Ian Willms (b. 1985) is a Canadian visual artist and documentary photographer, and a member of Panos Pictures. His long-term projects explore Indigenous sovereignty, ecological destruction, overlooked histories of genocide and the psychological effects of the pandemic era. On assignment, he has photographed geopolitical conflicts, social issues, cultural trends, natural disasters and organised crime around the world.
Empathy is central to his practice. His ancestors fled persecution in Ukraine before emigrating to Canada, and his formative experiences in a community affected by poverty, homelessness, addiction, racism and other forms of exclusion helped shape his approach to photographing people and their lives.
His work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, TIME, GEO, New York Magazine and The Guardian Weekly. It has received support and recognition from the Eugene Smith Fund, World Press Photo, Sony World Photography Awards, Pictures of the Year International, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Lange-Taylor Prize.
His project The Hound was selected by Matt Black at Trieste Photo Days 2025 for exhibition at the festival’s 2026 edition, where Willms also leads a workshop on gaining access and building trust as a photographer.
