About

Sophie Gerrard (Scottish, b.1978) is an award winning international artist who has worked within the field of photography for 14 years. Her practice is characterised by sensitive and evocative visual exploration of the natural environment and landscape and our relationship to it. The central concerns are people, environmental connection, identity and belonging, drawing from archives and personal narratives. Her work is often as much an exploration of others’ lives and connections with landscape as her own.

Sophie’s work has been included in numerous contemporary photographic catalogues, and has been exhibited and published internationally.

Selected exhibitions include Paris Photo (Paris), The Martin Parr Foundation (Bristol), The Photographers’ Gallery (London), The Scottish National Portrait Gallery (Edinburgh), Impressions Gallery (Bradford), Streetlevel Photoworks (Glasgow), Perth Museum & Art Gallery (Perth), OFF_festival (Bratislava), Unseen (Amsterdam), Flowers East (London), The Arbetes Museum (Norrköping), FORMAT International Photography Festival (Derby), The Fox Talbot Museum (Lacock).

Sophie has been the recipient of a number of awards including the Jerwood Photography Award, a Fuji Bursary, a Magenta Fast Forward Award, the Remote Photography Award, Brighton Photodocument award and she has been nominated for the Prix Pictet several years running.

Her work is held in private and national collections including The National Collection of Scotland, The University of St Andrews Special Collection, Perth Museum & Art Gallery Collection, The Sir Elton John Collection, Couttes Bank private collection and the StatOil Collection.

Sophie has an MA in photojournalism and documentary photography from The University of The Arts London, a BA in visual communication from Edinburgh College of Art and a BA in environmental science from Manchester University.

She is represented by The Photographers’ Gallery in London.

In 2012 Sophie co-founded Document Scotland, a collective of internationally acclaimed photographers dedicated to chronicling the social, cultural and economic life in Scotland.

Sophie’s work has been published in several books including “Tunnock” by Café Royal Books, “The Bigger Picture” published by Impressions Gallery, “New Light” by The Jerwood Foundation, and “Compassion, Commitment, Community” published by The Savitri Waney Charitable Trust, Prix Pictet Brighton Photography Biennial.

Sophie lectures in photography nationally and internationally, she has been a visiting lecturer, lecturer and delivered artist talks and conference at Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh Napier University, London College of Communication, Falmouth University, University of the Highlands & Islands, Hereford College of Art, Southampton Solent University, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Brighton, Newcastle University and University of Sunderland.

Sophie is a member of the board of Trustees of Impressions Gallery in Bradford.

Publications

Cafe Royal Books Tunnock’s limited edition of 150 copies
The Bigger Picture published by Impressions Gallery
Doc 001 Document Scotland’s 1st newspaper 2012
Seeing Ourselves Document Scotland newspaper 2013
The Ties That Bind Digital Magazine 2015 released to coincide with the exhibition of the same name at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh.

Exhibitions & Publications

2022 – Document Scotland, Museum Europäischer Kulturen, Berlin
2019 – Drawn To The Land, Perth Museum & Art Gallery. Solo show
2019 – Orkney, The New Craftsmen, London. Group show
2019 – A Contested Land, Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol. Group Show
2019 – A Contested Land, Photo North, Harrogate. Group Show
2019 – 209 Women, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, Group Show.
2019 – Project 16, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool. Group Show
2019 – Project 16, Belfast Exposed. Group Show
2019 – Project 16, FORMAT International Photography Festival, Derby. Group Show
2019 – A Contested Land, Perth Museum & Art Gallery. Solo Show
2018 – The Anthropocene, OFF_festival Bratislava. Solo Show
2018 – We Feed The World, Bargehouse Gallery, London. Group Show
2018 – 10 From The North, An Lanntair, Stornoway. Group Show
2018 – 209 Women, Portcullis House, London. Group Show
2017 – Wildfires, Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum, Dunfermline. Group Show
2017 – Drawn To The Land, Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire. Solo Show
2017 – When The Light Shifts, Glasgow Womens Library. Group Show
2016 – Common Ground, The Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Group Show
2016 – Artists, farmers & Philosophers Symposium, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle. Solo Show
2016 – Northern Light, SIA Gallery, Sheffield. Group Show
2016 – Dundee Science Festival, Drug Discovery Unit. Solo Show
2015 – The Ties That Bind, The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. Group Show
2014 – Beyond The Border, Impressions Gallery, Bradford. Group Show
2014 – Working The Border, Carlisle Photo Festival, Carlisle Railway Station public exhibition, Group show.
2014 – Fotodocument One Planet Living, Brighton Photo Biennial, The Waste House, Brighton, Solo show
2014 – Photography Oxford Festival, Document Scotland Multimedia Screening. Group show
2014 – Common Ground, Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow, Group show
2014 – Face To Face, The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh. Multimedia screening. Group show
2014 – Five by Four, Scotland House, Brussels. Group show
2014 – Document Scotland Autumn Salon, Stills Gallery, Edinburgh, Multimedia screening
2014 – Document Scotland Summer Salon, Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, Inverness, Multimedia screening
2014 – Portrait Salon, Fuse, Bradford, Group Show.
2014 – Survive, London College of Communication alumni show, London
2013 – Protectors of Sight, Hereford Photo Month, The Courtyard Gallery, Hereford, Solo show
2013 – Document Scotland Summer Salon, Stills, Edinburgh, Multimedia Photofilms, Group show
2013 – Unseen Photography Fair, with The Photographers’ Gallery, Amsterdam – Group show
2013 – DOC002, by Document Scotland – Collective self published newspaper
2013 – Seeing Ourselves FotoSpace Gallery, Fife, Group show
2013 – Pulse with Miniclick at Look13, Liverpool Photography Festival , Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool
2013 – “Compassion, Commitment, Community”, Savitri Charitable Trust Publication
2013 – DOC001, by Document Scotland – Collective self published newspaper
2012 – The World In London, The Photographers’ Gallery, London – Group show and online project
2012 – Slideluck Potshow London & Miniclick – 5 years retrospective, Brighton Photo Fringe, Brighton
2012 – Photomonitor – Featured Portfolio Artist for the month
2012 – Uncertain States, Espacio Gallery, London – Group Show
2012 – Uncertain States Issue 10 – collective self published newspaper
2012 – Protectors of Sight – FotoSpace Gallery, Glenrothes – Solo show
2012 – Photography Open Salon – An Eye for An Ear, Galerie Huit Arles, France – Group Show
2012 – Firecracker Diary – Firecracker’s featured European Female Photographers from 2011
2011 – Photovoice Auction of Exceptional Photographs, La Galleria, London – Group Show
2011 – ASA Collective – slideshow, London – Group Show
2011 – Protectors of Sight – Royal Society of Medicine, London – Solo show
2010 – Couttes Private Bank Exhibition – The Photographers’ Gallery, London – Group Show
2009 – “New Light” – Jerwood Photography Awards Publication, London
2008 – Prix Pictet slideshow – Palais de Tokyo, Paris
2008 – Jerwood Photography Award 2007 Exhibition Artists’ Talk – Streetlevel Gallery, Glasgow
2008 – Jerwood Photography Award 2007 Exhibition – Lakeside Arts, Nottingham
2008 – Jerwood Photography Award 2007 Exhibition – Town Hall Galleries, Ipswich
2008 – Visa de L’ani – Bar FlorÈal, Paris – Group Show
2008 – Jerwood Photography Award 2007 Exhibition – Millais Gallery, Southampton
2008 – “E-wasteland” Arbetets Museum, Norrkˆoping, Sweden – Solo Show
2007 – Jerwood Photography Award 2007 Exhibition Artists’ Talk – Jerwood Space, London
2007 – Paris Photo – The Photographers’ Gallery, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris – Group Show
2007 – “Says The Junk In The Yard” – Flowers East, London – Group Show & Catalogue
2007 – “Focus Periphery;Photomeetings 2007” – Galerie Clairefontaine, Luxemburg
2007 – “8 Colours From The Yamato Period” – Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto, Japan
2006 – MA Photojournalism & Documentary Photography – Atrium Gallery, LCC, London
2006 – “Elefest:Eye On The Elephant” – Elephant & Castle Underground, London – Group Show
2006 – Green Elephant – Postgraduate Centre, LCC, London – Solo Show
2005 – 8 Colours From The Yamato Period – Sculpture Court, Edinburgh – Group Show
2005 – “(f)actual; Looking at Documentary” – Napier University, Edinburgh – Group Show

Awards

2019 WINNER: GRAIN Portfolio Award, Derby
2018 NOMINEE: Prix Pictet, Power, Paris
2018 FINALIST: Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award, UK
2018 FINALIST: Fractured Stories, BJP
2015 FINALIST: Remote Photo Festival Prize, Donegal, Ireland
2014 WINNER: Fotodocument One Planet Living Commission, Brighton, UK
2014 FINALIST: Portrait Salon, London, Edinburgh, Birmingham & Bradford
2013 FINALIST: Portrait Salon, London & Bradford
2013 NOMINEE: Prix Pictet, Consumption, Paris
2012 NOMINEE: London Photography Award, London
2012 NOMINEE: Prix Pictet, Power, Paris
2011 NOMINEE: Prix Pictet, Growth, Paris
2010 SHORTLISTED: Terry O’Neill Award, London
2009 NOMINEE: Prix Pictet, Earth, Paris
2008 NOMINEE: Prix Pictet, Water, Paris & Dubai
2008 NOMINEE: Joop Swart Masterclass, World Press Photo
2008 NOMINEE: Sovereign European Art Prize
2008 NOMINEE: Prix Pictet, Paris & Dubai
2007 WINNER: Jerwood Photography Award
2007 WINNER: Fuji Film Bursary
2007 WINNER: Magenta Flash Forward Award, Canada
2007 SHORTLISTED: Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award.

Collections

St Andrews University Special Collections
Scottish National Galleries Collection
StatOil Collection
Couttes Bank Collection
Sir Elton John Collection
Perth Museum Collection

Teaching and talks

2018 – We Feed The World, Gaia Foundation, Bargehouse Gallery, London. ‘Telling the Story of Agroecology: the role media plays’ Panel discussion with John Vidal.
2016 – North East Photography Network, Mining Institute, Newcastle
2016 – Artists, farmers & Philosophers Symposium, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle link
2016 – Northern Light Conference, SIA Gallery, Sheffield link
2016 – BBC Radio 4 Farming Today interview with Fiona Clampin link
2015 – BBC One TV Landward Episode 23 with Sarah Mack link
2015 – BBC Radio Scotland Out of Doors interview with Claire White link
2015 – Develop North Photography Festival, Aberdeen link here
2015 – The Ties That Bind, artists’ talk, The Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh.
2014 – Beyond The Border, artist’s talk, Impressions Gallery, Bradford.
2014 – Brighton Biennial Photoworks & FotoDocument, artist’s talk, Brighton.
2014 – Talk, See Photography, CCA Glasgow
2014 – Photography Oxford Festival, Shooting Local, panel discussion, Oxford.
2012 – Edinburgh College of Art, Foto Talks, public lecture
2012 – ASA Collective & Firecracker, public lecture and presentation
2012 – Women in photography, The Photographers’ Gallery, London
2012 – The BJP Social Lecture, The Photographers’Gallery & BJP, London
2011 – Seeing Photography Lecture Series, Stills Gallery, Edinburgh
2010 – Women in Photography, The Photographers’ Gallery, Couttes Bank, London
2007 – Jerwood Photography Award 2007, artists’ talks – Jerwood Space, London

Education

2020 – Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
2015 – PG Cert Blended and Online Learning, Edinburgh Napier University
2007 – Photomeetings 2007 Workshop with Peter Bialobrzeski & Denis Darzacq, Luxembourg
2006 – MA Photojournalism & Documentary Photography, London College of Communication
2005 – BA Visual Communication, Photography, Edinburgh College of Art
1999 – BSc Hons Environmental Sciences, Manchester University.