
Hi, I'm Thom Pierce, a British photographic artist, living in Johannesburg.
I moved to South Africa 15 years ago, planning to only stay for a year, but I fell in love with the vibrant energy and boundless beauty, and never left.
Through my work, I have traveled extensively and experienced the best and worst of this diverse country.
I have witnessed the harsh realities of abject poverty and the heartbreaking consequences for many who cannot access the resources and support that they need.
I have also seen the incredible resourcefulness and resilience of communities “making a plan” in the absence of other options.
The need to make a positive contribution is shared by many of us but it can often feel overwhelming and hard to know what to do.
So I created this initiative; Positive Activism.
It’s easy to see South Africa as a series of insurmountable problems but around every corner there are people trying to provide solutions, doing what they can with what they have, to uplift and support their communities.
Positive Activism is all about finding those people and empowering them to continue providing their vital services. It’s about building a better South Africa together.
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Positive Activism is a social outreach initiative from Thom Pierce Studios.
Thom is an award-winning photographic artist; a recipient of the Piclet Prize for Contemporary African Photography, the Lens Culture Emerging Talent Award and the PDN Storytellers Award.
His artworks have been exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London, The Museum of Tomorrow in Rio De Janeiro, the United States Senate in Washington D.C. and the permanent collection of the South African National Gallery.
His work has been published internationally in newspapers, magazines, and books; and he is a long-term contributor to The Guardian (UK) and Daily Maverick (SA).





Visit www.thompiercestudios.com to find out more.