Under A Grey Sky
Curated by Belfast Photo Festival; featuring artist: Simon Burch
THE GOLDEN THREAD GALLERY PRESENTS THE NORTHERN IRISH PREMIERE OF ‘UNDER A GREY SKY’ BY THE IRISH PHOTOGRAPHER SIMON BURCH.
Made over four years, the work explores the rain-soaked peatlands of Ireland’s central plain, the most intensively industrialised landscape in the country.
In large scale colour landscapes and portraits, Burch captures the distinctive textures of this unique area, revealing hidden surprises. With its palette of browns and muted greys, Burch’s work has a strong painterly quality. In the centrepiece installation of three large-scale works, goudged and scarred landscapes meet monotone skies; expansive horizons convey a sense of freedom and possibility.
The work presents a dichotomy between the desolation and emptiness of the peatland, and the latent energy it holds for the community. These are negative spaces providing a positive utility, albeit at the cost of their own destruction. Laced between the worked bogs are villages whose inhabitants are intrinsically linked to the land, either by past generations who have been locked in by economic needs, or others seeking to live where they feel free.
The exhibition adds an important element to the national iconography. It is a timely intervention too, as this unique landscape is set to disappear over the next 15 or so years when the turf is depleted and production ceases. Then, the land will be put to agricultural and recreational use, and the visual evidence of a such a significant national industry will be covered over.
About the artist:
Simon Burch (b.1964, Bangor) worked in London before establishing his own studio in Dublin in 1996. He has been commissioned to shoot major advertising campaigns, as well as exhibiting his personal work as an invited artist at the RHA, along with other solo and group shows. He has won numerous international awards, including the prestigious AOP Silver for his portraiture.
Supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Belfast City Council