Tony McAteer is an Irish photographer from Belfast, based in Bath, UK. He holds a Master’s in Fine Art & Visual Culture from the Bath Spa University College since 1999, and a BA in Fine Art at National College of Art & Design, Dublin since 1997. His work illustrates a fascination with urbanism as the boldest expression of social structures acting on us.
He has received several photography awards including Architectural Photographer of the Year at the ND awards in 2016. Most recently, he was the winner of PDN’s Curator, Fine Art Photography award, 2019.
His work has been included in several international exhibitions, most recently in Open Walls Arles (Galerie Huit, Arles 2020), Look (Photo Biennial Liverpool 2019), PDN Awards (Canoe Studios, NY 2019) and The LA Month of Photography 2018.
For his commercial architectural work he has photographed many high profile projects around the world including 1 World Trade Centre, NY; Hudson Yards, NY; Christies, Shanghai; The National Museum of Qatar, Doha; BBC Broadcasting House, London; BBC Media City, Manchester; Hoglands, Grade 1 listed restoration of Henry Moore’s former home & etching studio; and Tate, St. Ives.
Awards and honours
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Open Walls Arles, 2020, juried by the Biritsh Journal of Photography and Galerie Huit Arles
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PDN, The Curator, Fine Art Photography award, 2019
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Photo Review (US Journal) International Photography Competition 2018, Finalist.
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Fine Art Photo Awards 2018, 2nd Place, Cityscapes
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International Photography Grant 2017, Shortlisted
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Life Framer Series Award 2017, Finalist
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Life Framer Urban Life Photography Award 2017, Shortlisted
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Fine Art Photo Awards 2017, 3rd Place, Architecture
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ND Awards 2016, Architectural Photographer of the Year
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Moscow International Fotography Awards 2016, Finalist, Architecture Category
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Moscow International Fotography Awards 2016, Finalist, Abstract Category
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London Photography Festival 2016, Finalist, Abstract Photography Award
- 1999 Visual Arts Grant, Arts Council of Ireland
Exhibitions
Group exhibitions
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Open Walls Arles, Galerie Huit Arles, June – Sept 2020
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The Urban, curated by Offspring Photo Meet & Northern Narratives, June 2020, https://photomeet.org/the-urban
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City+, Landscape Stories Magazine blog, June 2020
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ADF (Aoyama Design Forum) Crowned; https://www.adfwebmagazine.jp/en/architect/crowned-elements-by-photographer-tony-mcateer/, 2020
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PDN, Curator, Fine Art Photography award exhibition, Canoe Studios, NY, Nov 2019
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‘Look’ Liverpool Photography Biennial, Oct-Dec, 2019
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Modu Magazine, Flatpack (Shenyang & Chengdu); https://www.modumag.com/focus/in-shenyang-and-chengdu-the-strange-aesthetic-of-flat-pack-city/, 2019
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Month of Photography LA, April 2018
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Enorm Magazine, May/June issue 2018
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London-China Photography, The Art Pavilion, London, Feb 2018
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LensCulture; online photography magazine, Editors Pick – China (flat-pack 2)
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Royal Photographic Society, Urban Photo Festival, Greenwich Gallery, London
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London Photography Festival, The Crypt, London
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Rattle, Journal of Art and Writing, issue v. – Scattered Signals
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Manifest Gallery, Vista; Landscape in Contemporary Art, Cincinnati
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Scopio Network & Research Group, online exhibition – Large Sites
Projects
- Msheireb Downtown Doha. 2024.
Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) is a re-build of a city centre area. Completed in 2020 it is an ambitious urban statement that has moved beyond singular, skyline buildings to a more considered, integrated use of design. Traditional Qatari and regional architectural features are put to use – stacked blocks of human scale buildings that create shaded walkways and spaces, and allow for rooftop use and terraces. Street alignments with staggered facades and roof surfaces that enhance air circulation, provide further shade and give a natural, less uniformed feel to the space. - The Bell Ringers. 2024
“My Bell Ringer photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. I was initially interested in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past”.
Works
L_McAteer15
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer16
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer17
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer18
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer19
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer20
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer21
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer22
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer23
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer24
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer25
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer26
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer27
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer28
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
L_McAteer29
Since the start of 2023 I’ve been photographing a group of bell ringers based in Bath, UK. The photographs touch on themes of history, connection and community. With the physicality and mannerism of the ringers calling to mind religious iconography. My interest was initially in the resonating history of the activity and its settings. There is an exciting, clandestine nature to this unseen group coming together in these historical places. As I got more involved, I began to appreciate the physicality, concentration and connectedness of the group when ringing together. With the photographs I’m aiming to catch the intense atmosphere and spectacle of the ringers aligning with each other and the wider timelines of the past.
