Heaven & Earth – recent developments in Irish photography
The Gallery of Photography, Dublin, presents a showcase projection exhibition ‘Heaven & Earth – recent developments in Irish photography’ at the New York Photo Festival 2011. Featuring the work of two of Ireland’s leading photographic artists Anthony Haughey and Jackie Nickerson. The projection installation can be viewed at Smack Mellon, Plymouth Street, DUMBO, May 11-15 2011.
About the presentation:
Anthony Haughey adopts a rigorously socio-political approach to landscape. In ‘Disputed Territory’, he explores the social, cultural and political stakes involved where two different states – and at least two different communities – perceive the same landscape in very different terms. Themes of dislocation and discontinuity are further explored in ‘The Edge of Europe’, an evocative portrayal of the complex relationship between the depopulated landscape of the West of Ireland and the Irish Diaspora on the East Coast of America. Haughey’s projection exhibition includes his most recent, ongoing project, ‘Settlement’ which charts the aftermath of the collapse of Ireland’s ‘Celtic Tiger’ economy. The banks foreclosed on developer’s loans, all building projects across the state ceased and more than fifteen years of unprecedented growth came to an abrupt end. Now there are more than 620 ‘ghost estates’ and thousands of unfinished houses throughout Ireland. Through Haughey’s lens, these eerie ‘monuments’ are a testament to the end of Ireland’s gold rush and the resulting cost of unregulated growth.
Jackie Nickerson’s acclaimed body of work FAITH is the result of three year’s work during which she gained unprecedented access to Ireland’s enclosed religious orders. Starkly beautiful, the work delivers a unique insight into the spiritual life of religious communities. As Nickerson states: “Although the visual language is based on extensive research into religious art and Christian symbolism, this is only the beginning of the technical aspect of building the images. The emphasis is on the concentration of commitment and the resultant physicality of both the sitters and their environment. It goes beyond any specific Christian ritual and can be an example of any life based on total commitment to spirituality”
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