Untitled, from the series Diesel, 2021
Ciaran Dunbar
Ciaran Dunbar, Untitled, from the series Diesel, 2021
About the Artist:
Ciaran Dunbar (b. 1982) in Dundalk, Ireland, where he currently lives and works. He gained a BA in Photography from the University of Ulster, Belfast, in 2013. Having escaped The Troubles in the 1980s, Dunbar’s parents, originally from the north of Ireland, settled in Dundalk. It is here, against the backdrop of this border town, that issues of identity, displacement and belonging have become the focus of Dunbar’s work to date. His project Diesel traces the illegal dumping of toxic waste material, commonly referred to as ‘sludge,’ by diesel launderers at sites along the Irish border between Counties Louth, Armagh and Down. Diesel laundering plants range in size and sophistication, laundering anywhere between 6 and 30 million litres of fuel per year. His work has been featured in Gallery of Photography Ireland’s 5-year Reframing the Border programme exploring creative responses to the border, which culminated in a series of public art installations along the border marking the Centenary of Partition in 2021. He was awarded a Galleries Without Walls collaborative commission which culminated in a ground-breaking NFT programme organised by Gallery of Photography Ireland, Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny and the Museum of Crypto Art.
Details: Archival pigment inkjet print on Hahnemühle Photo Baryta, 50x70cm (paper size), uneditioned print, produced 2021, acquired for the National Photography Collection 2022.
About the National Photography Collection:
The National Photography Collection builds on the Gallery’s sustained commitment to supporting artists in the development and promotion of their work. Through collaboration, we hope to grow the collection as an archive repository offering an overview of photographic practice in Ireland.
As an essential critical and historical resource, the National Photography Collection is an exciting initiative for the Gallery and for the future of Irish photography. We are deeply honoured that the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins has agreed to be Patron of the Collection.
The artists featured in the Collection are:
Ciarán Óg Arnold; Enda Bowe; Noel Bowler; Ala Buisir; Simon Burch; Dorje de Burgh; Krass Clement; Shia Conlon; Martin Cregg; Mark Curran; Ciaran Dunbar; John Duncan; Tessy Ehiguese; David Farrell; Kevin Fox; Paul Gaffney; Clare Gallagher; Emer Gillespie; Karl Grimes; Anthony Haughey; Seán Hillen; Patrick Hogan; Tobi Isaac-Irein; Dragana Jurišić; Jamin Keogh; Jialin Long; Markéta Luskačová; Shane Lynam; Alen MacWeeney; Dara McGrath; Moira McIver; Yvette Monahan; Tony Murray; Brian Newman; Kate Nolan; Miriam O'Connor; Kenneth O'Halloran; Mandy O'Neill; Tony O'Shea; Pete Smyth; Nigel Swann; Harry Thuillier Jr; George Voronov and Róisín White.