African-Irish Artist Residency Award 2024-25
GALLERY 2
13 JULY – 25 AUGUST 2024
Photo Museum Ireland is thrilled to invite you to the opening exhibition of the African Irish Artist Residency Award 2024-25. This special exhibition showcases work from our newly selected award recipients: Ishmael Claxton, Sabrina Faria, and Tolu Ogunware.
This exhibition marks the beginning of an exciting opportunity for these artists to develop their artistic practice while visitors have a unique chance to see the early stages of their creative journey at Photo Museum Ireland. Over the next 12 months, these artists will evolve and expand their practices, culminating in the creation of new bodies of work. Be sure to return in 2025 for our New Talents Exhibition, to see how these artists have deepened their artistic approach.
The African-Irish Artist Residency Award is a prestigious initiative established by Photo Museum Ireland to support and amplify the voices of African-Irish artists and those with African heritage living in Ireland. This award seeks to foster creativity, artistic exchange, and professional growth by providing artists with the resources and opportunities needed to advance their artistic practices. Designed to highlight and showcase these artists’ unique perspectives, this award provides a platform to present and develop their work. We believe that great photography is for everyone, and we are committed to supporting the creative potential within the African-Irish community.
INTERNATIONAL CURATOR PANEL:
ALA KHEIR, PHOTOGRAPHER, KHARTOUM, SUDAN
Ala Kheir is a photographer based in Khartoum, Sudan. Through photography, Kheir actively engages with the city of Khartoum, creating personal perspectives and narratives about his immediate space. His work has been showcased in various African and worldwide spaces. Kheir runs The Other Vision (TOV), a photography platform that focuses on photography education and training in Sudan. Through this, he assists young photographers and connects Sudanese artists to the rest of the continent. Through TOV, Kheir engages with the public in an attempt to address social issues and change in Sudan.
ANNE NWAKALOR, EDITOR, MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
Anne Nwakalor is the Founding Editor of No! Wahala Magazine is one of Africa’s first-ever contemporary photography magazines dedicated to showcasing authentic visual stories by African creatives. She is also a Photo Editor and presently works as a Communication Officer within the art space in the UK.
JOHN FLEETWOOD, CURATOR, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
John Fleetwood (b. 1970, South Africa) is a photography curator, educator, and director of Photo; a multi-operation platform for the development and promotion of socially engaged photography work, projects, photographers, and critical visual culture. He recently curated ‘Five Photographers: A tribute to David Goldblatt’ exhibited in various cities including Johannesburg, Maputo, and Bamako (2018-2019). In 2017, he was guest editor for Aperture’s Platform Africa edition. From 2002-2015 Fleetwood was the director of the Market Photo Workshop. He lives and works in Johannesburg.
Gallery 1:
The Contemporary African Photography Prize 2024
Photo Museum Ireland – supporting diverse artists’ practices in Ireland.
This African-Irish photography Award is a new initiative developed as part of our wider Artists’ Diversity support programmes established in 2022. Since then we have supported residencies, artists’ commissions, training workshops and exhibition opportunities which include; the Diversity Commission in partnership with DCC and Creative Ireland for 5 artists in Dublin; Creative Ireland Traveller Wellbeing project led by Martin Beanz Warde, Silvina Sisterna and the Napantla project, a two-year DIversity residency for Barialai Khoshhal and outreach workshops for people with special needs.
Photo Museum Ireland is the leading voice for photography in Ireland. The institution is dedicated to fostering a dynamic culture of photographic practice across a broad-range of platforms. Established as ‘The Gallery of Photography’ in 1978 by John Osman, the organisation has grown to become one of Ireland’s most loved arts organisations.