Paul Seawright (born 1965) is a Northern Irish artist. He is the professor of photography and the Deputy Vice Chancellor (previously Executive Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at

Belfast School of Art The Belfast School of Art, formerly the Belfast Government School of Art, is a School in the Ulster University Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and is physically located at the Belfast campus. Following the results of the Research ...

) at

Ulster University Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

in Belfast/Derry/Coleraine. Seawright lives in his birthplace of Belfast.

Life and work

Seawright gained an art foundation at

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

; a BA (Hons) in Photography, Film and Video from

West Surrey College of Art and Design Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College (SIAD) was an Art school, art college in the United Kingdom from 1994 to 2005. It was formed from the merger of West Surrey College of Art and Design (1969–1995) and Epsom School of Art and ...

, where his tutors included Paul Graham and

Martin Parr Martin Parr (born 23 May 1952) is a British documentary photographer, photojournalist and photobook collector. He is known for his photographic projects that take an intimate, satirical and anthropological look at aspects of modern life, in p ...

; and a PhD from the

University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...

. He is best known for his early work from his home city of Belfast, particularly the series ''Sectarian Murder, 1988''. In this series, he photographed the sites of sectarian murders around Belfast, and paired the images with newspaper reports from the period. By removing reference to the victim's religion, he depoliticised the violence, focusing on the extensive civilian losses in the Northern Irish "

troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed ...

" (more than two thirds of deaths between 1969 and the ceasefires of 1994 were civilian). He was also the first editor of the Belfast-based photography magazine ''

Source Source may refer to: Research * Historical document * Historical source * Source (intelligence) or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence * Source (journalism), a person, publication, publishing institute ...

''. More recently, he has made photographs in post-war

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, urban

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

(''Invisible Cities'')''Invisible Cities'' i
here
in Seawright's website and America. In 2002, he travelled to Afghanistan, having been commissioned by the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, to respond to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

and the subsequent war against the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

. His photographs of minefields and battle sites have been exhibited internationally and are in numerous public collections. His Afghanistan work is included in the Imperial War Museums extensive exhibition of art and conflict, Visions of War: Art of the Imperial War Museums, which opened in November 2023. In 2005, the

Fotomuseum Antwerp Fotomuseum Antwerp, also known as FOMU, is a museum of photography in Antwerp, Belgium. History and programme The museum opened in 1986. The Fotomuseum in Antwerp has a historical and contemporary collection of photography that is given a new p ...

exhibited a major survey exhibition of his work with accompanying catalogue ''Field Notes.''''Field Notes'' i
here
in Seawright's website. Seawright was Dean of

Newport School of Art, Media and Design The University of Wales, Newport (), was a public university based in Newport, South Wales, before the merger that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was founded as a mechanics' institute in 1841 and became a ...

at the

University of Wales, Newport The University of Wales, Newport (), was a public university based in Newport, Wales, Newport, South Wales, before the merger that formed the University of South Wales in April 2013. The university was founded as a mechanics' institute in 1841 ...

. Later he was, and remains (in 2021), professor of photography at

at Ulster University in Belfast. From 2012 he was head of Belfast School of Art and from 2016 Executive Dean of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences. He was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ulster University in 2021.He served as a Council member of the

Arts Council of Northern Ireland The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Irish language, Irish: ''Comhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann'', Ulster Scots language, Ulster-Scots: ''Airts Cooncil o Norlin Airlan'') is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. It ...

New Chair announced for Arts Council as sector faces toughest challenges yet. , Arts Council of Northern Ireland
/ref> and Vice President of the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts. Seawright was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2020 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to higher education and the arts.

Exhibitions

* ''Hidden,'' Irish Museum of Modern Art, 2003 * ''Further,'' Wales at The 50th Venice Bienalle, 2003 * Naughton Gallery, Queens University Belfast 2006 * ''Field Notes,'' National Media Museum, Bradford 2007 * ''How We Are: Photographing Britain,'' Tate Britain, London 2007

Awards

*1997:

Irish Museum of Modern Art The Irish Museum of Modern Art (), also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art. It is located in Kilmainham, Dublin. History Irish art collector Gordon Lam ...

Glen Dimplex Art Prize *2001: Personal chair by the University of Wales.

Collections

* The

Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the UK ...

, London. *

International Center of Photography The International Center of Photography (ICP) is a photography museum and school at 84 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. ICP's photographic collection, reading room, and archives are at Mana Contemporary in Jer ...

New York, *

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art, modern and contemporary art museum and nonprofit organization located in San Francisco, California. SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art ...

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

* Arts Council of Ireland Collection *

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

UK Government Art Collection The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It holds the responsibility for culture and sport, and some aspects of the media throughout the UK, such as broadcasting. I ...

Publications

Publications by Seawright

* ''Death: Selected by Dawn Ades et al.'' . Cambridge Darkroom Gallery / Kettles Yard Gallery, 1988. * ''Valokuvataide Arkitaide.'' Helsinki, 1989. * ''Shocks to the System.''

Arts Council of Great Britain The Arts Council of Great Britain was a non-departmental public body dedicated to the promotion of the fine arts in Great Britain. It was divided in 1994 to form the Arts Council of England (now Arts Council England), the Scottish Arts Council (l ...

, London, 1993. * ''The Orange Order.'' Belfast:

, 1993. * ''Nervous Landscapes.''

Southeast Museum of Photography The Southeast Museum of Photography is located in Daytona Beach, Florida, on the campus of Daytona State College. It opened in 1992, and moved to a new facility (the Mori Hosseini Center) in 2007.The Photographers' Gallery The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography. It is also home to the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, established ...

, London, 1995. * ''L'Imaginaire Irlandais.'' Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, 1996. * ''Residential.''

Douglas Hyde Gallery The Douglas Hyde Gallery is a publicly funded contemporary art gallery situated within the historical setting of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The Gallery was co-founded by the Arts Council and Trinity College Dublin. It opened to the pu ...

, Dublin, 1997. * ''Constructing Identity.'' (The Missing),

Netherlands Photo Museum The Netherlands Photo Museum () (NFM) is a photography museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, that was founded in 1989. The museum collection consists of many historical, social and cultural images from the 20th and 21st century, from the Netherla ...

, Rotterdam, 1997. * ''Paul Seawright.'' Salamanca, Spain:

Salamanca University The University of Salamanca () is a public research university in Salamanca, Spain. Founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX, it is the oldest university in the Hispanic world and the fourth oldest in the world in continuous operation. It ha ...

, 2000. * ''The Map.'' Catalogue of public art project, SDCC. Edition of 22000 copies. * ''The Forest.'' Gotenberg, Sweden:

Hasselblad Center The Hasselblad Foundation was established in 1979 at the will of Victor Hasselblad, as a fully independent, not-for-profit foundation based at Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, Sweden. The main aim of the foundation is to promote research and academic ...

; Selborne, Hampshire, UK: Shoreditch Bienale, 2001. Edited by Christine Redmond and

Val Williams Val Williams is a British curator and author who has become an authority on British photography. She is the Professor of the History and Culture of Photography at the London College of Communication, part of the University of the Arts London, an ...

. . With a text by Seawright. * ''Hidden.'' London:

/ Bangor Museum of Modern Art, 2003. * ''Maintenant: Now.'' Vincent Levois, Le Mois de la Photo, 2003. * ''Gestes, Le Printemps de Septembre Toulouse.'' Actes Sud, 2003. * ''Landscape of War.''

Centre d'Art la Panera The Centre d'Art la Panera (in English: Art Centre of La Panera) is an art museum in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. It's named after Carrer de la Panera, the street where it's located, in the old-town area known as ''Els Vins''. Since 2022 the institut ...

, Spain, 2004. * ''Field Notes.'' Antwerp:

, 2005. * ''Invisible Cities.'' Cardiff:

Ffotogallery Ffotogallery is the national development agency for photography in Wales. It was established in 1978 and since June 2019 has been based in Cathays, Cardiff. It also commissions touring exhibitions nationally and internationally. Its current dire ...

, 2007. . Edited by Christopher Coppock, essay by John Reader and an interview with the artist by Russell Roberts. Edition of 1000 copies. * ''Volunteer.'' Artist Photo Books, 2013. . *''Things Left Unsaid.'' Artist Photo Books, 2014. . *''Beasts of Burden''. Cologne: Strzelecki, 2021. . Edited by Thomas Niemeyer. 72 pages, 32 coloured illustrations.

Publications with contributions by Seawright

* ''Documentary Dilemmas.'' The British Council, London, 1993. * ''The Gap Show - Critical Art from Great Britain.'' Dortmund, Germany:

Museum Ostwall The Museum Ostwall (known as Museum am Ostwall until 2010) is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded in the late 1940s, and has been located in the Dortmund U-Tower since 2010. The collection include ...

. * ''Irish Art Now, From the Poetic to the Political.'' Merrell Holberton Publishers, 1999. * ''Tokyo Photo Bienniale Catalogue.''

Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography The is an art museum concentrating on photography. As the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, it was founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and is in Meguro-ku, a short walk from Ebisu station in southwest Tokyo. The museum also ...

, 1999. * ''British Art Show 5.'' Catalogu.

National Touring Exhibitions National Touring Exhibitions is a programme managed and funded by Arts Council England that aims to provide access to high-quality contemporary and historical travelling exhibitions throughout the UK. The programme organises two to three major art ...

(

Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal ...

), 2000. . * ''Further: Artists from Wales at the Venice Bienniale.''. Merrell, 2003. * ''Re-Imagining Ireland: Irish Art Today.''

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Art Museum, J Hartz. * ''So Now Then.'' Cardiff: Ffotogalery/HPF, 2006. Edited by Seawright and C. Coppock.

TV and radio

* ''Afghanistan:Ashes to dust,''

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Wales, Welsh national radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the Welsh opt-out service of BBC Radio 4. As of August 2022, the stat ...

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

30 min documentary, 2002 – "Seawright reports from Afghanistan on the impact of more than twenty years of conflict on the country and its people" * ''Profiles: Paul Seawright'' by

Fintan O'Toole Fintan O'Toole (born 16 February 1958) is an Irish journalist, literary editor, and drama critic for ''The Irish Times'', for which he has written since 1988. He was drama critic for the ''New York Daily News'' from 1997 to 2001 and is Advisin ...

BBC4 BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

, 30 minute documentary, 2003

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seawright, Paul 1965 births Living people Academics of the University of Wales, Newport Alumni of Ulster University Artists commissioned by the Imperial War Museum Artists from Belfast Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at the Belfast Royal Academy Photography in Afghanistan Alumni of the University of Wales Contemporary artists from Northern Ireland 20th-century photographers from Northern Ireland 21st-century photographers from Northern Ireland Academics of Ulster University