GALLERY 1
Featuring a diverse range of artists, Imprints gives an insight into the practice of photography in Ireland. It presents photographic works supported and produced as part of the new Artists’ Development programmes offered by Photo Museum Ireland over the last twelve months, including recent additions to our Archive of Irish Contemporary Photography.

Reflecting the dynamic culture of contemporary photography in Ireland, the artists address important social issues from distinctly different points of view. Their work represents important thematic developments in contemporary Irish photography, encompassing a wide range of approaches to the medium, from prints and installations to artists’ photobooks. Throughout there is a concern with place, home, identity, and cultural memory that touch on some of the most pressing concerns in contemporary life.

This exhibition and its accompanying programme offer an insight into the practice of making photographic artworks, including development, production, and public dissemination. Providing a platform for open dialogues around creating strategies to support photography as an artform, sustaining innovative practices, and creating artistic legacies for the future. Imprints highlights the importance of developing comprehensive ecosystems that support artists to manage their practices and ensure an archival trace of their creative work remains for the future.

The works were produced through our new Artists’ Development programmes, devised to offer structured support to artists at all stages, from recent graduates to more established names, through to the acknowledged masters of Irish photography. The support includes mentorship, training, production, and promotion for our Early Career, Development, Diversity, Exhibition and Archive residencies. The participating artists have been selected by Photo Museum Ireland’s curatorial team with our international panel of advisors.

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  Leon Nevill Gallagher, Untitled, from the series Cargo.

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  From the exhibition Imprints: Photography as Practice, 22 February - 16 March 2024.

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  Rachel Philpott, Untitled, from the series The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

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  Jordan Hearns, See You When I Get There, 2022, from the series Feel Me, I'm Here With You

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  Brian Newman, Untitled, from the series Association

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  Ciarán Dunbar, Old Newry Road, from the series Diesel

With our development programmes and artists’ archive initiative, we are articulating a critically engaged vision for the future of Irish photography. Imprints is an opportunity to present this ongoing support for the most cutting-edge photographic practices. This exhibition and its accompanying programme form part of a vital conversation around how we sustain innovative practices in Irish photography and create legacies for the future.

Featured artists: Ciarán Óg Arnold, Caleb Daly, Ciarán Dunbar, Tatiana Evonuk, Jordan Hearns, Sara McCarroll, Leon Nevill Gallagher, Brian Newman, Tony O’Shea, Rachel Philpott, Steve Pyke, Shannon Ritchie, Luke Ryan.