[Test Email] Family and Memory

Portrait of my Mother, Marlima by Dee Byrne

Greetings All

We’re looking forward to seeing you at our next set of talks on Wednesday June 24th. The theme of the event is

Family and Memory

and there will be two artists presenting their work.

My Anger is Her Anger by Dee Byrne

Dee Byrne is a lens-based artist, who often works with archive material and textile interventions. Byrne’s work is heavily influenced by meditations of material form, object memory and the contemporary resonance of past events. At the heart of Byrne’s practice is an intimate connection with time and material space. She explores themes relating to women's histories, the body, the natural world and spiritual beliefs. Byrne graduated from the BA Photography programme at TU Dublin in 2023, receiving both the PhotoIreland Radar Residency and the Photo Museum Ireland Early Career Artist Award. Her work has been exhibited both in Ireland and abroad, in England, Scotland, Belgium and most recently Columbia.

Repeating Patterns by Dee Byrne

Of Petals, Pearls and Inherited Creatures

Dee will present her ongoing project Of Petals, Pearls and Inherited Creatures. This work examines emotional inheritance and female identity through an exploration of familial object histories and the intimate bonds between women in her family.

Through this work, she demonstrates how photography can collapse the passage of time and facilitate a connection with shared memory and belonging. She will reflect on the continuation of the family archive and introduce the concepts of ‘Archival gestures’ and ‘Archival mimicry’. She will also reflect on her deeply personal approach to photography, as she empathises with her own past, honoring her place in a shared history and acknowledging the active nature of inheritance.

Several Days Hence by Gavin Leanne, Highly Commended in the NGI Portrait Prize 2022

Gavin Leane is a Dublin-based visual artist working primarily in photography. His practice explores the complexities of the human condition, often focusing on themes of memory, connection, absence, and the spaces that exist between people. While photography remains at the centre of his work, he frequently expands into installation, sculpture, and other forms to challenge both process and perception. His projects are driven by curiosity, empathy, and a desire to understand how we construct meaning from personal experience.

There is No Such Thing as a Beginning and an End by Gavin Leanne

This ongoing body of work centres on his father and explores the shifting relationship between parent and child as illness, ageing, and time alter familiar roles. Using photography as both a document and a form of communication, the project examines memory, play, intimacy, emotional connection, and emotional distance.

The work moves between observation and collaboration. At times the photographs are playful and absurd, at others they confront vulnerability, uncertainty, and the inevitability of loss. Rather than attempting to create a definitive portrait of his father, the project reflects on how we remember those closest to us, how they remember themselves, how relationships evolve, and how photography itself can become a conduit for love, grief, and understanding.

Growing Weary of the Torment by Gavin Leanne

The talks will take place at the United Arts Club, 3 Fitzwilliam Street Upper, Dublin 2, D02 RR50 on Wednesday June 24th, starting at 19:00 with doors opening at 18:45 pm.

We hope you can stay on afterwards for a drink and catch-up.

To secure a place, please RSVP for the talks at the bottom of the Upcoming Events page by 18:00 on Monday June 22nd.

NB: As there are costs involved in running Island Photographers, we have an entry price of €10 (unwaged and students: €8) for talks and events. This will also allow us to cover the speaker’s expenses. Any funds left over after expenses will go towards raising awareness, understanding and engagement with contemporary photography within Ireland. We are still working on an online pre-payment facility, for this event please bring cash.

There will be some remaining copies of the first Island Photographers publication Brionglóid available for sale on the night.

TALK DATES

The dates for our upcoming talks are as follows, with more details to follow soon.

August 5th

September 9th

October 21st

December 2nd

We welcome ideas and input into the talks, if there’s anything you’d like to suggest please feel free to get in touch via mail@islandphotographersgroup.com

You can see details of our previous talks here and events here

Island Photographers Steering Group

Conor Horgan, Shane Lynam, Fionn McCann, Malcolm McGettigan, Yvette Monahan, Brían Sparks and Agata Stoinska.