Stephen Shore – The Douglas Hyde Gallery

Stephen Shore’s photographic work came to maturity and early recognition in the 1970s, a period when his native America was wearied by war and years of civil unrest. Its wit, elegance, and formal rigour made welcome order out of images that looked casual and arbitrary; echoing the methodology of contemporary photorealist painters, Shore’s approach was a cross between straight documentary and conceptual art.

Uncommon Places, probably his best-known and most influential series of photographs, includes – among many others – images of a motel room, a pancake breakfast, a rainbow over a parking lot, and a billboard on a country highway showing a snow-capped mountain. Sometimes described as a sequence of deadpan shots of banal subjects, Uncommon Places is actually deeply rooted in the artist’s subjectivity. This is literally and figuratively true: the photographs are diaristic, but more importantly they also bear clear traces of his attitude to the world, which is surprisingly affectionate for one so determined to show no emotion whatsoever in his photographs.

Stephen Shore’s work has been shown all around the world in major galleries and museums. This exhibition, the first time Stephen Shore’s work has been shown in Ireland, was selected by the artist; it comprises photographs from various series and from every period in his career.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a new publication with a text by Mark Haworth-Booth. It has been generously supported by Marie Donnelly.

The Douglas Hyde Gallery also gratefully acknowledges the assistance of 303 Gallery, New York, and Spruth Magers Berlin London (especially Andreas Gegner) in the organization of the exhibition.

Artist’s Talk
Stephen Shore will give a talk about his work. Admission is free but please call in advance to reserve a place.
Thursday, May 27 at 5pm.

Talk
Michael Hill will give a talk on ‘Icons of American Highways’.
Wednesday, June 23 at 1:15pm.