Citizens of Dublin - Barialai Khoshhal
New artist-in-the-community photography commission marking the Year of Disability Integration in Dublin City
Join us on Monday 27 May at 11.30 am in The Oak Room, The Mansion House, Dawson Street, Dublin 2.
Exhibition will be launched by The Lord Mayor Daithí de Róiste
Featuring portraits of participants by Barialai Khoshhal and photographs and texts by project participants, this pop-up exhibition presents a new portrait of the city that reflects the diversity of the citizens of Dublin.
Citizens of Dublin – Portrait of a City is a new artist-in-the-community photography commission marking the Year of Disability Integration in Dublin City, supported by the Office of the Lord Mayor, The Open Doors Initiative and Photo Museum Ireland. Award-winning photographer Barialai Khoshhal was commissioned to work collaboratively with a cross-section of participants to create a new portrait of the city that reflects the diversity of the citizens of Dublin.
Over 5 months, Barialai worked with participants to make a unique individual portrait at a personally significant location within Dublin City. Participants also responded to questions designed to spark conversations on the future of an integrated city and build a sense of community in a multicultural Dublin. Encouraged to take their own photographs, each participant created images of Dublin that represent their individual experiences of living here.
Image: Yang Yang, aged 35, from Phibsborough © Barialai Khoshhal 2024
The participants also responded to questions designed to spark conversations on the future of an integrated city and build a sense of community in a multicultural Dublin. Encouraged to take their own photographs, each participant created images of Dublin that represent their individual experiences of living here.
In Citizens of Dublin Barialai Khoshhal has created a democratic, contemporary portrait of Dublin, one that reflects the cultural mix and diversity of Ireland’s capital city. It makes visible the varied experiences of people – including those from different age groups and abilities, people from underrepresented and intersectional communities living in the capital city.
Offering unique insight, this pop-up exhibition speaks to the perspectives of multicultural communities addressing the benefits and challenges they face as citizens of Dublin. The exhibition addresses accessibility by looking at the capital through the lens of a culturally diverse population as they negotiate the city. The participants’ insights and perspectives inform how we can build towards a better, more inclusive and accessible society.
Supported by the Office of the Lord Mayor of Dublin
About the artist:
Barialai Khoshhal is an award-winning photographer. His work has been published in AP, BBC, ITV, Aljazeera, Diplomat Magazine, The Irish Independent, Dublin Inquirer and The Irish Times. He won the UNESCO photo competition in 2017. He came to Ireland in 2021 following the fall of Kabul. In 2022 he was awarded the Business to Arts Jim McNaughton Tilestyle Artist Bursary and CREATE Project Award. Artist-in-Residence in Photo Museum Ireland, Barialai also undertakes freelance corporate commissions for organisations across Ireland. www.barialaikhoshhal.com
Citizens of Dublin Partners:
The Open Doors Initiative and Photo Museum Ireland
The Open Doors Initiative is a conduit to the many communities through their work and their links with people with disabilities, migrants, the LGBTQ+ community and other underrepresented groups. www.opendoorsinitiative.ie
Photo Museum Ireland is the national centre for contemporary photography. Barialai Khoshhal is currently Artist-in-Residence at the Museum. www.photomuseumireland.ie
For press images contact info@photomuseumireland.ie