13th July 2024 – Exhibition

Exhibition: Bokeh, Exhibition of Contemporary Photography

SO Fine Art Editions welcomes back our annual exhibition of contemporary photography. Entitled ‘Bokeh’, the exhibition features nine Irish and international photographers: Conor Horgan, Aisling McCoy, Hugh O’Conor, Linda Plunkett, Amelia Stein, David Stephenson, Sudi, Dominic Turner and Toshiya Watanabe.

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13th July 2024
—10th August 2024

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Bokeh (pronounced bo-keh) is the term used to describe the beautiful, artistic blurring effect seen in the out-of-focus areas of a photograph taken with a narrow depth of field. The term is derived from the Japanese word “boke”, which translates to blur or haziness. It adds depth and visual appeal to the overall composition of the image. The photographers showcased in this exhibition have a deep understanding of various advanced photographic techniques, including the manipulation of bokeh to enhance the visual impact of their work. We are delighted to present two Japanese photographers in this year’s exhibition – Sudi and Toshiya Watanabe – alongside some of our previously featured photographers.

Sudi is a photographer who was born and raised in Japan. She came to photography as a way of expressing her written poetry in a visual form. She focuses on light and shadow to capture scenes. Her work is held in private collections in Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.

Toshiya Watanabe was born in 1966 in Fukushima Prefecture and lives and works in Tokyo. He works as an art director and photographer and has exhibited widely in Japan, the United States, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and other countries. Major awards include the International Photography Award 2013, 1st place, HARIBAN AWARD 2019, Juror’s Choice Awards, STEIDL BOOK AWARD JAPAN, Winner.

Conor Horgan is an Irish visual artist whose work includes photography and film. His work embodies elements of narrative, telling stories through stills, movement, the written word or a combination of all three. Horgan and Amelia Stein have both been selected for an exhibition in Berlin – ‘Changing States: Ireland in the 21st Century’, 7th June – 11 August, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the state and is the largest exhibition of Irish contemporary photography ever seen outside Ireland.

Aisling McCoy is an Irish visual artist working with photography, whose work explores how we derive meaning from, inhabit and imagine place. Her background as an architect influences how she sees the world, and her practice is situated at the intersection of these two disciplines; space-making and image-making.

Hugh O’Conor is an award-winning actor, writer, director and photographer who creates powerful emotional portraits and cinematic landscapes. His photography has been exhibited at the RHA Dublin, the RUA, Belfast and the National Gallery of Ireland.

Linda Plunkett is a photographic artist based in Dublin. Her atmospheric work depicts the natural world, intimate portraits of landscape elements that emerge from prolonged immersion. In 2015 Linda received the IPPA (Irish Professional Photographers Association) Award for Photographic Excellence. Her work is held in several private and public art collections.

Amelia Stein RHA, and the first female photographer to be elected to Aosdána. Her work features spectacular landscapes with each beautifully executed photograph highlighting Stein’s attention to detail and eye for finding beauty in often bleak landscapes, imbuing every detail with a narrative.

David Stephenson is an Irish photographer and filmmaker and winner of the Zurich Portrait Prize 2023. His work has been published in local, national and international news outlets, magazines and art journals. He has been commissioned to photograph projects in Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Kosovo, El Salvador and Guatemala by international aid agencies Trocaire, Self Help Africa and Irish Fair Trade coffee company Java Republic. Stephenson’s documentary ‘Raymond’ won six best film awards including the Fastnet Film Festival and the Belfast Film Festival.

Dominic Turner is a master photographic printer and an accomplished photographer who frequently adopts a layered approach to image making, focusing on abstractions of the standard photographic aesthetic, resulting in work that often requires investigation to represent the complexities of life. We will be showcasing Dominic Turner’s signed Photobook ‘False Friends’ and the special edition ‘False Friends- Special Limited Edition’ during this exhibition.