Ikea and Annie Leibovitz launch mentorship programme

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has partnered with famed portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz to launch a new photography mentorship programme.

Since January, Leibovitz has been working as Ikea's artist in residence, where she has been interpreting Ikea's Life at Home Report, an annual survey aimed at building an understanding of how people use their homes.

Leibovitz has been capturing portraits of twenty-five people in seven countries as part of this residency.

Now, five aspiring young photographers will have the opportunity to be mentored by Leibovitz and Ikea, while undertaking the same brief as Leibovitz.

The Mentorship is open to aspiring photographers between the ages of 18 to 25, who can submit their application between the 1st and the 30th of June.

Running from July to November 2023, the program will offer the five mentees advice and guidance from Leibovitz, mentorship from IKEA experts including Creative Director of Ingka Group, Marcus Engman, as well as payment for their work.  

The work of the mentees will feature as part of the conclusion to the artist in residence collaboration.   

Belén Frau, Global Communication Manager at Ingka Group (IKEA Retail) says the retailer wants to empower the next generation of photographers.

"We want them to see what magic can happen when they look to the home as a source of inspiration,” she adds. 

Those interested can apply via the IKEA website today.