Changing States:
Ireland in the 21st Century
Contemporary photography from Ireland

 

Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin

6 June - 11 August 2024

Opening on 6th June 2024

 

 

Participating photographers

 

Ciarán Óg Arnold, Audrey Blue, Enda Bowe, Noel Bowler, Simon Burch, Ala Buisir, Paul Carroll, Martin Cregg, Caleb Daley & Luke Ryan, Eamonn Doyle, Ciarán Dunbar, John Duncan, Robert Ellis, David Farrell, Clare Gallagher, Emer Gillespie, Anthony Haughey, Jordan Hearns, Conor Horgan, Shane Hynan, Dragana Jurišić, Bernadette Keating, Jamin Keogh, Shane Lynam, Sara McCarroll, Martin McGagh, Yvette Monahan, Trish Morrissey, Seamus Murphy, Brian Newman, Jackie Nickerson, Miriam O’Connor, Kenneth O’Halloran, Mandy O'Neill, Shannon Ritchie, Pauline Rowan, Paul Seawright, Niamh Smith, Daragh Soden, Amelia Stein, Lorraine Tuck, Ruby Wallis, Tommy Weir, Donovan Wylie.

 

photo: Anthony Haughey. Mother and Children with Bible and Gun at Home © Anthony Haughey

 

Changing States: Ireland in the 21st Century is a major new group exhibition that looks at the ways photography has made visible the changing nature of Irish life. It concentrates on the first decades of the twenty-first century, marking 100 years since the foundation of the state. Featuring works by over 40 contemporary artists, this large-scale exhibition surveys the development of contemporary photography in Ireland. It charts how leading artists working in Ireland have addressed major socio-political developments to reflect on changing demographics, cultural identities, contested territories and social reform. The exhibition brings together diverse points of view, critically reframing contemporary life across the island of Ireland.

 

photo: Enda Bowe. Untitled, Searching for North © Enda Bowe

 

photo: Jamin Keogh. Michael, Moyross Study, 2017 © Jamin Keogh

Moving from traditional documentary practices towards more socially engaged and conceptual practices to the medium, Changing States considers how artists have responded to the profound shifts that have occurred in Irish society. This survey represents the depth and range of recent Irish photography, as well as the extent to which artists have engaged with the most pressing issues of contemporary life. It charts our transformation from an insular nation-state to a more liberal, globalised and multicultural society.

 

photo: Shane Hynan. Tony’s Footings, No. 27-07, 2019, Beneath Beofhód, 2018-2022 © Shane Hynan

 

photo: Ciarán Óg Arnold. Untitled, I went to the worst of bars © Ciarán Óg Arnold

 

This exhibition is a partnership with German curator Ralph Goertz, Director of the Institute for Art Documentation (IKS), Düsseldorf, Barbara Esch Marowski, Director of Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin, and Trish Lambe and Darren Campion, Photo Museum Ireland. Curated for Haus am Kleistpark, one of Berlin’s most prestigious municipal art spaces, it is the largest international exhibition of contemporary Irish photography to date.

 

Curated by Trish Lambe, Darren Campion and Ralph Goertz

 

photo: Shane Lynam. Untitled, 2014 Pebbledash Wonderland © Shane Lynam

 

photo: Pauline Rowan. Grotto, Under a Vaulted Sky © Pauline Rowan

 

 

Zeitgeist Irland 24 is an initiative from Culture Ireland and the Embassy of Ireland in Germany to promote Contemporary Irish Arts and Culture in Germany in 2024.

 

Statement "Freedom of Speech:

The IKS PHOTO,  Photo Museum Ireland and Haus am Kleistpark, Berlin want to specifically address concerns about the potential censorship of artists and pro-Palestinian statements.
Each of the three partner organisations is committed to openness, transparency and fostering dialogue in everything we do. We each hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, especially regarding the promotion of free speech. We very much value the important role of artists as activists for change and as dissenting voices in society and want to assure all participating artists that we respect their freedom of expression in the context of the conflict in Gaza.