Sam Ivin is a photographic artist who explores social issues and the people connected with them. By documenting their stories and perspectives he hopes to provide a more personal, tangible understanding of them. Ivin’s process often involves hosting photography workshops, where he creates collaborative artwork with project participants.
Awards
AOP Bursary Fund - Round Two Recipient, 2025
Shortlisted for Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 162, 2019
One of ten winners of Magnum Photos Graduate Photographers Award, May 2017
The GMC First Prize, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, March 2017
Best Graduate Single Image, Runner Up, British Journal of Photography (BJP) Breakthrough Award 2016
Winner of Best Single Image, Human Category at Renaissance Photography Prize 2015
Winner of Magenta Foundations' Flash Forward Award 2015
Finalist of Photographic Museum of Humanity, New Generation Prize 2015
Exhibitions
Our Freedom Then and Now, Opening at Southbank Centre and national touring exhibition at 19 UK venues March-November 2026 IMAGES
Quick Collage & Mosaic Clubhouse, audience-made artwork created and displayed alongside Mosaic Clubhouse series, New House Art Space, Guildford, May 2026 IMAGES
Spelthorne Young Carers Creative Photography, display of participants artwork at Staines Library with Escalate Arts, Action for Carers Surrey and Spelthorne Council, March to April 2026 IMAGES
Settling 2.0, exhibition at Staffordshire University, expansion of Settling project for Stoke centenary, with B Arts, Stoke City Council and Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent November 2025 to January 2026 IMAGES
Photography Play & Simple Acts, display of participants artwork made with young local refugees, in collaboration with Benn Partnership and Warwickshire Council, Rugby, June 2025 IMAGES
Making the Midlands Home, AOP funded exhibition at Rugby Art Gallery & Museum, April 2024 IMAGES
Making Solihull Home exhibition, commission with Solihull Council and The Core library, The Core Library, Solihull, February 2024
Unpaid Carers, Reflections Covid 19 commission with Open Eye Gallery and West Cheshire Council, Exterior Walls at Open Eye Gallery, September to December 2023 IMAGES
Unpaid Carers, Reflections Covid 19 commission with Open Eye Gallery and West Cheshire Council, display at Castlefield Gallery Chester, September to October 2023 IMAGES
Punjab to the Potteries, New Vic Theatre, August 2023 IMAGES
Weston Shore; The Seaside, Photography and Play at John Hansard Gallery Southampton, December 2020-June 2021 IMAGES
Settling; Exploring Human Migration at Keele University April-June 2021 IMAGES
Lingering Ghosts at Officine Fotografiche Roma as part of Festival della Diplomazia 2019 IMAGES
Settling; Exploring Human Migration at Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent 2019 IMAGES
Original Lingering Ghosts series exhibited at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London, June-August 2018 IMAGES
Lingering Ghosts pieces exhibited at Brussels Photofestival, November 2017-January 2018 IMAGES
Original Lingering Ghosts solo exhibition at Sarum College, Salisbury UK, August-September 2017 IMAGES
Lingering Ghosts pieces at Landsronka Foto Festival, part of Fabrica, “Up to Now” September 2017
Lingering Ghosts pieces shown at Circulation(s) Festival, Paris, January-March 2017.IMAGES
Original Lingering Ghosts series exhibited as part of Identità Negate show at Galleria del Cembalo, Rome. One of two Fabrica photographers exhibited, September 2016. VIDEO
Five original Lingering Ghosts pictures exhibited at Athens Photo Festival 2016, IMAGES
Renaissance Photography Prize at Getty Images Gallery, London, November 2015
30 under 30 by Ideas Tap & Magnum Photos at The Photography Show, NEC Birmingham, March 2015
Features
Interview with Sam Ivin for Mental Health Awareness Month, Sound & Vision, New House Art Space, 2026
Local Perspectives on Liberty, Sam Ivin and Bracknell Forrest Library, Open Eye Gallery, 2026
Photography Revealing the Hidden Labour of Care, Open Eye Gallery, 2025
Finding Calm Through the Lens, Patchworking Gardens, 2025
Who Cares? Reflections Covid 19, Lost Voices project, article & video on Cheshire West & Cheshire Council run website, 2023
Pakistan image included in BBC News feature on images that made photographers carers, with Association of Photographers, 2020
Lingering Ghosts images used to illustrate article on Immigration at The Correspondent, 2020
Q&A on Settling , New Arts West Midlands, May 2019
6 Lingering Ghosts images used to Illustrate articles in Internazionale February 2019
Lingering Ghosts Feature in WHATEVR FANZINE Edition 6, October 2018
Cover of Netherlands Amnesty member’s magazine, Wordt Vervolgd, July 2018
British Journal of Photography Lingering Ghosts on Show in London, June 2018
Magnum Graduate Photographers Award Spotlight Article, Photograd, 2017
That's Salisbury Video Interview, August 2017
Featured in print and online gallery, Courrier International June 2017
New Art West Midlands Interview, June 2017
Magnum Graduate Photographers Award featured on ID.com, Huck Magazine & Magnum Photo May 2017
Photobookstore, Photobooks of 2016:Robin Titchener, November 2016
British Journal of Photography, Migration Issue Cover image, September 2016