanitarian issues. His work spans from the rise of eastern China to the Arab Spring, from conflicts in Eastern Congo (DRC) and Israel-Palestine to socioeconomic struggles in Cuba and homelessness in Los Angeles.
Raised in Skagit Valley, Washington, in a healthcare-oriented family, Michael was introduced to photography by his father, a physician who documented his work abroad. His parents took him and his sister to Mexico to volunteer in orphanages and hosted dozens of exchange students, shaping his global perspective.
After earning an MA from Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication in 2003, Michael funded his projects through commercial and editorial work, including long-term collaborations with National Geographic Magazine.
A former Magnum Photos associate, he pioneered the use of smartphones in conflict reporting. His documentation of the 2011 Libyan Revolution—blending photography, text, and audio—led to the award-winning Libyan Sugar, which won the Paris Photo First Book Award and the ICP Infinity Award for Artist’s Book. His unconventional approach, used in Libya, D.R. Congo, and beyond, has sparked debate, drawing criticism for his work on Skid Row, the George Floyd protests, and his AI-driven project 90 Miles.
Michael is currently co-directing a documentary on Cuba and writing a screenplay based on his experiences in D.R. Congo. His film work has been featured in HBO’s Witness: Libya (directed by Michael Mann) and other documentaries, including Hondros, The Prosecutors, and This Is Congo.
Beyond documentary photography, he collaborates with clients like Land Rover, the U.S. Army, and Chopard, excelling in challenging environments. With over two decades of experience across six continents, he has worked extensively in the Middle East and Central Africa, including years based in the DRC.
Michael creates cinematic yet authentic imagery, balancing natural light with rapid execution in both still and video productions. He is also experienced in over-the-shoulder cinematography and live-action directing.
As a speaker, he shares insights on global conflict storytelling, drawing from his extensive photography and film archive. His talks trace his journey from his childhood in Washington to two decades of documenting geopolitical crises worldwide.
“90 Miles“
For over 25 years, I kept a list of subjects I wanted document though was unable to, largely due to poor access. I was inspired to create 90 Miles in the tradition of reportage illustration, in 2023, when the general public gained the ability to collaborate with a collective history of photography (thanks to AI) in order to create photorealistic visions of what was, is or can be.
Reportage illustration has been used for over 150 years in journalistic publications, to convey a narrative or report a specific moment, and in a way has been around since the dawn of civilization.
90 Miles reflects a novel way to potentially effectively translate certain stories using photographic looking imagery, connecting people with important stories of our time.
90 Miles is an AI reporting illustration experiment exploring the decades long story of Cuban’s crossing the 90 miles of ocean separating Havana from Florida. The imagery speaks to the Cuban realities and historical events that motivated Cubans to escape, mostly via homemade watercraft of some kind.
I learned of this journey of escape over many years, watching TV and reading newspapers while growing up in America.
While working in Cuba from 2014-2016, I attempted to document the story but realized that any coverage might risk endangering Cubans who remained in the country. There was just no safe and ethical way for me to either access or document this story in real life.
I gathered the AI prompts from past conversations with Cubans while working in Cuba, from my life long exposure to the story and through online research. The work is based on true stories but is, of course, not real.
This story begins following the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis, when Cuba experienced dramatic political and economical changes. The imagery documents the time period from Fidel Castro’s rise to power in the late 1950s until the present.
Today, 60 years later, a lack of economic opportunity still remains arguably the largest motivator for an escape.
The Cubans who attempt the crossing are incredibly resourceful, which is reflected in their rafts assembled from inner tubes, pieces of wood and plastic, household supplies, etc.
Nearly a half million Cubans fled in 2022 and 2023, when Cuba experienced its largest exodus since the 1980s due to an ongoing economic crisis, with soaring inflation alongside shortages of food and medicine.
This imagery has not been edited, in any way, post generation.
