Stephen Kelly was born in West Cumbria, England. He now lives in Ticino, Switzerland, where he is developing long-term photographic projects along the Swiss-Italian border. He previously worked in China and Myanmar for over a decade, producing personal projects and working on a variety of commissions throughout the region for clients such as The New York Times, UNHCR and WWF. He has won a number of awards for his work including the Observer David Hodge Award and the Gareth Jones Memorial Travelling Scholarship. His photographs have been exhibited and published internationally.
Education
MFA in Photography (Distinction), Belfast School of Art, Ulster University, 2019-2021
BA (Hons) in Documentary Photography, University of Wales, Newport, 2003-2006
Recent Awards & Honours
Reflexions 2.0 Masterclass Selected Artist, 2023-2025
Creation grant in the visual arts, awarded by the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, 2022-2023
Recent Solo & Group exhibitions
Crest, Museo Onsernonese, Loco, Switzerland, 2024
In the shadows of the mountains, Casa Azul, Gordola, Switzerland, 2023
due valli, due visioni, Fondazione Archivio Roberto Donetta, Corzoneso, Switzerland, 2023
Du Nil au Léman. Regards Contemporains, Musée d'art de Pully, Pully, Switzerland, 2023
Breathing Houses, Verzasca Foto Festival, Verzasca, Switzerland, 2022
A Lightness of Touch, Belfast Exposed Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2021
Client & Publication List
ActionAid, Babel Festival, Bergens Tidende, Bloomberg, D - la Repubblica delle Donne, Das Magazin, The Fader, GUP Magazine,
IL Magazine, IOM, The Independent Magazine, It’s Nice That, MASI Lugano, The New York Times, The Observer Magazine,
PRIVATE photo review, Slate Magazine, Sonntags Zeitung, Tages Anzeiger, UNHCR, Unless You Will, WWF, Yvi Magazine, 6 Mois
Residencies
XYZ Books Artist-in-Residency Program, Lisbon, Portugal, 2023
Co-founder and photo editor of The Exposed, CIID Residency, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2015
Photographer-in-residence, FABRICA, Benetton Communication Research Centre, Treviso, Italy, 2010 – 2011
Guest Lecturing & Artist Visits
Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Accademia di Architettura, Mendrisio, Switzerland
École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Network
Member of near. swiss association for contemporary photography