Loopies Field
Becks Butler has a career in commercial and contemporary photography as well as a visual arts curatorial practice. Coming from a familial and career focused background in agriculture, Butler has developed an interest in merging that background with her practice. Prior to her studies in Fine Art and Photography, she completed a degree in Agricultural Science. Butler has first-hand experience of the physical and mental challenges of agricultural labour. In both agricultural and artistic practices it is often difficult to draw a line between work and life, and she has developed an interest in the performance of labour inherent in both industries. In her current project Loopies Field, which investigates a modern image of agriculture in Ireland, she is interested in dedication to labour exploring notions of inheritance, architecture, economy, relationship to the production of agriculture, and the effects of industry on the environment.
It is a challenge to narrow all of a country’s talented practitioners into five individuals, but identifying five artists that represent the diversity of practices is an undertaking that members of the Futures Photography Platform like to take on.
Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, Futures pools together the resources and talent programmes of leading photography institutions across Europe, in order to increase capacity, mobility, and visibility of its selected artists. By bringing together a wealth of resources and curatorial expertise, each talent selected by the Futures members gains access to an unprecedented network of professionals, markets and audiences.
PhotoIreland, the Irish member of the platform, is interested in putting forward artists that have demonstrated experimentation with the medium, appreciating those practices that engage with poignant socio-political issues creatively, with defined narratives and personal visual vocabularies. In the selection, special importance is placed on their career stage, as one of the aims of PhotoIreland is to facilitate extra support in establishing international connections and expanding their networks and, in short, helping professionalise their practice.
For the previous editions, PhotoIreland nominated Aisling McCoy, Barry W Hughes, Ciaran Óg Arnold, Dorje de Burgh, George Voronov, Jamin Keogh, Megan Doherty, Miriam O’ Connor, Róisín White, and Yvette Monahan. Now, on the following pages, you will discover the works of the five Irish artists, nominated in 2020.
