Richard Mosse (born 1980) is an Irish artist who works with photography and video.

Early life and education

Mosse was born in

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

, Ireland.https://www.carliergebauer.com/downloads/CV_RM_2023.pdf He received a first class BA in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

in 2001, an

MRes A Master of Research ( abbr. MRes, MARes, MScRes, or MScR) degree is an internationally recognised advanced postgraduate research degree in the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong. In most cases, the degree is designed to prepare s ...

cultural studies Cultural studies is an academic field that explores the dynamics of contemporary culture (including the politics of popular culture) and its social and historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers investigate how cultural practices rel ...

from the

London Consortium From 1993 to 2012, The London Consortium was a graduate school in the UK offering multidisciplinary Masters and Doctoral programs in the humanities and cultural studies at the University of London. It was administered by Birkbeck, University of L ...

in 2003, a

postgraduate diploma fILE:Prédio Pós Graduação IMECC Unicamp.jpg, The State University of Campinas, as well as many Brazilian universities, offer Postgraduate courses in Brazil A postgraduate diploma (PgD, PgDip, PGDip, PG Dip., PGD, Dipl. PGD) is a postgraduat ...

in fine art from

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...

in 2005 and a photography MFA from

Yale School of Art The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Master of Fine Arts, Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in g ...

in 2008.

Life and work

he lives and works in New York City and Ireland. He has worked in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Palestine, Haiti and the former Yugoslavia. Mosse made photographs of the war in the eastern

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

using colour

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

film with which he intended to create a new perspective on conflict. Kodak Aerochrome is a false-color infrared film originally intended for aerial vegetation surveys and for military reconnaissance, such as to identify camouflaged targets. It registers light that is invisible to humans, rendering the grass and trees and soldiers' uniforms in vivid hues of lavender, crimson and hot pink. He used this same film to make a documentary film entitled ''The Enclave'', with cinematographer Trevor Tweeten and composer Ben Frost. This work was published in three publications, exhibited in solo exhibitions, and won the

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize Deutsch ( , ) or Deutsche ( , ) may refer to: * or : the German language or in particular Standard German, spoken in central European countries and other places *Old High German language refers to Deutsch as a way to define the primary characteris ...

in 2014. In 2017 his video installation ''Incoming'', commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria and the Barbican Art Gallery, also made with Frost and Tweeten, won the

Prix Pictet The Prix Pictet (Pictet prize) is an international award in photography. It was founded in 2008 by the Geneva-based Pictet Group with the mandate to use the power of photography to communicate messages about sustainability to a global audience. Its ...

. In 2024 Mosse was awarded the

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...

in Visual Art at the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

Reception

Critic

Sean O'Hagan Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and for his wor ...

, writing in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', said "His images from there often seem to skirt the real and the fictional, simply though ictheir heightened and unreal colours. He has made the familiar seem strange and the real seem heightened to the point of absurdity. This is war reportage – but not as we know it." Willy Staley, writing in the ''

New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. The magazin ...

'', said "Mosse highlights the eastern Congo's natural bounty while acknowledging both the medium's origins and, he points out, the West's tendency to see in the Congo only darkness and insanity." Mosse has received criticism for his work, notably from Ireland, for presenting difficult global conflicts or deeply personal situations amidst these conflicts in an overly aestheticised way, being described as "troubling", and discomforting. According to Sarah Bassnett writing in the Oxford Art Journal, "These critiques point to a sense of discomfort with the work but decontextualise certain features to oversimplify its nuanced meaning." Early in his career, Mosse has stated that "beauty is the sharpest tool in the box" when it comes to communication and advocacy for overlooked humanitarian issues.

Beasts of No Nation

In 2015,

Artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City. It is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly-traded company based in Berlin that is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Ex ...

published an article suggesting that

Cary Joji Fukunaga Cary Joji Fukunaga (born July 10, 1977) is an American filmmaker. A director of TV and film, he first came to wide prominence by directing the first season of the HBO series ''True Detective'' (2014). He is known for directing critically acclai ...

had appropriated content for his movie

Beasts of No Nation ''Beasts of No Nation'' is a 2005 novel by the Nigerian-American author Uzodinma Iweala, that takes its title from Fela Kuti's 1989 album of the same name. The book won the 2005 Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Barnes & Noble ...

without crediting the work of Richard Mosse, of his infrared photos of

child soldiers Children in the military, including state armed forces, non-state armed groups, and other military organizations, may be trained for combat, assigned to support roles, such as cooks, porters/couriers, or messengers, or used for tactical adv ...

in the

Publications

* ''Infra.'' New York, NY:

Aperture In optics, the aperture of an optical system (including a system consisting of a single lens) is the hole or opening that primarily limits light propagated through the system. More specifically, the entrance pupil as the front side image o ...

, 2012. With an essay by

Adam Hochschild Adam Hochschild ( ; born October 5, 1942) is an American author, journalist, historian and lecturer. His best-known works include ''King Leopold's Ghost'' (1998), ''To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914–1918'' (2011), '' Bur ...

. ** Hardback. . ** Collector's edition. Edition of 500 copies. * ''The Enclave.'' New York, NY: Aperture, 2013. With an essay by

Jason Stearns Jason K. Stearns (born October 31, 1976) is an American writer who worked for ten years in the Congo, including three years during the Second Congo War. He first traveled to the Congo in 2001 to work for a local human rights organization, Héri ...

. ** Paperback. . Edition of 750 copies. ** Boxed set. Edition of 250 copies. Includes a vinyl record with sound and music, designed by Ben Frost; a poster featuring an image by Mosse; a transcription from the film; and a signed-and-numbered copy of the book. *''A Supplement to The Enclave''. Berlin: Broken Dimanche Press, 2014. . Edited by John Holten. With texts by Chrisy Lange, Patrick Mudekereza and Charles Stankievech and conversations between Richard Mosse and Trevor Tweeten and Ben Frost. Newspaper format. *''Richard Mosse Catalogue.'' Curve Publications. London: Barbican, 2017. With an interview between Mosse and Alona Pardo, and a text by Anthony Downey. *''Incoming.'' London: Mack, 2017. . With texts by

Giorgio Agamben Giorgio Agamben ( ; ; born 22 April 1942) is an Italian philosopher best known for his work investigating the concepts of the state of exception, form-of-life (borrowed from Ludwig Wittgenstein) and '' homo sacer''. The concept of biopolitic ...

and Mosse. *''The Castle.'' London: Mack, 2018. With texts in a booklet by

Judith Butler Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American feminist philosopher and gender studies scholar whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In ...

, Paul K Saint Amour,

Behrouz Boochani Behrouz Boochani (; born 23 July 1983) is a Iranian Kurdistan, Kurdish-Iranian journalist, human rights defender, writer and film producer living in New Zealand. He was held in the Australian-run Manus Regional Processing Centre, Manus Island d ...

and Mosse. . Second edition, 2019. *''Broken Spectre.'' Marseille: Loose Joints, 2022, co-published with 180 Studios and Converge45. With texts in a booklet by Txai Suruí, Gabriel Bogossian,

Christian Viveros-Fauné Christian Viveros-Fauné is a New York-based writer and curator of contemporary art. Career Viveros-Fauné is a former art dealer, and former Art exhibition, art fair director. He has lectured at Yale University, Pratt Institute, and Parsons Sch ...

, Jon Lee Anderson and an interview by

Hans Ulrich Obrist Hans Ulrich Obrist (born 1968) is a Swiss art curator, critic, and art historian. He is artistic director at the Serpentine Galleries, London. Obrist is the author of ''The Interview Project'', an extensive ongoing project of interviews. He is ...

. . *''Tate Photography: Richard Mosse.'' London: TATE, 2023. Edited by Yasufumi Nakamori. .

Filmography

* ''The Enclave'' (2013) – commissioned by the National Pavilion of Ireland at the 55th Venice Biennale. A collaboration with cinematographer Trevor Tweeten and composer Ben Frost. Made using 16 mm infrared film transferred to HD video. Shown as an installation comprising multiple double-sided screens installed in a darkened chamber. * ''Incoming'' (2017) – commissioned by Barbican Art Galleries and National Gallery of Victoria. A collaboration with composer Ben Frost and cinematographer Tweeten Tweeten. * ''Broken Spectre'' (2022) – commissioned National Gallery of Victoria, by VIA Art Fund, the Westridge Foundation, and the Serpentine Galleries, with additional support from Jack Shainman Gallery and Collection SVPL. A collaboration with Ben Frost and cinematographer Trevor Tweeten.

Solo exhibitions

*2004: ''Richard Mosse'', Camden People's Theatre, London. *2007: ''Nothing to Declare'', Derby Museum & Art Gallery, Derby University. *2008: ''Trainers'', Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland. *2012: ''Infra'', curated by Sheila Pratschke, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris. *2012: ''Infra'', curated by Peggy-Sue Amison, Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh. *2012: ''Remains Of The Day'', curated by Isolde Brielmaier,

Savannah College of Art & Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a Private school, private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, Vaucluse, Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not ...

, Dewberry Gallery, Atlanta and Moot Gallery, Hong Kong. *2012: ''Infra'', curated by Karen Newman,

Open Eye Gallery Open Eye Gallery is a photography gallery and archive in Liverpool, UK that was established in 1977. It is housed in a purpose-built building on the waterfront at Mann Island, its fourth location. Open Eye Gallery comprises an exhibition space ...

, Liverpool. *2012: ''Infra'', curated by Xandra Eden,

Weatherspoon Art Museum The Weatherspoon Art Museum is located at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the southeast with a focus on American art. Its programming includes fifteen or more ...

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

. *2012: ''Infra'', Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray. *2012: ''Infra,'' curated by Christoph Tannert, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin. *2012: ''The Enclave'', National Pavilion of Ireland at the 55th

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

. *2014: ''The Enclave,''

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. *2014: ''The Enclave'', The Vinyl Factory, London. *2014: ''The Enclave'', curated by Cheryl Sim, DHC/ART Foundation for Contemporary Art, Montreal. *2014: ''The Enclave'', curated by Joachim Naudts, FOMU Fotomuseum Antwerp. *2014: ''Fermata: Richard Mosse'', curated by Shauta Marsh, The Indianopolis Museum of Art. *2014: ''The Devil You Know'', curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno, Gran Canaria, Spain. *2014: ''The Enclave'', curated by Claudia Kussel, FOAM Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam. *2014: ''The Enclave'', curated by Felicity Fenner, National Institute for Experimental Arts,

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, Sydney. *2014: ''The Enclave'',

Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the Royal Irish Academy, the academy retained the word "Royal" after mo ...

, Dublin. *2014: ''The Enclave,'' Ormston House, Limerick. *2014: ''The Enclave, Richard Mosse'', curated by Brian Ferriso,

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum (PAM) is an art museum in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The Portland Art Museum has 240,000 square feet (22,000 m2), with more than 112,000 square feet (10,400 m2) of gallery space. The museum’s permanent c ...

. *2015: ''The Enclave'', curated by Simon Maidment,

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

, Melbourne, Australia. *2015: ''The Enclave'', curated by Marshall Price,

Nasher Museum of Art The Nasher Museum of Art (previously the Duke University Museum of Art) is the art museum of Duke University, and is located on Duke's campus in Durham, North Carolina, United States. History In 1936, art collector William Hayes Ackland wro ...

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

, Durham, North Carolina. *2015: ''The Enclave'', curated by Marie Laurberg,

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, also known as the Louisiana, is an art museum located north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Attracting over 700,000 guests annually, the Louisiana is Scandinavia's most visited museum for Modern art, modern and contempor ...

, Humlebæk, Denmark. *2016: ''The Enclave'', Hafnarhús Reykjavik Art Museum, Iceland. *2017: ''Incoming,'' Curve Gallery,

Barbican Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London, England, and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings a ...

, London, curated by Alona Pardo. *2017: ''The Castle'', Carlier Gebauer, Berlin. *2018: ''Incoming'', Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, Krakow, Poland. *2018: ''The Castle'',

Joslyn Art Museum The Joslyn Art Museum, commonly referred to as the Joslyn, is a fine arts museum in Omaha, Nebraska, the largest in the state. It opened in 1931 at the initiative of Sarah H. Joslyn, in memory of her husband, businessman George A. Joslyn. Sinc ...

, Omaha, Nebraska. *2018: ''Beyond Here Lies Nothing''
Arcadia University Art Gallery
Philadelphia, opening January, curated by Richard Torchia. *2019: ''Incoming'', Le Lieu Unique, Nantes, France, curated by Patrick Gyger. *2019: ''Incoming'',

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 ...

, curated by Rudolf Frieling. *2019: ''Incoming'',

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

, Washington DC, curated by Sarah Greenough. *2021: ''Richard Mosse, Displaced: Migration, Conflict, Climate Change'', survey show, MAST Foundation, Bologna, curated by Urs Stahel. *2022: ''Richard Mosse'', survey show,

Kunsthalle Bremen The Kunsthalle Bremen is an art museum in Bremen, Germany. It is located close to the Bremen Old Town on the "Culture Mile" (). The Kunsthalle was built in 1849, enlarged in 1902 by architect Eduard Gildemeister, and expanded several more times, ...

, curated by Eva Fischer-Hausdorf. *2022: ''Broken Spectre'',

, Melbourne, curated by Ewan McEoin. *2023: ''Broken Spectre'', Minnesota Street Project &

SFMOMA The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a 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, and has b ...

, San Francisco. *2024: ''Broken Spectre'', Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Wisconsin. *2024: ''Broken Spectre'', MUNA Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. *2024: ''Broken Spectre'', PHI Centre, Montreal.

Awards

* 2006–2008: Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in the Performing and Visual Arts from the

Annenberg Public Policy Center The Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) is a center for the study of public policy at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. It has offices in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, where the University of Pennsy ...

, University of Pennsylvania * 2011:

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

from the

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation is a private foundation formed in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Gr ...

* 2014:

*2017:

, for ''Heat Maps'' * 2020: Honorary Fellowship of the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

, Bristol * 2024-5: Philip Guston Rome Prize at the

References

External links

*
Moss profile
carliergebauer.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Mosse, Richard 1980 births Living people Alumni of King's College London Yale School of Art alumni 21st-century Irish photographers Artists from County Kilkenny Irish contemporary artists Magnum photographers Alumni of Birkbeck, University of London Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize winners