This article is from page 19 of the 2013-07-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
THREE Clare artists have had their work showcased in an international festival of photography that’s taking place at various venues around the country.
The artists’ work was part of a group exhibition curated by Enniswoman Shelagh Honan that was organised as part of the PhotoIreland Festival, Ireland’s first ever festival of photography and image culture.
“It celebrates Ireland’s photographic talents, often times only recognised abroad, as well as bringing international practitioners and artists to Ireland,” a spokesperson for PhotoIreland Festival said.
“The festival highlights, promotes and elevates fine art photography in Ireland, conferring on it the importance it duly deserves.”
Clare’s involvement centred around the ‘Call it What You Will’ exhibition that included the work of curator Shelagh Honan, the work of Fiona O’Dwyer and Maria Finucane from Ennistymon and Tulla respectively, as well as Dublin-based artists Mike McLoughlin and Marie Phelan.
“This was an exhibition that involved the work of four lens-based artists,” Ms Honan told The Clare People this week.
“It wasn’t strictly photography based, but involved projection, video and photography.
“There were three separate exhibitions in Limerick as part of the festival, one in Ormston House, another in Occupy Space gallery and the ‘Call It What You Will’ exhibition in Faber Studios.
“This is the second ‘Call It What You Will’ exhibition in a series touring the country. The exhibition, which is not strict photography, involves a series of installations including sound, video and camera obsurca.
“The first took place in a disused house in Ballyferriter in Dingle and now Photography Ireland selected this work to be part of their PhotoIreland Festival exhibition. The second show follows a similar format to the first, but has evolved.” added Ms Honan.
The PhotoIreland Festival was established in 2010 and takes place every July, bringing together a wide range of artists, galleries and cultural institutions in a celebration of photography.
The inclusion of the ‘Call It What You Will’ exhibition in the PhotoIreland Festival programme comes as the Clare artists begin preparations to bring the exhibition to Ennis as part of ‘Culture Night’ that takes place throughout the country on September 20 next.
“Bringing the show to Ennis is important for us,” said Ms Honan, “and ‘Culture Night’ is the perfect opportunity to do that, with the key being to find a suitable building in the town to host the exhibition for a one to two-day period,” she added.