Jaiyana Chelikha is a photographer based in the Southwest of England.

Her work sits between observation and feeling, sometimes quiet, sometimes raw, always searching for what lingers beneath the surface. She is drawn to people, landscapes, and spaces that hold tension or intimacy, allowing light, composition, and mood to guide each frame.

Coming from a mixed Moroccan and English background, her work often reflects an interest in identity and belonging, and in how environments, both familiar and ambiguous, shape the way people exist within them. Her practice experiments with presence, distance, and perspective, aiming to leave space for the viewer to arrive somewhere between clarity and uncertainty.

Selected Recognition and Awards

• Shortlisted for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize - 2025

• Winner and published in Portrait of Britain Volume 8 - 2026

• Shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 167 - 2026

• Exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery as part of Photo Portrait Now - 2025

• The Greg O'Shea Memorial Award for Outstanding Practice - 2026

Selected Features & Publications

• Featured in collaboration with Channel 4 News - 2026

• Interviewed on BBC Radio Devon - 2025

• Featured in The Guardian - 2026

• Featured by Bentley Motors in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery - 2026

• Front cover feature, NSEAD iJADE Volume 44: Number 4 - 2026

• Featured in Hyphen - 2026

• Featured in Men With Class - 2026