ABOUT ME
I am the product of an artist and an accountant, born and raised on a small island where nothing much happened. The accountant in me wanted a nine-to-five job, a solid income and a pension. The artist wanted to travel, create and make a positive impact on the world.
The artist won.
I have always loved new people and new places, so In my twenties I traveled extensively. As I did so, I became increasingly aware of the diversity of humanity, as well as both the positive and negative impact that we have on the world and each other.
Although the island that I grew up on gave me little to engage with, I discovered my passions through travel and photography. The camera gave me a means to explore, through which I found a deep appreciation of what connects us as humans, as well as the beauty of our differences.
That is where I am now. Searching for answers, fascinated by people, frustrated by injustice and on a mission to create a more compassionate world.
Through my work I have learned that there are no real answers, just an endless series of open ended questions about the world and the people that populate it. It is these questions that motivate me to share all that I am lucky enough to see with my own eyes.
I hope that comes though in my work.
These days I live in Johannesburg, South Africa with with my beautiful wife Nomatter and our two young kids Maha and Malakai, all of whom provide me with the solid foundation that I need to continue creating the work that I love.
BIOGRAPHY
Thom Pierce (born 1978 in Jersey, Channel Islands) is an award-winning British photographic artist, currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Over the last ten years, he has built a substantial body of work that has been exhibited in major international galleries and festivals.
His work explores the line between art, documentary, and traditional portrait photography to create carefully crafted dramatic images. He splits his time between personal projects and commissioned work.
In 2022 Thom started working on an ongoing series of portraits called The Actionists, profiling human rights defenders, climate activists, artists and innovators around South Africa.
Thom is a recipient of the Piclet Prize for Contemporary African Photography and the PDN storytellers award, and his work can be found in the permanent collection of the South African National Gallery. In 2017 he was chosen as a finalist in the Magnum Photographic Awards and selected for the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Notable international exhibitions include solo shows at Everard Read Gallery - Johannesburg, ArtCo Gallery - Aachen, The Guardian Gallery - London, The Museum of Tomorrow - Rio De Janeiro, and the United States Senate in Washington D.C.
Thom’s work has been published globally in newspapers, magazines, and books. It has also been featured as part of several human rights campaigns.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
The Objectors - War Resisters International Conference, Cape Town - July 2014
Andriesvale - Mogalakwena Gallery, Cape Town - September to October 2014
The Objectors - The Castle, Cape Town - September - October 2014
Platfontein (The Bushman Hip-Hop Generation) - Youngblood Gallery, Cape Town - October 2014
The Objectors - Friends of Design, Cape Town - November 2014
Simplify (part of "Black & White" curated exhibition) - Johans Borman Gallery, Cape Town - November 2014
Andriesvale - South Gallery, Cape Town - November - January 2015
The Objectors - South Gallery, Cape Town - March 2015
Black Sash 60th Anniversary Exhibition - Artscape, Cape Town - August 2015
The Price of Gold - Iziko Slave Lodge, Cape Town - December 2015 to March 2016
The Objectors - Part of group exhibition 'Studio' at South African National Gallery - 2016
The Horsemen of Semonkong - Circa, Johannesburg - 2016
The Horsemen of Semonkong - ArtCo Gallery, Germany - July 2017
Les Nuits de la Photographie - Les Rencontres De La Photographie - Arles 2017
Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize - The National Portrait Gallery - London 2017 to 2018
The Price of Gold - Head On - Sydney, Australia 2018
The Defenders - The Guardian HQ - London 2018
The Defenders - Museum of Tomorrow - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2018
CDC Front Lines - Atlanta International Airport - Atlanta, USA 2019
CDC Front Lines - United States Senate - Washington D.C. 2019
FESTIVALS
Featured at the following festivals:
Cape Town Month of Photography (South Africa), Head on (Australia), Secvente (Romania), Fotografvaki (Turkey), Lagos Photo (Nigeria), Addis Photo (Ethiopia), La Quatrieme Image (France), PhotOn (Spain), Art Photo Barcelona (Spain), FestFoto (Brazil), Krakov Photomonth (Poland), Los Angeles Festival of Photography (USA), Odessa/Batumi Photo Days (Ukraine), Format (UK).
AWARDS
Piclet Popcap '16 - Prize for contemporary African photography - Winner
PDN Storytellers 2016 - Winner
Lensculture Storytellers 2015 - Finalist
Head On Photo 2016 - Semi-Finalist
Lensculture Emerging Talent 2016 - Winner
Mondo Galleria Award 2017 - 1st Runner Up
Magnum Photographic Awards 2017 - Finalist
Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize 2017 - Exhibition Finalist
ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
Review of Andriesvale Exhibition in the Cape Times newspaper.
Mail & Guardian feature - Artists who drill below the obvious - October 2015
BBC world service interview about The Price of Gold - October 2015
BBC News Video featuring The Price of Gold exhibition - October 2015
Between 10 and 5 Interview - January 2016
Daily Maverick Interview - February 2016
Resource Magazine Interview - March 2016
Dodho Magazine Interview - April 2016
Visi Magazine Interview - October 2016
Culture Trip Interview - November 2016
FotoFirst Interview - November 2016
Fathom Magazine Interview - August 2017
Taylor Wessing Prize Interview - November 2017
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
Silicosis: The long battle to get the mines to cough up - Daily Maverick - September 2015
The Price of Gold Photo Essay in The Guardian - October 2015
Sunday Times article - Forget the myths about foreigners.
The Objectors comment piece in the South African Mail & Guardian.
The Price of Gold - multimedia piece in the Mail & Guardian - August 2015
The Caregivers - Multimedia piece in the Mail & Guardian - September 2015
Roads & Kingdoms - Portraits of Resistance - 2016
Workshop X - The Price of Gold - 2016
L'Oeil De La Photographie - The Price of Gold - 2016
British Airways High Life - Wrapped Up - 2016
Vogue - The Horsemen of Semonkong - 2016
The Independent - The Horsemen of Semonkong - 2016
The Guardian - The Horsemen of Semonkong - 2016
Esquire Russia - The Horsemen of Semonkong - 2016
Insider - The Horsemen of Semonkong - 2016
Public Delivery - The Horsemen of Semonkong - 2017
The Guardian - The Defenders - 2018
The Guardian - Postcards From Xolobeni - 2018
The Intercept - The Defenders - 2018
The Myanmar Times - The Defenders - 2018
Faces on the Front Lines - CDC - 2019