21—27 April 2014
Opening 6pm Thursday 24 April
Artists Talk: 12 noon 26 April
Arts Shift; Artists Mark Clare, Annie Holland, Mimi Doran, Joanne Betty Conlon and Tina Claffey present images that explore real life beauty in women. Their contemporary representations of ‘real‘ women from various parts of the world (Bostwana, Hong Kong, Ireland) in their everyday realities. In Pursuit of Beauty is an exploration into what is considered beauty? What makes beauty and for whom is it beautiful? Elements of beauty are what? features, lines, smiles, traits, marks, colours…who decides? Is beauty factual, genuine, authentic, commercialised? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Is beauty a myth?
For years mass media have attempted to define and promote particular concepts of what is beautiful on a global scale on a variety of media platforms (i.e. magazines, newspapers, advertisement, on TV, billboards, online etc). The mass media’s power to set frames through visual images around beauty and reality (super model, yummy mummy, glam granny) impacts in very diffused and complex ways on public thinking and media audiences’ perceptions of social reality. The increased use of airbrushing and digital alteration in media images of women all point to pressure on young women to have the perfect face and body and has resulted in an escalation of dissatisfaction within their own bodies. What is beauty? Who decides what is beautiful? Is beauty a myth? a concept? a sales pitch?This collection of work explores the idea of women and beauty in the everyday, challenging the media’s stereotype of what is considered beautiful. It’s time to reclaim and define real beauty!
For more details about the exhibition , please contact tlp@photoireland.org
