Fragments From a Broken World
Fragments From a Broken World presents the work of three artists who search newspaper archives, picture libraries, corporate advertising literature and printed ephemera for source material to generate their vision of the world. A world that appears strangely familiar despite being turned on its axis to ask the difficult questions that politicians and their PR teams are expert at deflecting. The images they collect have previously circulated widely in the media, reporting international conflicts, in advertising campaigns and as popular tourist imagery before being archived in electronic databases.
They consider these archived images as inherently unstable and open to manipulation to generate new meanings. In a time of political uncertainty and corporate unaccountability their art practices act as an ethical counterpoint to ubiquitous images that advertise and promote excessive consumerism and corporate greed. A broadsheet newspaper will be published to accompany the exhibition, with contributions from John Berger, Mic Moroney, John Slyce and Doireann Wallace.
Peter Kennard and Cat Phillipps (kennardphillipps) have been working in collaboration since 2002. Their powerful work deconstructs the tyranny of global conflict and politics. John Berger has said of their work that their images are full of history’s irony, fury and anger at the mistakes made in its name. The artists recently produced an innovative public artwork and performance, The Café of Equivalents; situated in the Financial District of London it directly engaged and challenged the banking industry’s insatiable drive for profit at any cost. This piece was subsequently nominated for a design award and is currently installed in the Design Museum in London. The title for the installation produced specifically for this exhibition in the NPA, We hope to be finished by lunchtime… is borrowed from a statement made by Sir John Chilcot, chairman of the Iraq Inquiry during his introduction of the ‘evidence’ from former Labour Party spin doctor Alastair Campbell. Kennardphillipps’ installation will incorporate printed transcripts and images from extensive archives of press imagery generated in Iraq, creating a counter- memorial to all the victims of an unwarranted invasion.
Seán Hillen is a Northern Irish artist well known for his witty and sardonic photomontages dealing with issues of the Northern Ireland conflict and his 1990s series IRELANTIS, described by one critic as ‘the most vivid and emblematic expression of the dreams and anxieties of ‘Celtic Tiger’ Ireland’.
In 2007 he won with Desmond Fitzgerald the competition to design the Omagh Bomb Memorial. Most recently his work picks up on the new lexicon of political controversy, as he brings his lively visual intelligence to bear on contested myths in the post-9/11 global community. For this exhibition in the NPA Hillen will exhibit original photomontages from the ‘Troubles’ series and his recent political work.
This exhibition hosted by the National Photographic Archive in Temple Bar, Dublin is part of Ireland’s first international photography festival organized by PhotoIreland. The festival will celebrate the work of Irish and international artists and photographers in galleries and public spaces around Dublin City.
For further information, press images or to arrange an interview, please contact: Anthony Haughey, Curator, 087 6124147 or by email to anthony.haughey@dit.ie
Anthony Haughey is an artist and curator. He is also a Photography lecturer and researcher in the School of Media at the Dublin Institute of Technology where he is a PhD supervisor at the Centre for Research in Transcultural Media Practice. He is an editorial advisor for the photographic journal Photographies published by Routledge. His work has been exhibited, published and collected widely internationally. Recent exhibitions include Guest a ‘live’ video artwork, part of the exhibition The Prehistory of the Crisis ll at Project Arts Centre, Dublin. A photographic installation at Les Rencontres d’ Arles 09, and a video installation for ISEA 09, Belfast. Guest was shown at Crawford Art Gallery during May-June 2010. He will launch his new publication State, a collaborative artist’s book exploring transnational migration with artist Susanne Bosch during the Festival, where he will also screen a new short film commissioned by the Gallery of Photography, made with documentary filmmaker Kevin Duffy featuring the work of Irish photographer Bill Doyle.
For more info contact info@photoireland.com
