Exhibition

Melons - from the series 'Disputed Territory| Anthony Haughey

Disputed Territory | Anthony Haughey

March 9th - April 15th 2006

Anthony Haughey's Disputed Territory is a long term project that examines conflicts over territory and identity in contemporary Europe. It is a quiet investigation into the slowly unfolding aftermath of conflict in Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Eschewing the spectacular 'decisive moment', Haughey's images were taken long after the white heat of conflict had cooled. His work traces the human cost of war, the residue of acts and deeds which are almost un-representable. As such the images perform a more subtle, and, arguably, more valuable function than the hot, straight-off-the-wire shots that the media news market consumes by the hour. And they also demand a more complex response on the part of the viewer. The work is unsettling in its ambiguities and deeply moving in its restraint. For all its detachment, it engages our emotions at a profound level, free of sentiment.

In addition to large-scale colour photographs, Disputed Territory includes a series of interventions using found photographs, and a sound/video installation piece, Resolution. For this work, Haughey focuses on the massacre at Srebrenica where an estimated 8000 mostly Muslim men 'disappeared' despite their being under the protection of the UN. Haughey worked directly with members of the International Centre for Missing Persons in Bosnia to produce the video piece and created a soundscape using researched testimonies from individuals who survived near death experiences during the conflict in Bosnia and Kosovo.

THE BOOK: Disputed Territory has also been published as a book with over 50 images. It includes essays by Martin McCabe, Justin Carville, Anthony Haughey and Natasa Govedarica. It was designed by Brian Nolan of Detail Design, printed by Nicholson & Bass in a casebound limited edition of 1000. It is available in the Gallery Bookshop at €40.

Anthony Haughey is one of Ireland's leading photographic artists. He has been working on Disputed Territory since 1998 and received the International Mosaique award for it in 2000. He is currently Senior Research Fellow at Interface Centre for Research in Art, Technologies and Design at the University of Ulster, Belfast. He has exhibited widely and his work is in public collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, British Council, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, and many private collections. Resolution is installed courtesy of Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Private View and Book Launch: Wednesday 8th March at 6.30pm Seminar on 'Art & the Legacy of Conflict' Wednesday 5th April at 1.15pm. Chaired by Martin McCabe, speakers include Declan McGonagle and Anthony Haughey.

For further information, press scans or to arrange an interview, please contact: Tanya Kiang, Director, Gallery of Photography on 01-6714654 or by email to info@galleryogphotography.ie

Disputed Territory is the first in the season of exhibitions and events examining art practice and the legacy of conflict. The next exhibition is Vietnam Souvenirs, the Irish premiere of work by Liza Nguyen. It runs April 20-May 21.