Alexander Parkyn-Smith

Photographer, filmmaker & visual anthropologist.

My interests lie in understanding human environmental relations, the perception of risk and the way that people tell stories to help make sense of change. I have regional expertise in Central Asia, specifically Kazakhstan.

For artist print sales please email. Books and prints can be found at my online shop

Contact: alex@myriadfilm.com

Education

PhD Social Anthropology, St Chad's College, University of Durham

MA Visual Anthropology, Goldsmiths College, University of London

BA Anthropology, St Chad's College, University of Durham

Awards

British Academy Stein-Arnold Exploration Fund Award Holder 2024-2025

Exhibitor in Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2023

Selected for Royal Photographic Society's IPE 162 Exhibition 2020

Finalist in EyeEm Awards. Photojournalist Category 2018

NEDTC Doctoral Studentship Award 2013-2017

Talks

2023

5th April - "Can you have a business model for visual anthropology?", NURCE Narrative Research Training Programme, Astana, Kazakhstan

24th March - Artist Talk, Cauchemar Idea, Almaty, Kazakhstan

7th March - Convenor and Discussant, "Collaborative visualisation: the potential for visual anthropologists to support academics from other disciplines, to communicate and further their research using creative methodologies." Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival Conference

28th October - In Conversation with Alexander Parkyn-Smith on Documentary Photography, WEX Photo Video London

2020

30th September - Museum of Corruption student workshop for East Riding County Council

15th February - RPS Snapshots talk for the opening of IPE 162 exhibition

Exhibitions

2024

'Artistic Traditions / Contemporary Practice' pop-up exhibition, MOC hub, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, September 30th

'Artistic Traditions / Contemporary Practice' pop-up exhibition, Bukhara Photo Gallery, Uzbekistan, September 27th

'Artistic Traditions / Contemporary Practice' pop-up exhibition, Samarkand Academy of Artists, Uzbekistan, September 21st

'Trailblazers of the Steppe', Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan April 18th-30th

'Portrait of Mars', Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK, November 9th 2023 - February 25th 2024

2023

'Together we have it all', Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan, April 5th-7th

'Together we have it all', Atelier Cauchemar, Almaty, Kazakhstan, March 23rd - 24th

'Together we have it all', Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan, March

'Together we have it all', Bel Tam CBT Camp, Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan, March

'Portrait of Mars', Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, November 9th 2023 - February 25th 2024

2022

Royal Photographic Society IPE 162 - 3 images selected from the project 'Museum of Corruption'

The Museum of Gloucester: 27th January - 5th June

2021

Royal Photographic Society IPE 162 - 3 images selected from the project 'Museum of Corruption'

Museum of Somerset, Taunton: 9th May - 10th July

2020

Royal Photographic Society IPE 162 - 3 images selected from the project 'Museum of Corruption'

Beverley Art Gallery, Beverley: 13 June - 12 September

Royal Albert Hall, London: 2 April - 27 April (Cancelled due to Covid-19)

RPS House, Bristol: 15 February - 22 March (Virtual exhibition)

Books/Articles/Papers

2024 - Trailblazers of the Steppe: Inspiring narratives of women entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev University Research Centre for Entrepreneurship, (Role: Consultant visual anthropologist and all images)

April 2023 - ‘Together we have it all: Women Entrepreneurs In Kyrgyzstan's Community-Based Tourism Sector’, Yousafzai, S; Parkyn-Smith, A; Sailaukhanova, D; Chaia, A; Omran, W; Lennartz, E; Amirbekova, J, Myriad Press

April 2023 - 'A Business Model for Visual Anthropology'?, Nazarbayev University School of Business (NUGSB), Business Digest, 2023/21, NURCE

March 2023 - , 'Visual anthropology across disciplines: visual ethnography and research with women entrepreneurs in Kyrgyzstan', paper delivered at the RAI film festival conference 2023. Talk hosted at Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol, UK

March 2022 - 'War in Ukraine - An Interview with Dr. Taras Fedirko', featuring images from our collaboration in Ukraine. ASA Online, Journal of the Association of Social Anthropologists

October 2021 - ‘I am not your cat’: a graphic novel informing young girls in Ukraine about ‘their sexual safety, their body and boundaries’, writing and photography for the BEARR Trust

2020 - 'Making sense of change: An urban ethnography of middle-class narratives of uncertainty in Almaty, Kazakhstan', Doctoral Thesis, Durham University

2024, Trailblazers of the Steppe (Photography)

2023, Together We Have It All (Photography)

Clients

Wall Street Journal, NZZ, Nazarbayev University, Telegraph Media Group, BBC, Martin Parr Foundation, Royal Photographic Society, ENSO Energy, UNISDR, PSI International