Mariusz Smiejek – Not Surrendering
In-conversation event & publication launch

 Join us for the official launch of Mariusz Smiejek’s new publication Not Surrendering.

Photo Museum Ireland Saturday 14 October at 5.00pm
Admission free, all welcome

This special in-conversation event with Mariusz Smiejek marks the launch of his new book Not Surrendering, a unique portrait of everyday life among loyalist communities in Northern Ireland. Smiejek will be joined by Ed Kashi, renowned photojournalist and member of VII Photo Agency, who will also discuss his own work in Northern Ireland and the overlap between their respective projects.

By focussing on the spaces his subjects inhabit, aspects of their daily lives, and the particularities of their neighbourhoods separated by ominous ‘peace walls,’ Smiejek’s photography brings to the fore the psychological state of siege which permeates working-class districts in Northern Ireland. The aim of Not Surrendering is to increase awareness and knowledge about processes of reconciliation in post-conflict societies that are divided territorially, politically, nationally, and religiously.

Copies of Not Surrendering are for sale in the Museum bookshop and the photographer will be available to sign copies after the in-conversation event.

Mariusz Smiejek bio
Born in Poland, living in the North of Ireland, works in the UK & EU. Smiejek is a freelance visual storyteller specialising in the raw narrative of human and social conditions. Noted documentary work explores post conflict communities, refugee and asylum seekers, child slavery, street children, human trafficking, victimised women, dangerous livelihoods, corruption and systemic abuse. Additionally, he works as a photography tutor in the UK, Ireland, Poland, Italy, Portugal and Ghana. He is founder and volunteer at Between Pictures Project.org

Ed Kashi bio
Ed Kashi is a renowned photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker and educator who has been making images and telling stories for 40 years. His restless creativity has continually placed him at the forefront of new approaches to visual storytelling. Dedicated to documenting the social and political issues that define our times, a sensitive eye and an intimate and compassionate relationship to his subjects are signatures of his intense and unsparing work. As a member of VII Photo, Kashi has been recognized for his complex imagery and its compelling rendering of the human condition.