Born 1990, Sam Laughlin is a British visual artist. His recent practice is primarily concerned with intricate natural processes which quietly unfold in patterns and cycles. Mainly utilising large format black and white photography, his work is characterised by a sustained and informed engagement with nature, light and time.
Laughlin has exhibited widely including at Towner Gallery, John Hansard Gallery, Jerwood Space, Impressions Gallery, Belfast Exposed and Serchia Gallery. In 2017 he was awarded the Jerwood/Photoworks award, which funded the production of his series 'A Certain Movement'. His series 'Spinning Away' was awarded juror's choice at the 2023 Hariban Awards and has been nominated for the 11th cycle of the Prix Pictet. In 2024 he was the inaugural artist in residence for Borders Forest Trust. He works mainly on personal projects and commissions and is currently based in Somerset, UK, where he also lectures on photography.
E-mail: sam@samlaughlin.co.uk
Instagram: @samlaughlin90
Awards / Commissions / Residencies
- Nomination: Prix Pictet ‘Storm’. Selected by Martin Barnes
- Borders Forest Trust. Artist in Residence. Scottish Borders, UK
- Hariban Awards 2023. Juror’s Choice Award
- GRAIN Projects ‘Rural Gaze’ Commission & Publication
- Towner Art Gallery - Sussex Art Circle Commission Award
- Jerwood/Photoworks Award
- Danny Wilson Memorial Award
- John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, UK
- Reginald Salisbury Award
Selected Exhibitions
- Solo Exhibition. Gathering Light. Dawyck Studio, Scottish Borders, UK
- Earth Photo. Royal Geographical Society, London
- Solo Exhibition. Ripples In The Surface Of Things. Serchia Gallery, Bristol, UK
- Solo Exhibition. Falling Wall, Rising Dust Pt.2. John Hansard Gallery. Southampton, UK
- Sussex Art Circle Commission Award. Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, UK
- Jerwood/Photoworks Award. Impressions Gallery. Bradford, UK
- Jerwood/Photoworks Award. Belfast Exposed. Belfast, UK
- Jerwood/Photoworks Award. Jerwood Space. London, UK
- Solo Exhibition. Falling Wall, Rising Dust Pt.1. John Hansard Gallery. Southampton, UK
- Solo Exhibition.Sam Laughlin: Selected Works. Regency Town House, BPF16. Brighton, UK
- Lago. Tratalias, Sardinia, Italy
- Rotterdam Contemporary. Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Expositieruimte 38CC. Delft, Netherlands
- BCJEM Biennale of Young Artists. Fabbrica Del Vappore, Milan, Italy
- Two Queens Gallery. UK Young Artists Festival. Leicester, UK
- Fotofilmic 13. Positive/Negative Gallery. Vancouver, Canada
- Third Floor Gallery (Diffusion Festival fringe). Cardiff, UK
- Solo Exhibition. Rebuilt Histories. Rizhoma. Milan, Italy
- Solo Exhibition. Architecture as Monument. Cambridge University, UK
- Ambika P3. London, UK
- Wales Millennium Centre. Cardiff, UK
- Platform. Bristol Diving School. Bristol, UK
- When The Night Falls. KIK. Kolderveen, Netherlands
Selected Press & Interviews / Essays
Source Magazine, Hapax Magazine, Emergence Magazine, De Volkskrant, British Journal of Photography, Photoworks, Photomonitor, Elephant Magazine, Vice Magazine, Hotshoe Magazine, The Guardian.
- https://jhg.art/video/sam-laughlin-in-conversation/
- http://bit.do/Jerwood-Tim-Clark-Essay
- https://www.photomonitor.co.uk/a-certain-movement/
- https://photoworks.org.uk/video-interview-jerwood-photoworks-awardee-sam-laughlin/
- http://theheavycollective.com/2020/02/09/qa-sam-laughlin-slow-time-a-certain-movement/