It almost comes as a shock to hear that throughout its long history, the National Gallery of Ireland has never hosted an exhibition totally dedicated to photography. Now, more than ever, the medium of photography has proved to be an ever popular staple in gallery spaces. A Moment in time: The Legacy of Photographs is a breakthrough exhibition showcasing the modern, innovative and flexibility of the medium of photography. The exhibition is an all-encompassing overview of early American photography, showcasing a broad range of artists, subjects and themes. While the majority of the work stems from the 1950s and 1960s, there is work dating from as early as the first photographs of the 19th century. I talked to Sarah McAuliffe, a Curator behind the exhibition on her experience behind this landmark event. .
1: What was it like curating the National Gallery’s first photography exhibition – did you face any obstacles/challenges with the new medium?
It was an amazing opportunity to co-curate Moment in Time as photography and the history of the medium is a big passion of mine. As this was the first major photography exhibition at the Gallery we knew that this would be a prime occasion to underline our desire to credit photography with the status of an art form, which it so rightly deserves. Of course, an undertaking of this nature will be met with some challenges and queries. However, we have had a very positive response so far and have been pleased to see such strong support for the art of photography.
2: A big theme within the exhibition is social commentary and justice, why do you think photography is such an effective tool in capturing these themes?
While photography can be described as mode of representation like many other visual art media, it lends itself to the idea of freezing a moment in time and, in this way, it is accepted as an authentic document that, in the case of many of the works on display in Moment in Time, records a particular historic and/or socio-political event. Photography often allows us to look closely at details and to come face to face with a person, place, object or event. Thus, it is an effective method of foregrounding of theories, ideas, beliefs and issues that in a number of cases relate to socio-politics and justice. We see this in Moment in Time in the work of Robert Frank, Dorothea Lange and Lewis Wickes Hine, for example.
Robert Frank is best known for his seminal book The Americans, featuring photographs taken by the artist in the mid-1950s as he travelled across the U.S. on a Guggenheim fellowship. These photographs feature glimpses of highways, cars, parades, jukeboxes, and diners as iconic symbols of America, while simultaneously suggesting an underlying sense of alienation and hardship. Lewis Wickes Hine, a New York City schoolteacher, believed a picture could tell a powerful story. He quit his job to become an investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee. By 1920, the number of child labourers was reduced to almost half what it had been in 1910. Moreover, During World War II, the US government commissioned Lange, who had famously documented the effects of the Depression, to record the internment of Japanese Americans in so-called ‘Relocation Camps’. The resulting photographs from these projects bring specific episodes and moments in history to life and one can sense the emotion of the sitters and reality of the environments in which they live.
3: Many of the works presented come from a strong American viewpoint, how do you think Irish audiences will respond to this?
Moment in Time was originally curated in the United States. Deborah Klochko curated the show for the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego in 2017. While it was on display in there, the show was divided into three parts namely, History, Chicago, A Collection of Photographs. When the exhibition came to us, we were very aware that we would need to make some changes to the San Diego layout, principally because themes, such as Chicago, would not be relevant to most Irish audiences. Thus, we decided to divide the 117 works on display into 5 themes that are interchangeable to a certain extent. These 5 themes are: Art Photography, People, Documentary, Urban and Nature. These themes come up time and time again throughout the history of art and we felt that when applied to photography, audiences would be able to digest the works on display more easily. While a vast number of the works in the show relate to the United States and particular moments in American history because the collection was developed in the US for an American organisation by two American professionals, many of the themes and subjects addressed in them are universal from the development of the airplane to workers and passers-by in the city. In addition, the original curators of the Bank of America photography collection, Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, were eager to collect work by international photographers as well. Thus, you will see photographs of Spain by Henri-Cartier Bresson; motor car races in France by Jacques Henri-Lartigue; and cathedrals in France photographed by the British photographer, Henry Fox Talbot.
4: Why is the exhibition organised by theme and not by date?
When we looked at the show in San Diego and at the 117 works individually it quickly became apparent to us that this was not a survey of the history of the medium, but a unique and superb example of people who love photography and believe in its power to communicate ideas and efficiently represent people, places and events, coming together to elevate its artistic status and its identity as a collectable art form. Thus, we did not want to organise the works in a chronological order to avoid the risk of slipping into a historic survey and rather sought to celebrate each work for its particular artistic merits and think about how photographers working the early 19th and late 20th centuries were addressing similar themes and capturing related subject matter and how their work might look when placed side by side in the 21st century.
5: What was it like curating an exhibition with so many broad and varied subjects, with intimate portraits in one room to abstracted landscapes in the next?
Having the opportunity to work with a collection of photographs that is so varied in theme, subject matter and technique has allowed me to look at the medium in new ways and draw interesting comparisons between a number of works. For me, I think it is very important when introducing a medium that has not previously been looked at in great depth in the Gallery to encompass as many subjects and themes as possible, without overwhelming your audience. As this is the first time photography has been explored in a major way at the Gallery it was fortunate that the varied content of the works within the show allowed us to cater to a number of tastes and interests.
6: Do you see a modern growing interest in photography? – If so why do you think that is?
Yes, I think interest in photography is becoming ever more popular. This is due to a number of reasons, from the rise of exhibitions and museum departments devoted to the medium to the accessibility and efficiency of photography. The digital age we live in allows people to record life moments on their phones and other devices and to then post their snapshots on various public platforms from Instagram and Facebook to Twitter and Flickr. While professional and art photography is often situated at a more advanced level than this, the act of freezing a moment and thinking about angle and composition forms the basis for a growing interest in photography and how it developed as an artistic medium. It also allows people to relate to the medium on another level.
7: If you wanted audiences to walk away with one thing from this exhibition what would it be?
I hope that our audiences enjoy the wonderful content of the exhibition- it is so rare to have such an array of outstanding photographic works together in one space and I hope that when they walk away visitors will feel as though they have had an enlightening glimpse into the world and history of photography. In addition, I hope they go away having been touched by the power and beauty of the medium and can understand why we are striving to encourage its appreciation as an art form.
8: Favourite photograph from the collection?
That is a tough one as some of the most iconic photographs to date are on display in the five rooms and I really love them all. However, for many years I have admired photography’s ability to communicate aspects of society that may otherwise go unnoticed, and in particular the work of Robert Frank. I am thrilled that my favourite photograph by him, Trolley – New Orleans, is featured in the show.
Shot just a few weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama, Trolley—New Orleans exposes the rigid social order of post-war America.
