{{Short description|American photographer}} '''Sam Penn''' (born 1998) is an American photographer and a visual artist based in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AnOther |date=2024-10-09 |title=One Photographer’s Intimate Study of Relationships in New York |url=https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/15933/sam-penn-photographer-interview-bad-behaviour |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=AnOther |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Cultured |date=2023-09-22 |title=Meet Sam Penn, the Photographer Behind a Zine That Captures New York's It Girls in Repose |url=https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2023/09/22/sam-penn-young-photographers/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Cultured Mag |language=en-US}}</ref> Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in New York, such as New York Life Gallery and OCDChinatown, and in Paris at Balice Hertling.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publication: Sam Penn: Some Girls |url=https://www.newyorklifegallery.com/publications/6-sam-penn-some-girls/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=New York Life Gallery |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-21 |title=Sam Penn Opens a Show at Galerie Balice Hertling and Rolls With the Fashion Scene in Paris |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/wet-paint-in-the-wild-sam-penn-opens-a-show-at-galerie-balice-hertling-and-rolls-with-the-fashion-scene-in-paris-2556575 |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}</ref> Penn is represented by Cadence Image and currently serves as the tour photographer and documentarian for Lorde during her 2025 world tour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Image |first=Cadence |title=Cadence Image |url=https://cadence-image.com/artists/sampenn |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Cadence Image |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shafer |first=Ellise |date=2025-10-22 |title=Lorde on ‘Laying It All Bare’ on Her UltraSound Tour, Subverting the Concept of an Arena Show and Taping Her Chest on Stage: ‘It Empowers Me’ |url=https://variety.com/2025/music/news/lorde-ultrasound-tour-interview-subverting-arena-show-taping-chest-1236557615/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> Her work has appeared in ''Cultured'', ''Document Journal'', ''Artforum'', among others.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=Document |title=Poétique du Récit |url=https://www.documentjournal.com/2024/07/poetique-du-recit/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Penn was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 1998, and grew up in Philadelphia, PA. At a young age she started photographing her younger siblings on disposable Kodak cameras and grew from there.
== Career == Penn first gained attention through ''Some Girls'' (2023), a limited edition photobook from Ethan James Green's New York Life Gallery capturing close friends and lovers in moments of repose, tenderness, and explicit confrontation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hullander |first=Megan |title=Sam Penn’s ‘Some Girls’ is made of intimate odes to womanhood |url=https://www.documentjournal.com/2023/06/sam-penns-some-girls-is-made-of-intimate-odes-to-womanhood/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-10-23 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Falb |first=Sam |date=2024-09-06 |title=Ethan James Green Had a Lot to Celebrate This Week! A Vogue Cover and New Exhibition/Book “Bombshell” |url=https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/ethan-james-green-bombshell-opening-2024 |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref> The book was released alongside her inclusion in a group show, titled ''It's Personal'' with artists Ser Serpas and Nash Glynn.
Her debut solo exhibition, ''Bad Behavior'', named after the Mary Gaitskill novel, opened at Galerie Balice Hertling in Paris in 2024, presenting large-format prints that collapse distinctions between landscape, body, and psychological space.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nevins |first=Jake |date=2024-10-01 |title="Bring Back Spanking": A Five-Minute Cig With Photographer Sam Penn |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/a-five-minute-cig-with-photographer-sam-penn |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Interview Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Photographs from this show included locations like the Lower East Side, Fire Island, and upstate New York.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nevins |first=Jake |date=2023-02-28 |title=Three Girls Take One Gallery in a Sensual Show at OCDChinatown |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/three-girls-take-one-gallery-in-a-sensual-group-show-at-ocdchinatown |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Interview Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>
Penn's work has been show in exhibitions at James Fuentes, OCDChinatown, and New York Life Gallery. Of Penn, the art critic and American songwriter, Johanna Fateman, wrote in ''The New Yorker'', "A row of photographs by Sam Penn offers a window onto a glam coterie in the tradition of Nan Goldin."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nast |first=Condé |title=“It’s Personal” |url=https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/art/its-personal-ocd |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=The New Yorker |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2025 she was profiled by ''Dazed'', ''Cultured'', and ''Another Magazine.''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-11 |title=Sam Penn “Bad Behavior” at Balice Hertling, Paris — Mousse Magazine and Publishing |url=https://www.moussemagazine.it/magazine/sam-penn-balice-hertling-paris-2024 |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=www.moussemagazine.it |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=AnOther |date=2024-10-09 |title=One Photographer’s Intimate Study of Relationships in New York |url=https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/15933/sam-penn-photographer-interview-bad-behaviour |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=AnOther |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dazed |title=Sam Penn Bad Behaviour |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/gallery/34388/2/sam-penn-bad-behaviour |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref>
Penn joined Lorde's U.S. and European tour as the official photographer for the ''Virgin'' album cycle.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Talon |first=The Patriot |date=2025-09-23 |title=REVIEW: Lorde Illuminates On Opening Night of “The Ultrasound Tour” – The Patriot Talon |url=https://thepatriottalon.com/review-lorde-illuminates-on-opening-night-of-the-ultrasound-tour/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sarlin |first=Annie |last2=Heilmann |first2=Bryce |date=2025-10-09 |title=Lorde has risen: ‘Ultrasound Tour’ creates community at TD Garden |url=https://berkeleybeacon.com/lorde-has-risen-ultrasound-tour-creates-community-at-td-garden/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=The Berkeley Beacon}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Maass |first=Brian |date=2025-09-28 |title=A Triumphant Return: Lorde Opens Ultrasound Tour in Austin |url=https://texaslifestylemag.com/entertainment/lorde/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=TLM |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Marvin {{!}} A PUNK ROCK MESSIANIC VISION FOR THE FUTURE {{!}} Lorde Strips Herself Down On Ultrasound Tour |url=https://marvin.la/lorde-strips-herself-down-on-ultrasound-tour/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |language=en-US}}</ref>
In November of 2025, ''New York'' magazine included Penn's first solo New York City show, ''Max'', at New York Life Gallery on their Approval Matrix in their highbrow meets brilliant category.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-31 |title=The Approval Matrix: Carly Rae’s Wedding Bells, Lily Allen’s Divorce Knells |url=https://nymag.com/article/the-approval-matrix-week-of-november-3-2025.html |access-date=2025-11-04 |website=New York Magazine |language=en}}</ref> The series of large-scale photographs documented her relationship with writer Max Battle, accompanied by a book of the images along with his text.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eli |first=Adam |date=2025-11-07 |title=Sam Penn and Max Battle Recap a Year of Sexual Obsession Through the Lens of Raw, Horny Photoshoots |url=https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2025/11/07/art-sam-penn-max-battle-photography-book/ |access-date=2025-11-08 |website=Cultured Mag |language=en-US}}</ref> The project explores intimacy, collaboration, and intertwined authorship as the two traverse New York City, Fire Island, Paris, and Basel flying, hiking, eating, shaving, or lying in bed<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2025-11-07 |title=Sam Penn captures the mutual intimacy of sex and connection |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/69042/1/sam-penn-max-exhibition-intimacy-sex-new-york-life-gallery |access-date=2025-11-08 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref> The show blurs boundaries between artist and subject while examining power dynamics in representation and the ethical complexity of portraiture.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Black |first=Chris |date=2025-11-06 |title=Photographer Sam Penn Has Conquered High Fashion and Touring With Lorde. Now, She’s Freeze-Framing Intimacy. |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/story/photographer-sam-penn |access-date=2025-11-08 |website=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Holgate |first=Mark |date=2025-11-06 |title=Sam Penn and Max Battle’s New Exhibition Offers an Intimate Look at Love |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/sam-penn-max-battle-exhibition |access-date=2025-11-08 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Exhibitions == '''Solo exhibitions'''
* ''Bad Behaviour'', Galerie Balice Hertling, Paris (2024)
'''Selected group exhibitions'''
* New York Life Gallery, New York (2024) * OCD Chinatown, New York (2023–24) * James Fuentes, New York (2025)
== Publications ==
* ''Some Girls'' (2023)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publication: Sam Penn: Some Girls |url=https://www.newyorklifegallery.com/publications/6-sam-penn-some-girls/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=New York Life Gallery |language=en}}</ref> * ''Bad Behavior'' (2004)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Publication: Sam Penn: Bad Behavior |url=https://www.newyorklifegallery.com/publications/15-sam-penn-bad-behavior/ |access-date=2025-10-23 |website=New York Life Gallery |language=en}}</ref>
== References == <references />
Category:1998 births Category:Living people Category:American photographers Category:Artists from Pennsylvania Category:American women photographers Category:21st-century American women artists