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Shane Hynan is a visual artist and photographer based in Kildare. In 2019 he completed an MFA in Photography at Ulster University following a career change from structural engineering. He currently works full time developing his visual arts practice.
His practice draws upon conceptual and documentary photographic approaches and focuses on rural Ireland, bogs and the built environment. The use of photography as a tool of expression, drawing on an emotional and intuitive connection with topography, is a central concern within his work. The metaphorical exploration of place, space and
land underpins his visual enquiry and acts as a significant subtext throughout his work. 1
Bio & Career
His ongoing long-term photographic series Beneath | Beofhód (2018-present) explores the bogs of the Irish midlands and the culture around them. The work deals with themes of loss, change, duality and resilience. He is the recipient of the 2020 ‘Emerging Visual Artist Bursary Award’ from Kildare Arts Service. His first solo exhibition took place in 2021 in the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge. His work has also been shown at a number of group exhibitions, including the RHA Annuals 2020 and 2021 and shortlisted for the Royal Photographic Society International Photography Exhibition 162 & 163. He is the recipient of the Visual Arts Bursary Award and the Agility Award from the Arts Council in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
He utilises both digital and analogue photographic techniques, and experiments with moving image, sound, text and handmade paper within his wider practice.
Awards and honours
- 2022, Connect & Discover Workshops, Kildare Arts Service, Naas, Ireland
- 2021, Shortlisted for Royal Photographic Society IPE163, Royal Photographic
Society, Bristol, UK 4 - 2021, Executive Coaching for Creative Professionals Bursary Award, Kildare Arts
Service, Naas, Ireland
5 - 2020, Shortlisted BigPicture Natural World Bursary Award, California Academy of
Sciences, San Francisco, USA (Listed chronologically) - 2019, Editors Pick ‘The Face of the Earth’ Issue 64, Life Framer, London, UK
6 - 2019, Shortlisted for Royal Photographic Society IPE162, Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK 7
- 2019, Judges Choice for Source Graduate Photography Online, Source, Belfast, N.Ireland 8
- 2019, Longlisted RDS Visual Art Awards, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
Group exhibitions
- 2022, May, 23rd, 192nd RHA Annual Exhibition, Curated by RHA, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, Ireland
- 2022, March, 2nd, You breathe differently down here, Curated by Amanda Coogan, Draíocht,Dublin, Ireland 9
- 2021, September, 27th, 191st RHA Annual Exhibition, Curated by RHA, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, Ireland
- 2021, August, 13th, Through the Looking Glass, Curated by Therry Rudin, Birr Vintage Festival, Birr, Ireland 10
- 2021, March, 25th, Art of Energy Award, Curated by Centre of Energy Ethics, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland 11
- 2020, October, 12th, 190th RHA Annual Exhibition, Curated by RHA, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, Ireland
- 2019, September, Beyond the Camera, Curated by Sian Bonnell, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao, China
- 2019, May, 29th, Post Truth, Curated by Deirdre Robb & Mirjami Schuppert, Belfast Exposed, Belfast, N. Ireland 12
- 2017, May, CEAD Graduate Show, CEAD, NCAD, Dublin, Ireland
Projects
- Beneath | Beofhód (2018-present)
In recent decades Ireland’s modern bog landscapes have changed dramatically due to intensive turf cutting and peat harvesting. Legitimate environmental concerns have resulted in the recent transition of Ireland’s working relationship with bogs towards conservation. This brings an important timely element to this work, as change and the end of an era are recorded and a new understanding of Ireland’s bogs is embraced. Bogs have layered meanings and interpretations. They are alive. They are also a latent source of energy, a refuge, an archive of history and rich in metaphor and symbolism; all of which deeply inform this work. 13
- https://www.shanehynan.ie/about
- https://www.galleryofphotography.ie/blog/mass-isolation-project
- https://www.thelibraryproject.ie/collections/tlp-editions/products/beneath-beofhod-shane-
hynan - https://rps.org/opportunities/ipe-163/ipe-163-shortlist/
- https://www.kildare.ie/ArtsService/Grantsandopportunities/ArtsGrants2021/
- https://www.life-framer.com/face-of-the-earth-editors-pick-2019/
- https://rps.org/opportunities/ipe-162/shortlisted-photographers/
- https://www.source.ie/graduate/2019/selection3_ma.php
- https://www.draiocht.ie/gallery/exhibition/you-breathe-differently-down-here
- https://www.birrvintageweek.com/open-exhibition-virtual-gallery
- https://energyethics.st-andrews.ac.uk/galleries/
- https://www.belfastexposed.org/exhibitions/post-truth/
- https://www.shanehynan.ie/portfolio/beneath-beofhod
