Alys is an editorial and fine art documentary photographer based in London.

Alys grew up in Brighton and studied English Literature and Communications at the University of Leeds. After graduating, she moved to New York for a year and was given her first commission for Time Out, before returning to London to study photography at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. She later completed an MA in Anthropology of Travel, Tourism and Pilgrimage (Distinction) at SOAS, University of London, which tied in with her long-term, personal project about pilgrimage.

Her book Ex-Voto was published by GOST Books in 2019 and Lost Summer was self-published in 2020. Alys combines commissioned work for editorial, design and advertising clients with personal work, which she publishes and exhibits. Alys recently finished work on a feature-length documentary film Mother Vera which she co-directed with Cécile Embleton. Her latest project Gli Isolani (The Islanders) was published by GOST Books in 2022.

Alys’s work is collected privately and is in the following collections: National Portrait Gallery (London), The Rencontres d’Arles Collection, The Bodleian Library, AmberSide Collection. 

  • 2023 Locarno Film Festival, Creativity Media First Look Award
  • 2021 Hot Docs Forum, Pitch Prize, 2nd Place (Mother Vera)
  • 2020 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, 1st Prize Winner
  • 2020 Sundance Institute, Documentary Fund Grantee
  • 2020 Prix Elysée, Musée de l’Elysée, Nominee
  • 2019 Meitar Award for Excellence in Photography, Finalist
  • 2019 Hariban Award, Finalist (Honourable Mention)
  • 2019 Winner of the Public Prize, Rencontres d’Arles,
    Discovery Award
  • 2019 Prix de la Photo Madame Figaro Arles, Shortlist
  • 2019 Rencontres d’Arles, Louis Roederer,
    Discovery Award, Shortlisted
  • 2018 Royal Photographic Society IPE 161 – Silver Award
  • 2018 Sony World Photographer of the Year, overall winner
  • 2018 Sony Professional Grant recipient
  • 2018 BJP/International Photography Award, Shortlist
  • 2018 Sony World Photography Awards, 1st Place,
    Discovery Category
  • 2017 Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery
  • 2017 Hotshoe Award/Renaissance Photography Prize, Winner
  • 2017 Renaissance Photography Prize, Finalist (series)
  • 2016 SOAS Departmental Prize (Anthropology and Sociology)
  • 2016 London International Creative Competition,
    Honourable Mention
  • 2016 Tri-pod/Photofusion Award, Winner
  • 2016 Renaissance Photography Prize, Finalist (series)
  • 2012 Creative Review Photography Annual
  • 2010 Creative Review Photography Annual
  • 2008 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris,
    Honourable Mention
  • 2008 Magenta Foundation/Flash Forward, Winner
  • 2007 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, Honourable Mention
  • 2007 PDN 30, emerging photographers selected by
    Photo District News
  • 2006 International Photography Awards (Lucie),
    Honourable Mention
  • 2006 Arts Council England, Grant for Individuals
  • 2005 London Photographic Awards, Winner
  • 2003 Jerwood Photography Award, Shortlisted
  • 2003 Observer Hodge Award, Highly Commended
  • 2003 Peter Kirk Memorial Travel Scholarship
  • 2002 EXIT Magazine, New Talent Award Winner

  • 2024 'Ex-Voto' Faith Museum, Bishop Auckland, UK
  • 2024 ‘UK Women’ Ludwiggalerie, Oberhausen, Germany
  • 2022 ‘Gli Isolani (The Islanders) HackelBury Fine Art, London
  • 2021 ‘Youth Rising in the UK’ Side Gallery, Newcastle
  • 2020 Jinan Biennale, Shandong Art Museum, China
  • 2020 Nuit de la Photo, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
  • 2019 ‘The Faithful’ Rencontres d’Arles, France
    (solo exhibition)
  • 2019 ‘Ex-Voto’ Side Gallery, Newcastle (solo exhibition)
  • 2019 ‘Ex-Voto’ HackelBury Fine Art, London (solo exhibition)
  • 2019 ‘Ex-Voto’ Chichester Cathedral, West Sussex
    (solo exhibition)
  • 2018 Sony World Photography Awards, Somerset House, London
  • 2017 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London
  • 2017 Made in Brixton, Photofusion, London
  • 2016 Portrait Salon, London
  • 2015 Uncertain States Annual, London (Photomonth)
  • 2015 Emerging, Annenberg Space for Photography
    Los Angeles, USA
  • 2014 Les Rencontres d’Arles Book Award exhibition, Arles, France
  • 2013 Salon/13 Photofusion, London
  • 2013 ‘24’ Berkeley Square, London
  • 2012 Portrait Salon, London
  • 2010 ‘Open Here’ Hereford Photography Festival
  • 2010 Foto 8 Summer Show, HOST Gallery, London
  • 2010 ‘Why We Love Photography’ HOST Gallery, London
  • 2009 ‘Manual Focus’ The Lloyd Gill Gallery, Somerset
  • 2008 ’24′ The AOP Gallery, London
  • 2006 ‘Stop Moving’ Photodebut Exhibition, London
  • 2006 ‘Film on Film’ The AOP Gallery, London
  • 2006 ‘Dead Time’ Swiss Cottage Gallery, London (solo exhibition)
  • 2006 ‘Petites Morts’ The Glasshouse Gallery, London
  • 2005 ‘Portfolio’ The AOP Gallery, London
  • 2004 ’3′ Deluxe Gallery, London
  • 2003 Exposure: Hereford Photography Festival
  • 2003 The Observer Hodge Photographic Award, London

Selected Press

Screen Daily, Mother Vera review / Jonathan Romney
The Guardian, Where the Wild Things Are / Sean O'Hagan
British Journal of Photography, Behind the Mask / Izabela Zhang
Slowness, Pilgrimage as Practice 
Analog Forever, Gli Isolani book review / Michael Behlen
The Standard, Lost Summer / Robert Dex
Lens Culture, The Faithful / Sophie Wright
The Guardian, My Best Shot / Dale Berning
1000 Words, Ex-Voto / Caroline Molloy
The Guardian, Sony Awards / Maev Kennedy

Selected Podcasts

A Small Voice / Ben Smith
Fast Forward, Women in Photography / Anna Fox
The Land Behind / Peter Holliday
The Large Format Photography Podcast /
Andrew Bartram & Simon Forster
The Messy Truth / Gem Fletcher
The Nearest Truth / Brad Feuerhelm
The Photowalk Podcast / Neale James
The Sound of Photography / Frank Watson
10 Frames Per Second / J.M Giordano & Elena Volkova

Videos and online talks

Naples project 'La Smorfia' / Wex
Online Masterclass, Storytelling / Wex
Alys Tomlinson, Wex Ambassador / Wex
PhotoForum with Louise Fedotov-Clements / FORMAT
Sony Photographer of the Year / Newsnight

Media appearances: Newsnight, BBC London News, Radio 4 (Front Row), Christmas University Challenge

Talks and lectures include: Martin Parr Foundation, National Museum of Women in the Arts, National Portrait Gallery, Photo London, The Photographers' Gallery, The RPS, SIDE Gallery and numerous universities.

Visiting lecturer at Central Saint Martins (UAL) and Ravensbourne College of Art & Design.

Conference papers

2018 ‘Landscapes of pilgrimage and figures of pilgrims: an essay in location and discloation’ paper presented at Art, Materiality and Representation conference at The British Museum/SOAS.

2016 ‘Developing the image: re-­evaluating contemporary photographic practice’ paper presented at Photography in Academic Research conference, UCL.

2014 ‘Pilgrims and passers-by, a photographer’s perspective: anthropological approaches in fine art and documentary photography practice‘ paper presented at Anthropology and Photography conference, The British Museum.

Contact

Alys is represented by:
HackelBury Fine Art
4 Launceston Place, London W8 5RL

For print sale enquiries:
T: +44 20 7937 8688
gallery@hackelbury.co.uk
www.hackelbury.co.uk

If you would like to contact Alys regarding commissions, exhibitions or talks, please email:

alys@alystomlinson.co.uk
Instagram