Siân Davey is a photographer with a background in Fine Art and Social Policy. She worked for 15 years as a humanist Buddhist psychotherapist before beginning her creative practice.
After visiting the Louise Bourgeois retrospective at the Tate London (2007), Davey was immediately inspired to translate her history creatively. In 2011, at the age of 48, she found her medium. The camera relinquished Davey’s psychotherapy work and committed her to the process of creativity.
Her photography work is an investigation of the psychological landscapes of both herself and those around her. Davey’s four children and her community are central to her practice. She draws upon her childhood years as a constant narrative to inform her practice.
Beginning in 2020, she transformed her abandoned garden into a vibrant space, filled with wildflowers, birdsong and people. Over three summers and in collaboration with her son Luke, Davey cultivated a botanical space rooted in love, joy and togetherness. When the flowers bloomed, they called in the community and photographed them. The resulting portraits became an expression of yearning, defiance, joy and interconnectedness.
In 2012, Davey completed an MA in Photography at Plymouth University and went on to complete an MFA the following year.
Davey has been the recipient for awards including the winner of the Arnold Newman Award for New Directions in Portraiture, Prix Virginia Woman’s Photography Award and 3 consecutive years the National Gallery Taylor Wessing Portrait Award. Her book ‘Looking for Alice’ was shortlisted for Paris Photo – Aperture Best Book Award Shortlist 2016 and shortlisted for the Kraszna – Krausz Foundation Book Award and recently short listed for the Prix Pictet the Prix Elysée and in 2023 awarded the Royal Photographic Society Honorary Fellow
Davey is represented by the Michael Hoppen Gallery London and her work is held by major collections including The Science Museum, London; The Victoria & Albert Museum, London; The French National Collection, Paris; the Martin Parr Foundation; Bristol and the National Portrait Gallery.
Garden Gate © Sian Davey
Wilderness © Sian Davey
Festival © Sian Davey
TALK PHOTO is a fortnightly evening social event in Oriel Colwyn’s gallery space, where invited speakers are here IN PERSON to share presentations and insights about their work or projects, with a friendly intimate audience.
Talks start at 7pm (doors open 6.30pm) with tickets issued on a first come, first served basis.
If you are in a position to contribute towards the talks then please choose a donation option – this will directly help Oriel Colwyn and the continuation of these events going forward.
If you would prefer not to donate, please choose the FREE Ticket option.
Due to space limitations, we will be capping the audience to 30 people and are happy to offer a FREE option to remove any financial barriers to attend.