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Aoife Shanahan , Irish, b.1982

Title

Anticipation

Date2015

MediumArchival inkjet print

Dimensions

44 x 54 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 2020

Object numberNGI.2020.58

DescriptionAoife Shanahan’s series, ‘Within the Shadows’, 2015, captures interactions between people, light and architecture. Anonymous dwellers glide through beams of stark light and impenetrable shadow. These dark shadows fragment and isolate a lone figure. The scene is set and there is an edge of uncertainty, a palpable sense of anticipation intermingled with disquiet. These atmospheric moments evoke an aura of mystery and intrigue. ‘Within the Shadows’ is a response to being submerged in a new culture. Shanahan explains, “While it is sometimes hard to ignore the alienation and disconnect often experienced in this urban setting, I try to create an alternate psychological space to occupy. The lone figure becomes an intriguing character within this space and I’m challenged to call upon my imagination, fears and fantasies to create a narrative.”

When shooting ‘Within the Shadows’ Shanahan would often hold her camera at her hip so that both the photographer and the viewer appear as though they are on the same level as the subject. While the subject in each of these works seems unaware of the photographer, and by extension, the viewer’s presence adding a voyeuristic feel to the images, they are in way superior or inferior to that subject. Rather, they are almost in line with subject and follow his/ her footsteps on to a destination that has yet to be fully revealed.

ProvenancePurchased, 2020