Uncertain State
Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square,
Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Dates: 21 Jun-11 Aug
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 11-6pm / Sun 1-6pm / Mon
How is photography responding to the crisis? Uncertain State looks at how photographic artists are representing this period of austerity and uncertainty in Ireland. Their work addresses important issues at the heart of where we are now: contested and hidden histories, effects of the global financial crisis and the radically altered social and physical landscapes. The ten artists in Uncertain State go beyond surface readings to reflect the emerging concerns in post celtic tiger Ireland: the treatment of asylum seekers; institutional abuse; sexual abuse; emigration; the legacy of the property crash; identity; disadvantage & marginalisation; and the legacy of conflict.
- Asylum Archive documents the housing provision for Asylum Seekers around Ireland in the series Direct Provision Hostels;
- Eoin O Conaill’s new work Reprieve surveys green field sites saved from planned development by the property crash;
- Doug DuBois’ compelling body of work My Last Day at Seventeen offers a somewhat fictional documentary account of adolescence in Cobh, Cork;
- David Farrell’s An Archaeology of the Present records the topography of post crisis Ireland;
- Kim Haughton’s sensitive investigation of child abuse – In Plain Sight – presents powerful collaborative portraits of abuse survivors;
- Paddy Kelly’s photographs of IRA Training sites in his series Bogland reflect his attempt to emotionally identify with his father while addressing issues of identity, memory and place;
- Lauren McGookin uses photography to gain an understanding of her own community’s Loyalist culture in her series Tales and Whispers;
- Paul Nulty charts his Mother’s experience as a returning emigrant attempting to settle again in the midlands in his series I’m Looking at our Place;
- Pete Smyth revisits his portrait of people in his own community in Tallaght after a period of 21 years in his series A View from the Dearth;
- Una Spain records poignant traces from St. Brigid’s de-commisioned Victorian institution for the mentally ill in Ballinasloe.
Uncertain State is not a definitive survey – the work on show presents a brief insight into the broad range of photographic responses to where we are now in Ireland.
A keynote exhibition in the PhotoIreland Festival 2013.
The Temple Bar
Photography Summer School
28-30 Jun
The inaugural Temple Bar Photography Summer School presents a 3-day programme of talks, events, workshops and an accompanying curated exhibition. The theme of the Summer School is “An Uncertain State”. It provides a platform for lively discussion and debate on the role of photography and visual culture, exploring the uncertain state of contemporary Ireland. The programme is designed to encourage a wider enjoyment and understanding of the cultural value of photography.
Events
Uncertain Futures
Meeting House Square
Fri 28 Jul / 10pm
Outdoor exhibition screening, curated by Small World
Temple Bar Summer School Talks.
Project Arts Centre
28/29 Jul
Leading artists, academics, historians and writers exploring how contemporary photographers are responding to this moment of uncertainty and instability in contemporary Ireland.
Mark Condren Masterclass
Gallery of Photography
Sun 30 Jul
Bright Futures
Gallery of Photography
Sun 30 Jul
Panel discussion exploring new opportunities for photographers
Walking Workshop
Gallery of Photography
Sun 30 Jul
Hands on photo-tour of Dublin.
The Temple Bar Photography Summer School is an initiative of: Gallery of Photography, Temple Bar Cultural Trust and Dublin City Council, in partnership with Dublin Institute of Technology Photography Programme and The National Photographic Archive/The National Library of Ireland.
For more information visit the Gallery of Photography.
Image credit: Eoin O Conaill.
