2024 Sony World Photography Awards - Category Winner, Portraiture, Open Competition
Michelle Sank was born in South Africa and settled in the UK in 1987. She grew up during Apartheid and is the daughter of immigrants. She cites this background as informing her interest in sub-cultures and the exploration of contemporary social issues and challenges. Her crafted portraits meld place and person creating sociological, visual and psychological landscapes and narratives. Her photographs have been exhibited and published extensively in the UK, Europe, Australia and Mexico, South Africa and the U.S.A and are included in permanent collections such as The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, Museum of Youth Culture, UK. She has won numerous awards to include The Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize and The British Journal Single Image award. She has 4 published books to date that include essays by Liz Wells and David Goldblatt.