Steve Pyke is a renowned photographer known for his intimate and intense black-and-white portraits of extraordinary thinkers, creators, and artists of our time. Pyke created his first photographs in Ireland in 1980 and has maintained a deep, ongoing association with a place central to the development of his artistic practice. Widely hailed as a classic landmark ‘photographic novel’ I Could Read the Sky, created with the writer Timothy O’Grady was first published in 1997. In 2023 it was reissued in a new, expanded edition by Unbound.  Born in Leicester, UK, Pyke resided in London and NYC for many years. Steve now lives and works in New Orleans, Louisiana and continues to work in Ireland and internationally. He is currently an Artist-in-Residence at Photo Museum Ireland for 2025 and is working with Collection Manager Brendan Maher to produce an archive set of prints which will be acquired for the Photo Museum Ireland Collection. 

The second recipient of this residency, Steve Pyke, is currently working in Ireland, the UK and the U.S. to complete his landmark Pyke’s landmark series: Scribendi: Irish Writers – 1982-2025  – a definitive visual survey of leading contemporary Irish writers. His subjects, recognised as Ireland’s finest writers and poets, include Kevin Barry, Anne Enright, Seamus Heaney, Edna O’Brien, and Colm Toibín. Encompassing over 70 individual portraits, this important series is a visual testament to the diversity and vitality of contemporary Irish literature. Sadly, some of the subjects featured in this collection have passed away, adding a layer of historical significance to Pyke’s work. The residency will culminate with the international premiere of the Scribendi exhibition and book, published by Lilliput Press, at Photo Museum Ireland on 9th October 2025