Krass Clement

The Light Gleams An Instant

Danish artist Krass Clement’s photographic work emerges from two traditions: Scandinavian melancholy and the 'flaneur' tradition from the Parisian school. Clement's work is concerned with reflecting interior states of mind rather than with documenting real life situations. His dark, stripped-back aesthetic combines with a stream of consciousness approach to evoke introspective, psychological landscapes that sit somewhere between fiction and reality.

Drum was photographed over a single evening in a small pub in Drum, County Monaghan. With only a few rolls of film (and a rumored five bottles of Guinness), Clement created one of the most important contributions to the international canon of contemporary photo books. Through subtle shifts in focus and masterful filmic sequencing, the book comes to concentrate on one principal character in the shadowy pub: a hunched, weather-beaten man sitting alone with his drink. The work is a quiet meditation on community, the outsider, alienation and the terrors of being alone.

Artist Krass Clement putting up a photograph in his exhibition 'The Light Gleams An Instant’

The exhibition in the Gallery of Photography

Artist Krass Clement

Julia giving a tour of the exhibition

This exhibition also includes the world premiere of work made in Dublin in 1991. It continues Clement’s concern with the exploration of place as a reflection of the inner psyche, presenting a view of Dublin at odds with itself. The lively theatre of street life contrasts with melancholic, empty streetscapes. Both bodies of work were made during a visit to Ireland by Clement as part of a residency at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annamakerrig, County Monaghan.

A new book by Krass Clement, Dublin, has been published by RRB Photobooks to coincide with the exhibition. It is available in the Gallery Bookshop or here.

Dr. Anthony Haughey speaking with Artist Krass Clement on opening night

Minister Heather Humphreys, TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht speaking on opening night

Artist Krass Clement with Minister Heather Humphreys, TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Curator Trish Lambe

Artist Krass Clement signing a copy of his new book ‘Dublin’

The presentation of Krass Clement’s work at The Gallery of Photography

Artist Krass Clement

The presentation of Krass Clement’s work at The Gallery of Photography

DRUM: PORTRAIT OF A VILLAGE
A programme of collateral events that took place in Drum, County Monaghan

Friday 17 November, 7pm
More than 25 years after making his acclaimed work, Krass Clement re-visited the village of Drum. A special projection installation of his work was sited in the (now closed down) bar where the work was made.

Cynthia

Drum

Ellie

Drum

Minister Heather Humphreys, TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

Drum

In addition, work from the project ‘Drum: Portrait of a Village’ launched in the Protestant Hall. Over the past year, the people of Drum have engaged with artists, curators and heritage specialists to record, create and share authentic representations of Drum past and present. This project, developed as part of Monaghan County Creative Ireland programme, features contemporary colour portraits by Irish photographer Kevin Fox, and a display of photographs from local family albums, which give a unique insight into life in rural county Monaghan from the 1870s to the 1960s.

Members of the community of Drum watching a presentation on ‘Drum: Portrait of a Village’

People at the event in Protestant Hall, Drum

Artist Krass Clement in Drum

Saturday 18 November, 1.30 – 4.30pm
An afternoon of talks and illustrated presentations looking at the representation of the village of Drum – past and present. This special pop-up event was launched by Minister Heather Humphreys, TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. It included an illustrated talk on the Photo Album of Ireland; drum research by project curator Trish Lambe and Monaghan County Heritage Officer Shirley Clerkin, lecture by Prof Terence Dooley and a Walking Tour of the village by architectural historian Kevin V. Mulligan.

Monaghan County Heritage Officer Shirley Clerkin, Artist Krass Clement with some of the men he photographed for ‘Drum’ and Curator Trish Lambe

Prof Terence Dooley giving a lecture on the Photo Album of Ireland in Drum

Architectural historian Kevin V. Mulligan speaking on the Photo Album of Ireland in Drum

Architectural historian Kevin V. Mulligan giving a walking tour of the village of Drum

The pub in Drum where Artist Krass Clement shot the photographs for ‘Drum’

Krass Clement (b 1946) lives and works in Copenhagen. A self-taught photographer, he graduated as a film director from the Danish Film School in 1973, though continued with photography which he had practiced since his early youth. His first book, Skygger af Øjeblikke (Shadows of Moments) appeared in 1978, and since then he has continued to create a strong personal body of work with the photobook as his favorite medium. His work is in many public and private collections, including The National Photomuseum of the Royal Library of Denmark; The Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Watch GPI’s video on Krass Clement’s ‘Drum’ here