A MODERN EYE

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This exhibition represents a unique partnership between two nationally significant and progressive bodies. The National Library of Ireland (NLI), which is an autonomous cultural institution under the National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997, and the Gallery of Photography, which is a not-for-profit organisation, supported by the Arts Council and Dublin City Council.

The exhibition itself is located across these two organisations and it will run in the NLI’s National Photographic Archive, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar until 2nd November 2019; and in the Gallery of Photography, across the Square, until 1st September 2019.

In fact there is a third prong to Helen Hooker O'Malley's current exposure in the city of Dublin. An exhibition of her maquettes for scenery in the Players Theatre opens on 26 June 2019 in the city archive in Pearse Street and runs to the end of July. I attended the launch and the miniature sets are unbelievable and beautifully restored.

Hooker O’Malley photographed her life in Ireland from 1935 onwards.

The Gallery of Photography presents this early work – explorations made during expeditions with her husband into the Irish landscape, observations of Irish rural life particularly in County Mayo, and portraits of artists and friends – in addition to a fascinating record of her travels in Russia and East Asia.

The National Library’s collection of Hooker O’Malley’s photographs primarily encompasses work produced by the artist during an intensely creative period in the 1970s. These photographs centre on the textures and details of landscapes and heritage sites; Dublin’s bustling urban life; and intimate portraits of close friends and strangers.

Source

Paul Shovlin

Paul is Chairman of the Board of the National Library and he opened the night's event, presumably because it was hosted in the Library's Photo Archive. This would be followed later by a formal book signing session across the way in the Gallery.

Sandra Collins

Sandra is the Director of the National Library and she further outlined what was involved in this dual exhibition:

"Helen Hooker O’Malley’s fascination with Irish life shines out in these photographs. A notable and intriguing figure, she ought to be recognised as a strong and fiercely independent woman, one who travelled the world before settling in Ireland, and a talented artist working across a range of creative mediums.

We are delighted to work with our neighbours at the Gallery of Photography Ireland to present this joint exhibition about Hooker O’Malley, and to shed light on a complex woman and a dedicated artist. I would encourage people to visit both elements of this joint exhibition, and to see Ireland, its history, landscape, culture and people anew, from Hooker O’Malley’s unique perspective."

Luke Gibbons

Luke gave insightful commentary on Hooker O'Malley's work, as befits a Professor of Irish Literary and Cultural Studies at the School of English, Drama and Media Studies, National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

He emphasised that she was primarily a sculptor but that her exhibitions usually also showed a selection of her photographs. He mentioned a few that were included in this exhibition and commented on elements such as composition, detail and lighting. I think he saw all these as strictly premeditated, though I know from my own experience that it is important for a photographer to recognise a stroke of luck when they trip over it.

I was glad he mentioned Father Browne, another photographer who documented aspects of Irish life in the twentieth century. Father Browne's great stroke of luck was missing out on a shot of the iceberg as the Titanic approached it, or vice versa.

Tanya Kiang

Tanya is curator of the Gallery of Photography exhibition together with Trish Lambe

"Gallery of Photography Ireland together with the National Library of Ireland recognise the importance of retrieving and preserving the work of female artists. ‘A Modern Eye’ reveals for the first time the photographs of Helen Hooker O’Malley. The exhibition gives a unique insight into this modern woman’s creative vision of 20th century Ireland."

Cormac O'Malley

Cormac is Helen Hooker O’Malley’s son. He is the repository of her extensive archive, except for that part of it which Helen donated to the National Library in 1992. He has curated exhibitions of his mother's work over the years, and has, incidentally, written extensively about his father, Ernie O'Malley. Yes, that Ernie O'Malley.

"I am delighted to see two important cultural institutions come together to showcase my mother’s life and career. This exhibition captures the cultural state of Ireland from 1935 to 1975, including its heritage and the commonplace aspects of real people – but through the eye of a modernist female lens where mood, structure and form all play an intricate role.”

He looked really proud to launch this exhibition which showed his mother in such a great light and the organisation of which he had been intimately involved in. He certainly looked a happy man to me.

Kathryn McSharry with those you already know

Nikki Ralston

Nikki curated the NLI part of the exhibition with the help of a dedicated team. She clearly looks happy on the day.

Nikki is no stranger to me, her having curated many excellent exhibitions at this venue with the same dedicated and enthusiastic team. I actually figured in one of them myself.

And before I leave this section, can I recommend that if you do visit the exhibition and admire Helen's photos, do read the captions. They are very well written and most illuminating.

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Cormac with his sister Étáin

I was tickled when Cormac told Seán Rocks on RTÉ Radio 1's Arena programme that there were lots of unprinted negatives in his mother's collection. This rings true. I have hundreds of never printed negatives. What is the point if you can read the negatives and have no immediate call for prints? Negatives can be quickly printed if required. And remember, these were not commercial assignments. Helen was, by and large, taking the photos for herself.

She did display photos with her sculpture exhibitions and these clearly would have been printed. But these would likely have been an insignificant proportion of the total.

The photos taken here are virtually all of ordinary scenes, except that their taking was sometimes extraordinary because few people, if any, were doing it on a large scale. You also need to remember that what is ordinary today may be extraordinary tomorrow, such is the pace of "progress".

I remember when I was researching Killiney Bay in the 1970s, and drawing on old material like the Lawrence photographs, I thought I should take some contemporary shots to illustrate my points. These photos have in their turn become historical at this stage.

Paddy Moloney & Mick O'Connor

Diarmuid Peavoy

Orla Sweeny & Bríd O'Sullivan

Natalie Harrower

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So let's have a look at just a few of Helen's photos to give you a very summary view of what's involved.

Ernie O'Malley

Ernie O'Malley

Liam O'Flaherty

Boat Race

Bringing in the Potatoes

Seanachaí

The Mother in-law Marion Malley

I have to add here that Helen and Marion were great friends and remained so throughout.

Clearly, Helen, like myself surrendered along the way to colour. Or should I say "embraced" it? You be the judge.

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Helen Hooker c.1930
Source

We'll say goodbye to Helen Hooker with this shot of how she looked around the time she chased Ernie O'Malley to the Chicago World Fair and subsequently married him in London to the disapproval of her family.

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Caught on the job
Photo: @NLIreland

I've been at this a long time and am relatively rarely caught on camera, being myself busy behind the lens.