Photo Museum Ireland

Artist In Residence

Niamh Barry

‘Today, media has begun portraying the joy and euphoria in queerness. However, media has an overwhelming tendency to focus on the negative experiences and violence against LGBT+ individuals. I want my WIP to not only contribute to LGBT+ rights discussion but find a middle ground in how queer narratives are portrayed.

By approaching each photograph with a fictional, yet naturally curated approach (akin to Kurland’s “Girl Pictures”), this WIP aims to highlight the unique experiences of Irish LGBT+ individuals in an intersectional manner. From previous research and photos I have taken, such work has prompted photos “Never Fall In Love With A Straight Girl”, “I Am The Lesbian On Your Soccer Team” and “What Is The Name Of Your Special Friend?”. 

Therefore, my work will aim to portray positive and negative emotions in these unique encounters queer individuals experience. But also highlighting how Irish society can contribute to these experiences. My WIP’s overall objective is to primarily explore these experiences and how such moments can be influenced by a country marked by the rigid sexual mores of Catholicism.

I aim to find humour in some of these narratives. But also the trauma that can be experienced. And what these experiences tell us about the society we live in. My WIP aims to find a middle ground by exploring both queer joy and hardship throughout the series. All the while doing so, I will continue to magnify queer Irish identities with complete compassion, empathy and intersectional research.’

– Niamh Barry

This artist commission by Niamh Barry has been supported by the Irish Photo Network.

Special Friend, from the series Now and Forever, Interpersonally Queer

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY:

My primary practice consists of film and digital photography. I am also a videographer, and creative director.

You will often find me capturing moments that normally go unseen through my analog street photography, working with fellow creatives to capture varying artistic visions, and, most notably, exploring queer experiences within Irish society.

My practice attempts to magnify queer Irish identities through portraiture and documentary photography; my work conveys intimate moments and emotions in a country marked by the rigid sexual mores of Catholicism. Challenging traditional notions of Irish femininity, masculinity and sexuality, works such as Queer Hearts of Dublin (2020), No Queer Apologies (2022) and Now and Forever, Interpersonally Queer (2022-2023) encourage spectators to connect with my subjects as both individuals and as community. Collaborating extensively with fellow queer Irish artists, my work is simultaneously a call for solidarity and a call to action.

I currently live and work in Dublin, Ireland and beyond. 

Countryside with You, from the series Now and Forever, Interpersonally Queer