Simona Ciocarlan is a Romanian visual artist and researcher. Her work investigates the interweave of collective memory, cultural heritage, and identity. Interested in materiality and the poetics of photography she explores how the medium can transcend traditional forms of image-making. Fascinated by folk textiles, Simona Ciocarlan’s practice is focused on recurring themes such as belonging and sustainability, as she is devoted to exploring folk traditions and promoting the safeguarding of our ancestor’s knowledge and cultural heritage awareness.

For all enquiries please contact: ciocarlanstudio@gmail.com

Education

2021: MA Documentary Photography, University of South Wales

2018: First Class Honours Degree in Photography – University of the West of Scotland & City of Glasgow College

Awards and Recognitions

2022 Reginald Salisbury Award

2021 Women Photograph International Community – Member

2021 Creative Scotland Visual Artist Awards

2020 Portrait of Britain – Winner & publication by Hoxton Mini Press

2020 Kolga Tbilisi International Photography Festival Award – Nominee

2019 FORMAT Festival Shutter Hub Portfolio Award 2019 – Winner

2018 Jill Todd Photographic Award – Highly Commended Awardee

2018 Fòcas Document India 2017- 2018,“The Best Single Images”, Fòcas Scotland – Winner

Made Brave photography competition 2016, United Kingdom – Winner

“Images of Research 2015”, United Kingdom – Finalist

“Picture This 2014”, United Kingdom – Winner

“Shoot the Future”, OPEN Glasgow 2014, United Kingdom – Runner up

“My UK student postcard” 2014, Education UK – British Council – Finalist

Exhibitions

Real Utopias – Photo Fringe Collectives Hub – Rivers, Signals, Miracles, Collective 22, Phoenix Art Space, Brighton, 6-30 October

Going East – Photon Gallery Wien, Austria, 9 September – 22 October 2022

Going East – Photon Gallery Center for Contemporary Photography in Ljubljana, Slovenia – July 2022

New Eyes, ImageNation Paris, Galerie Joseph Le Palais, Paris – May 2022

22 East Meets West at FORMAT 2022, Derby – March 2022

Photo Vogue Festival, “Reframing History”, VID Foundation for Photography, 18-21 November 2021, Milan

Ways of Seeing, Collective exhibition, Glasgow Women’s Library – 29 October – 24 December 2020

Portrait of Britain, United Kingdom – September – November 2020

Time to Think, Festival Pil’Ours, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, Collective exhibition, France — July 2020 – November 2020

NOW, FOR THE FUTURE, Look Photo Biennial at Open Eye Gallery, Collective exhibition Liverpool, UK – November 2019

LifeFramer Photography Prize, Officine Fotografiche Milano, Collective exhibition, Italy – October 2019

Street Level Open, Glasgow September 2019,  Collective exhibition, UK – September 2019

LifeFramer Photography Prize, Bermondsey Project Space London, Collective exhibition, UK – September 2019

STREET / FORM at Pow! Wow! Rotterdam, Collective exhibition, Netherlands – September 2019

New Photographers Guild: Still Searching… , Trongate 103, Collective exhibition, Glasgow, UK – July 2019

Time to Think, Festival Pil’Ours, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, Collective exhibition, France – July 2019

Jill Todd Photographic Award, Street Level Photoworks, Collective exhibition, Glasgow, UK – December 2018

Futureproof, Street Level Photoworks, Collective exhibition, Irvine, UK – July 2018

Free Range, The Old Truman Brewery | Shoreditch London, Collective exhibition, UK – June 2018

Structured, Quartermile Edinburgh, Collective exhibition, UK – December 2017

Purvai Festival, An Laintar, “The Best Single Images”, Collective exhibition, Fòcas Scotland, UK – August 2017

Free Range, The Old Truman Brewery | Shoreditch London, Collective exhibition, UK – June 2017

Type 22, New Glasgow Society, Glasgow, Collective exhibition, UK – October 2016

Transitions, Theatre Royal, Collective exhibition, Glasgow, UK – May 2016

Picturing the Future, Technology & Innovation Centre Glasgow, Collective exhibition, UK – July 2015

Residency

2022 PhMuseum Masterclass, USW MA Documentary Photography, Bologna, Italy

2021 Despatch Artist Residency, Work Show Grow, Lyndhurst, UK