Thomas Sauvin

Thomas Sauvin is a French photography collector and editor who lives in Beijing. Since 2006 he exclusively works as a consultant for the UK-based Archive of Modern Conflict, an independent archive and publisher, for whom he collects Chinese works, from contemporary photography to period publications to anonymous photography. Sauvin has had exhibitions of his work, and published through Archive of Modern Conflict.

Beijing Silvermine Sauvin started the Beijing Silvermine project, accumulating more than 850,000 anonymous color negatives (as of December 2019) destined for destruction in a Beijing recycling zone. It covers a period of 20 years, from 1985, namely when photographic film (which contains microscopically small light-sensitive silver halide crystals) started being used massively in China, to 2005, when digital photography started taking over. This period is the beginning of the reform and opening up.

Publications Publications by Sauvin Thomas Sauvin: Silvermine. London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2013. . Five albums each containing 20 prints. Edition of 200 copies. Amc2 Journal Issue 8: Quanshen. London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2013. Photographs collected and edited by Sauvin. Silvermine albums. London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2013. . Five albums each containing 20 prints. Edition of 200 copies. METV. Self-published, 2014. With Erik Kessels. Until Death Do Us Part. Jiazazhi, 2015. First edition of 1000 copies; fourth edition of 2000 copies; third edition of 2000 copies; fourth edition of 2000 copies. Xian. Self-published, 2016. Handmade book, composed of fifty-nine paper boxes made of black folded paper, 90 facsimiles of vintage prints. Edition of 200 copies. No More No Less. With Koike. (M); Skinnerboox; Jiazazhi, 2018. Edition of 400 copies. Six. 2018. Set of 3 Softcover postcard booklets. MeNu. London: Archive of Modern Conflict; Galerie Ben Alors. Edited by Ruben Lundgren and Timothy Prus. Edition of 300 copies. Great Leaps Forward. Silvermine, 2019. . Edition of 750 copies.

Exhibitions 2010: Dali International Photography Festival, China. 2012: Open City Museum, Brixen, Austria 2012: Singapore International Photography Festival, Singapore. 2013: Format International Photography Festival, Derby, UK.