Eamonn Doyle | ON & ONE

Gallery FIFTY ONE is excited to announce its first solo exhibition by acclaimed Irish photographer Eamonn Doyle, featuring a selection of photographs of his series ON (2015) and ONE (2021).

 

Most of the images of ON were taken not far from his doorstep, in the multi-cultural and working- class area around North Dublin’s Parnell Street and O’Connell Street. This collection of black-and-white street photos takes the viewer on an intense journey of the ever-changing and repeating rhythm of the city. The series perfectly translates the vibrant, edgy and at times grim atmosphere of the neighbourhood. Doyle photographs the area and its inhabitants in a powerful manner, often from dramatic angles; frontally, from up close or with a low-angled camera, making faces, buildings and skies looming large and ominous over the camera. These viewpoints, along with the strong contrasts and the play with textures and volumes that Doyle finds in Dublin’s urban fabric, all contribute to the series’ dynamic and sensory drama.

 

In his latest series ONE (2021), Doyle further proves that he is a master of suspense. In this collection of large format gelatine silver contact prints the atmosphere is even more alienating and menacing, pulling the viewer in the dark overlooked corners of a city in the midst of a pandemic. Passers-by are blurred or reduced to silhouettes. The frequent use of close-ups, strong contrasts and graininess, as well as the attention to typography and surfaces, are sometimes reminiscent to the boldness of artists as William Klein and Daido Moriyama. Just like the work of these legendary street photographers, ONE breaths both poetry as raw energy and adds a touch of mystery to the ordinary aspects of city life.