Expressions 2016
The creative representation of the human image is one of the most instinctual forms of creative expression. Throughout the history of human creativity people have had a fascination with the human figure and in particular the human face. This creative instinct was given a greater immediacy with the invention of the camera through which anyone can instantly capture the image of their fellow man or woman. Here-to-fore this was the exclusive preserve of those who possessed an extensive degree of creativity, training and the designated as ‘an artist’. Fine art photography refers to an imprecise category of photographs, created in accordance with the creative vision of the cameraman. The basic idea behind the genre, is that instead of merely capturing a realistic rendition of the subject, the photographer is aiming to produce a more personal - typically more evocative or atmospheric – impression. Fine art photography is more than just mere representation and attempts to go beyond realism. Successful artistic photography most often conveys something personal that the photographer wishes to express, while at the same time expressing something universal. The Expressions Art Portrait Photography Competition and Exhibition is an ideal opportunity to explore these questions and showcase the work of such creative portrait photographers. Through the magic of the world-wide-web photographers from countries as disparate as Austria and Israel have had an opportunity to show their work to photographers in Longford and ultimately through exhibition on the website www.longforddigitalarts.ie to interested viewers all over the world. It is not surprising that the Expressions initiative should emerge from Longford as this town has had a camera club since the late 19th century. The county boasts Ireland’s largest Schools Photography Programme and the Midland College of Photography provides on-going photography training to aspiring photographers from the entire Midlands region.
On behalf of the County Arts Office I wish to congratulate Shelley Corcoran, Angelika Sowul and the extremely hard working Expressions Committee for making this initiative a reality. Fergus Kennedy Longford County Arts Officer
Tag, you're it Adrian Wojtas
This still image is part of an installation exploring the concept of ideology. It represents the way in which ideas are formed and subsequently disseminated throughout society. Ideology, in any form, originates within a single person; an individual. Their beliefs are personal and, unless expressed, remain dormant and hidden within society. In this piece, the individual is represented by a white, resin-coated model of a human being.
Happiness is ....... the Aleksandra Ananica
I have just returned back from my 6 weeks Volunteering in Vietnam. This photo was taken on one of my last trips in Sapa, the North of Vietnam, which is home to 18 small different villages with 5 different languages and different traditions. While trekking, we passed many local houses and this lady came running over greeting us and she grabbed my friends bum, that's the moment I just grabbed my camera as fast as I could to capture that moment of 'happiness'. It's the little things that matter in life.
Disappearing Aleksandra Klimczak
It is a photograph taken from my series called 'Disappearing'. I think children see the world differently. They see more. Frequently, they understand a lot more and see a lot more than any adult. Very often what we experience as a child, stays with us forever, and shapes us as human beings. This is what I wanted people to see by looking at this photo.
Connection Ana Valen
People have a strange habit of placing themselves apart from all else. As if there is nature and there are animals and then there are us. I like to think that we’re all connected; we’re all made from the same stuff. That’s what I tried to capture in this photograph. Here the landscape shares its colours, textures and even mood with the person. The person is not separate from it. All is a part of something that makes the image whole and would not be the same without the other.
Under-Pressure Anna Kerslake
This piece was created to provoke people to consider the pressures women face on a daily basis through the media and peer pressure to appear thinner, younger and sexier. I wish to create awareness around this issue and encourage women to embrace their beautiful imperfections that makes them unique and wonderful.
Crimson and Clover
This photograph represents the strong sexual appetite of young bisexual women. Although we have made strides with the passing of the recent Marriage Equality Bill, there is still stigma around being openly bisexual within gay and straight communities. The title of this piece refers to musician Joan Jett’s cover of the song ‘Crimson and Clover’. Jett was openly bisexual and is claimed to have dedicated her rendition of the song to ex-bandmate Cherie Currie.
Anna Kerslake
Click!
Anthony Stone This one is a portrait of my friend and photographer Mara. It is part of a work in progress project, "Hands", a series of portraits in which I try to express the identity of the man through his hands. Here the tattoo expresses his identity, it needs nothing more but a hand to understand who Mara is.
The Waiting Anthony Stone
Another one from my project, "Hands". "The Waiting" is an analog portrait. The hand that reaches out perhaps in search of a love that will never return
Hollywood Style
Anthony Whelan
Portrait of Scott Tully in the classic Hollywood style
Waves of Energy Becky Venteicher
Childhood and the sea.
Freezing Time Becky Venteicher
This photograph was taken in the final days counting down to kindergarten, while my son was playing in the soccer net. It made me wonder how I could trap his littleness and keep it just a little longer. Despite the transition tugging at my heart strings, he was more than excited and ready.
Through The Window Taking pictures for a project (top windows configurations as a parallel exhibition to that exposed on the wall below) I saw for a few moments the figure of a little boy trying to look from outside in through one of the top windows. The situation awakens in my mind past ruminations about the role of intentionality. On the other side, the mute dialogue between artist point of view (from inside) and the viewer one (from outside), the only one capable of negotiating the Meaning.
Bernel Leibovici
Techno Junkie Part of a series of four photographs, depicting mans relationship to technology. My work is inspired by virtual worlds such as second life, where humans spend the majority of their time in these simulated environments. Due to technology developing at an exponential rate, my work addresses the future emergence of humans and technology, and illustrates a potential dependence on technology over real life.
Cliona Croke
Youth in motion Declan Gaffney
Between child and man, there is an unconsidered bound, unconsciously gangly and graceful. There is beauty in a tiny motion of wrist energy and enthusiasm in a lanky
Bad boys
Being in love with someone that ultimately treats you very badly is a difficult situation. Without the self esteem and self love to walk away, an abusive relationship can leave you vulnerable and unable to see a way out.
Deirdre O'Sullivan
Behind the Scenes Deirdre O'Sullivan
This image is to highlight that success does not come without an effort. It is an expression of the dedication and hard work that goes into the arts. painting, photography, dancing‌ The girl is a dancer in her dressing room, worn out after putting on a beautiful show for hundreds of people.
These photographs are part of my final year project at Dublin Institute of Technology entitled Congo MÊmoire which explores the history of the Democratic Republic of Congo in collaboration with members of the Congolese community in Ireland. The work brings a series of visual and textual elements into dialogue through which complex narratives are created in order to disrupt the spectacle of images of violence and anarchy, as well as the Othering gaze normally associated with neo-colonial representations of the Congo. On the one hand, the photograph portraying one of my collaborators, Greg Kalala’s hand holding his passport photograph aims to make reference to the atrocities committed to the colonised Congolese population by King Leopold II of Belgium during the era of Congo Free State (1885–1908) in particular, when chopping of hands along with other brutal human rights violations were used to punish natives for being unable to meet their set out target in rubber collection. On the other hand, the image aims to evoke the legacy of colonial subjugation, specifically, the mass outward migration and displacement of the Congolese people who have been forced to escape the dangers of sustained political instability and authorial rule in the deeply divided and endlessly troubled land of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Greg is among the thousands of people who were forced to leave the Congo during the 1990s when political and economic troubles intensified. In 1996, his journey brought him to Ireland where he has been living since. Engaging with his new home as an artist, he has made remarkable contribution to the great cause of promoting Congolese art and culture, and he has never given up the hope for a politically and economically stabilised Congo where one day he can return.
Edit Elias
Untitled (From the series, Congo MĂŠmoire)
Facing It Elaine Butler
This portrait shows the individual looking to the future. He is solitary, yet strong, and focusing on the path ahead, beyond the rugged peaks at either side.
El Campesino Urbano Gerry Blake
Urban Farmer, Havana, 2016 - from the series The Grey and the Green, which looks at urban farms and community gardens in Dublin, Berlin and Havana. I took this image of a proud farm worker at city farm in suburban Havana in February this year using a mediumformat film camera. These small farms or organopรณnicos provide fresh food to local communities and provide meaningful work for local people.
EQUAL (Chiara)
When my first girlfriend told her mother that she liked girls, her mother told her that she had shit in her soul. We were forced to break up. I felt helpless and small and wished I could have changed things for her. To me being equal means not being afraid of showing who you really are.
Hannah Tiernan
EQUAL (Callum) I always felt like I was in the wrong body. I never felt like I fitted in. My parents and brothers didn't support or recognize me for who I was. When I turned 18 I began my transition from female to male. For my 18th birthday my brothers finally wrote me a birthday card calling me by my chosen male name. To me being equal means equal rights for everyone, regardless of sexuality or gender but I also don't believe that means that everything has an equal outcome. These triptychs form part of a series entitled EQUAL. The series is a conceptual response to the 2015 Marriage Equality referendum. It tells both positive coming out stories and negative stories associated with oppression from within the LGBT community. It recognises the acceptance and liberation that the referendum has afforded but also reminds us of the scars and homophobia that still exist.
Hannah Tiernan
Cara "The Wild One" Helen Maloney
This is my young neighbour Cara, her mother calls her the wild one.
Kate - The Chairs Giving life to an object, finding its personality traits, highlighting what makes it definable. We constantly project the image of an object on us to feel elegant, soberly or playful. In short, to be in the same way that object is. My project takes the chairs and transforms them into people, showing my vision about each of them. There shouldn't be the question why, this series is an experience, mine and viewer's. It doesn't answer a question, it shows a way of looking at a fact: that we choose objects to feel a certain way.
Horia Manolache
Stepping Out Taken early one morning at the Forty Foot in Dublin, when some people take advantage of the quietness of the area, to swim in the nude, a long established practice here, when it was men only. I wanted to convey the connection with the forty foot that some people, who've been swimming here most of their lives, have. A combination of two shots.
Joe Kennedy
Will or Won't I
Joe Kennedy This shot taken on a soft rainy day in Galway when I decided to photograph people with their hats, caps and fedoras.
Meg My current work explores the dichotomy of ego and persona, the contradiction between our private selves and the public mask, and the uncertainty, perhaps even the impossibility of 'portraiture'. Experimentation, curiosity, and the element of chance in my practice allow me to relinquish full control of my processes; by employing focusing/defocusing, mirrors and projections, and obscuring elements of an image using physical interference, I seek to create ambiguous, dream-like imagery laden with a sense of distance or remove from the viewer.
Rather Darkness Visible
John Horne
Nicole Caravaggio In early 2014 I began a project based on the work of Italian painter Caravaggio’s work, his lighting techniques, and his probable use of the cameraobscura to create the rough versions of his pieces. I decided to take on the daunting task of seeing if I could fully reproduce likenesses of his original works.
John Jones
Derek Painting John Jones Early in 2014 I was asked to create a portrait image in the vein of one of the masters of painting. Having always loved the work of Italian painter Caravaggio I did a vast amount of research into his work, how he may have actually gone about creating his paintings as well as the theory behind his work. The first image I created was a modernization of “Saint Jerome Writing� in which my subject a designer, coder and model maker sits in place of Saint Jerome, working on his craft. The lighting, framing and posing I tried to keep as true to the original as possible. Changing everything else in the frame to not only modernize the piece but also give it a new meaning while maintaining the structure of the original.
From an ongoing project on people who have Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune disease that causes sudden and random hair loss. The images (like the subjects themselves) confront issues of identity, perception, and self-esteem. These diptych portraits are made in-camera using a forty-yearold Mamiya RB67. The process is inexact by design, yielding two half-frames which can overlap to varying degrees, resulting in a double-portrait that is equal parts serendipity and skill.
John Rich
Shera
Avery
WE - THE REST OF US/ Johnhof/ Housekeeper
Kati Bruder On the hunt for the “ideal” community – the project is based on a text from the “Lettre International 02/2012“: I LIKE IT BEST WHEN EVERYONE IS ALLOCATED TO THE RIGHT PLACE, THE MAD PEOPLE IN THE MADHOUSE, THE MURDERS IN JAIL, AND WE – THE REST OF US AT HOME, SO THAT WE CAN GAZE AT IT ALL FROM OUR ARMCHAIRS OVER A CUP OF COFFEE. (BELTEMPO) Inspired by Beltempo’s text, I observe people who are perceived by the “outside world” as a group, merely as a result of spatial circumstances: the community living together in a historical Viennese house, the cohesion Of political refugees in Athens’ refugee-houses, the Prosfygika, the way of life in caravan sites or in subsidized Housing schemes.
WE - THE REST OF US/ Johnhof/ Heinz
Kati Bruder WE - THE REST OF US“ is a photography-based project about perception and creation of communities in our society. I am investigating the existence of a ‘we-feeling’, social cohesion and exclusion, social isolation and hostility, visibility and representation. The project reflects the gaze and takes the process of seeing as a culturally shaped process into account. I asked myself: “How are communities developing? What drives people in creating communities? Are these external threats or social commonalities?”
Mr & Mrs Moueed This photograph is actually inspired from Mughal tradition. I showed in my photograph how the Mughal's Bride and groom look on their special day.
Kiran Riaz
When the darkness slowly This is a portraiture of all the things that sometimes overcome you in life. Might it be negative thoughts, work, stress, love or simply your own fears. It feels like these things grow inside your head for so long until they just burst out of you and take control.
Leandro Hernandez
Ralph
RALPH, This image was taken at Festival of Fire on the hill of Uisneach. I was photographing 'Paddy Casey' and just for a moment glanced behind my shoulder to see the audience. There was Ralph giving it socks in what was a pretty unaffected crowd, Realising that Ralf was the crowd and that the music was resonating with him, for this brief time, Ralf was the star...
Luke Danniells
Always Time For A Laugh The concept of this photograph is to highlight that laughter is the best medicine. The photo is of 91 yr old Marie Kelly. Marie, a widower, who lives alone has her family reared and living in different parts of the world. She has a great sense of humour and mischief. Her motto is "Laughter keeps you young". I hope, that when people look at the photo, it will bring a smile to their face.
Martin Crinigan
SERENITY
The concept of this image is simple, "Peace of Mind" or "Serenity". One evening,while strolling along the shores of Lough Ree at Coosan point, I managed to capture this image of fishermen calmly relaxed, in the sunset of this beautiful lake. The image conveys, what I was searching for and needed at that time of my life, serenity.
Michael Gilligan
Bride in Templebar
This image was shot in Temblebar, Dublin as a Bride walked to her reception accompanied by her Bridesmaids. When shooting in the city I try to employ the Henri Cartier Bresson expression of looking for "The Decisive Moment" this is something that has influenced my style of reportage But rather than waiting for the image to happen, I try to preempt settings my subject will find themselves in and try my best to be in the right place at the right time. The Brides dress was an Ivory art deco inspired cascading charmeuse which inspired me to imagine her as somewhat of a Ginevra King of her time and her city, a powerful and strong woman, something that can be forgotten when shooting a bride.
Micheรกl Quinn
The Wrong Impression I slowly started trying fine art portraiture and grew to fall deeply in love with it. All that’s left is human emotion. And most of the time clothing distracts from that concept and all the feelings that go along with it. When someone looks at my photos I want them to get lost in the ethereal detachment, unburdened by all things except pure feeling or mood. Emotions have always been held at the highest regard in my life, and they have always been the key to most of my decision making and of course my images.
Michelle Hughes Walsh
Madame
Michelle Hughes Walsh
This is a portrait of my daughter Caoimhe captured in the style of the old masters. It’s the lighting, color, and tonal relationships, composition, and emotive expressions of the subject that makes the photograph look like a painting. When all the parts work together it creates the sum, the atmosphere that the old master's works were generally known for. In paintings, the painter can create the emotive expression required in the final works from their own imagination whereas in photography it must be captured, and this is the challenging aspect.
Naomhan Joyce
My work explores the male body in relation to space. I focus on my own body in particular, placing myself into strange positions fighting against gravity. I base my work in a domestic setting, inspired by the concept of the uncanny home or ‘Das Unheimlich’, a site of terror and anxiety. Through the use of the male body I subvert the notion of the ‘woman trapped by the home’, comparing the concept of ‘maleness’ with the Latin prefix ‘male-’ a signifier for something abnormal or evil. The character is almost inhuman, an automaton manipulated by the invisible force of the home.
Male-1
Male-2
The masks we wear
Neil Arthurs This image was taken during a charity bike run, in aid of Living Life Counselling and the prevention of suicide. The expression on his (Dom's) face is one of nervous, shy, excitement as he was announced the winner of a raffle that was held during the event. This is a direct contradiction of the perceived notion of a "big manly biker" such as Dom. I can't help but see in his face that he has had a rough life and that his eyes have seen some hard times. Beneath it all, I feel the image represents a kind-hearted soul who has ridden hard on the road of life, loved and lost, stumbled and fallen but has overcome, to walk tall and be proud of who he is.
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Youth
Oliver Gargan
A portrait of youth, light and innocence. A portrait of my niece Tara at home. Beautiful natural light shined this day. A spur of the moment. A moment frozen in time. A memory that will last a lifetime.
Tara Oliver Gargan
Tara, conveys a sense of youth and radiance. Working with both light and dark this image is shot in natural light.
Leap of Faith Sally Martin
The children taking a leap of faith into the unknown. They didn't know how deep the puddle was, they just went for it and as they did it reminded me of Mary Poppins and the children jumping into the picture on the footpath. Maybe they too thought they could jump into another world .... an adventure awaits.
At work
Takashi Miyazaki at work during the Tanabata Festival held in the third chamber of the Mitchelstown
Stuart Mackey
Lisa O'Neill The gay man challenges his stereotype. Society’s perception of a gay man can differ in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. He tends to be given a feminine image. My work addresses gender roles among gay men. I also want to evoke personal opinions among the viewers regarding these issues.