Soo Burnell

Growing up in Edinburgh, fine art photographer Soo Burnell constantly found inspiration in the iconic buildings and architecture that Scotland’s capital city is renowned for, and these early impressions were to inform her later work. Following a project at Glenogle Baths, a pool she swam in as a child, Soo was reintroduced to the beauty of the architecture and the serenity found in these spaces, and this was the catalyst for a new direction in her photography. Soo began documenting other historic pools around Edinburgh with the intention of capturing their striking architecture along with the stillness and sense of tranquillity found in these spaces, and this led to her first exhibition, Poolside, in 2018.

Since then, Soo has photographed pools across the UK and Europe, including the landmark London Aquatics Centre designed by architect Zaha Hadid, and a collection of pools in Paris for an exhibition called Into The Blue. In 2025, Soo’s artwork titled Marshall Street, photographed at Marshall Street Baths in London, was included in the Design Museum’s major exhibition Splash! celebrating our enduring love of water over the last century.

Soo spent time in The Hague working on The Plesman Collection, guiding us on a photographic journey that stretches from the Kunstmuseum Den Haag museum, designed by Dutch architect Hendrik Berlage, to Scheveningen beach and the Skyview Pier. Soo was also artist in residence at The Plesman – once home to the headquarters of KLM and now a luxurious design hotel – and her photographs from this collection are displayed throughout the hotel for guests to enjoy.

Over the last seven years, Soo’s work has been showcased internationally, including exhibitions in New York, Paris, Berlin, The Hague, Ostend, London, Tokyo and Seoul, and she is represented by galleries all over the world. In 2021, Soo published her first book, To the Water, and an updated second edition was released in 2025. Soo’s work has also been featured in numerous publications, both digital and in print, including Milk, Suitcase Accidentally Wes Anderson Vol. 1 and Vol. 2,  The Times, Ignant, Time Out, PLAIN Magazine, AIT, and many more.