Michael Swann is a photographic artist based in Bristol (UK). In 2020 he was selected as one of BJP’s Ones to Watch and nominated for the Futures Photography talent platform.
Michael’s latest body of work, An Ascension, explores themes of hope, love, queerness and the influence of catholicism through his engagement to his same-sex partner. His previous body of work, Noema, follows the search for the presence of the Virgin Mary in two locations in which she has reportedly been seen. Michael is also currently working on a collaborative project, Compost, with photographer Phillipa Klaiber, that explores the central themes of Queer Ecology.
SELECTED AWARDS & RECOGNITION:
2024 Centre For British Photography Realisation Grant - Winner
2023 FORMAT Festival Open Call - Selected
2022 PhotoLux Intarget Award 2022 - Winner
2022 Athens Photography Festival - Shortlisted
2022 Les Boutographies Festival - Shortlisted
2021 PHmuseum Photography Grant - Shortlisted
2021 Encontros da Imagem Photobook Award - Finalist
2021 ISSP Self Publish Riga Dummy Award - Shortlisted in the top 10
2021 Guernsey Photo Festival International Student Competition - Shortlisted
2021 Landskrona Artist Residency - First Runner Up
2021 Festival Diecixdieci Open Call - Shortlisted
2021 Open Doors Gallery Photo Prize - Shortlisted
2021 Photobook Week Aarhus Open Book Market - Selected
2021 XLVI Space Graduate Exhibition - Selected
2020 Ones to Watch - British Journal of Photography - Selected
2020 Futures Photography - Selected by The British Journal of Photography
2020 Photographic Exploration Project ‘New Talents 2020 Exhibition’ - Selected
2020 BUP Book Award - Shortlisted
2020 Krakow PhotoMonth ShowOFF - Shortlisted
2020 Der Greif Guest-Room curated by Ashleigh Kane - Selected
EXHIBITIONS:
2024 ‘Enchantment’ - Angkor Photo Festival (Siem Reap, KH)
2023 ‘Signs of Impermanence’ - Zero Feedback - Jinny Gallery (Tokyo, JP)
2023 ‘Compost’ in collaboration with Phillipa Klaiber - FORMAT Festival (Derby, UK)
2022 ‘An Ascension’ - PhotoLux Festival - Palazzo Ducale (Lucca, Italy)
2022 ‘Compost’ in collaboration with Phillipa Klaiber - BoomSatsuma (Bristol, UK)
2022 ‘One Eyes Sees, The Other Feels’ Zone - Daste (Bergamo, IT)
2021 Self Publish Be Happy Pop-up Lounge - Webber Gallery (London, UK)
2021 ‘Nexus’ XLVI Space Exhibition - Photopenup Festival (Padua, IT)
2020 Photographic Exploration Project ‘New Talents 2020’ - B-Part (Berlin, DE)
EDUCATION:
2020 MA Photography, The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol)
2012 BA Photography, University College Falmouth
RESIDENCIES:
2022 BoomSatsuma Artist Residency - with Phillipa Klaiber - (Bristol, UK)
FEATURES & PUBLICATIONS:
Vestoj Magazine Issue 10: On Doubt
RESET: Questioning the Image, the Market & the Role of Representation
British Journal of Photography
GUP Magazine
Futures
Loupe
FotoRoom
Phases Magazine (Noema)
Phases Magazine (An Ascension)
Aviary Gallery