Enda Bowe Explained

Enda Bowe is an Irish photographer that lives and works in London.^[1] His publications include Kilburn Cherry (2013) and At Mirrored River (2016). Bowe was joint winner of the SOLAS Ireland award in 2015 and won second prize in the 2018 and 2019 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. He has had solo exhibitions in Carlow and in Dublin.

Work

Kilburn Cherry is a collection of photographs of cherry blossoms in Kilburn, London,^[1] traditionally the home of the Irish diaspora.^[2] The work was inspired by Japanese renku poetry.^[2] Bowe has said the "bold appearance of the cherry blossom seemed to play with ideas of hopefulness and revival".^[2]

At Mirrored River was made over four years in an unspecified Irish midlands town.^{[1] [3]} It contains portraits of young people at a point of transition to adulthood, depicted in their home setting of housing estates, supermarkets and social functions, juxtaposed with images of the town and its surrounding landscape.^{[1] [3]}

Publications

Publications by Bowe

• Kilburn Cherry. Includes a poem by Don Paterson ("Renku: My Last Thirty-Five Deaths").
  • First edition. London: Jane & Jeremy, 2013. Edition of 100 copies.
  • Second edition. London: Jane & Jeremy, 2016. Edition of 100 copies.
• At Mirrored River. Blue Swallow, 2016. . Includes a poem by John Glenday ("The River") and a short story by Lucy Caldwell ("Days"). Edition of 800 copies.
• This Thing I Want. I Know Not What. Paper Tiger, 2018.

Zines by Bowe

• Me and My Friends. Issue 4. Nicole Bachmann.

Awards

• 2015: One of 7 joint winners, SOLAS Ireland award, Source and Gallery of Photography, for At Mirrored River. The other winners were Ciarán Óg Arnold, Eamonn Doyle, Emer Gillespie, Shane Lynam, Dara McGrath and Yvette Monahan.^{[4] [5] [6]}
• 2018: Second prize, Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London for "Cybil McAddy with daughter Lulu"^{[7] [8] [9]}
• 2019: Second prize, Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London for "Neil", a portrait from a series exploring youth culture on either side of the Belfast peace lines^{[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]}
• 2019: First Prize, Zurich Portrait Prize, National Gallery of Ireland^[17]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

• At Mirrored River, Visual Centre of Contemporary Art Carlow, Carlow, Ireland, 2016 as part of PhotoIreland Festival.^{[1] [18] [19]}
• At Mirrored River, The Library Project, Dublin, 2018 as part of PhotoIreland Festival.^{[3] [20]}

Group exhibitions

• "Samantha Nolan" in Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, 2010.^{[21] [22]}
• Plat(t)form, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland, 2011.^[23]
• SOLAS Photography Award Winners, Gallery of Photography, Dublin, 2015. Work from At Mirrored River.^{[1] [24]}
• Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, 2018.^{[9] [25]}
• Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, 2019.^[12]

Notes and References

1. News: 2018-10-17. Once upon a time in the Irish midlands. The Irish Times.
2. News: AnOther. 2018-10-25. The Cherry Blossom in Kilburn. Another Magazine. 3 January 2014.
3. News: 2018-10-17. Art in Focus: Enda Bowe – At Mirrored River. The Irish Times.
4. Web site: Stephen. Hull. 2018-10-18. Solas Prize Winners. source.ie.
5. News: 2018-10-18. Solas Awards Exhibition 2/12/15 – 10/01/16 – Gallery of Photography. Gallery of Photography. 15 January 2016.
6. News: 2018-10-26. An exciting moment for Irish art photography. The Irish Times.
7. News: 2018-10-17. Drum majorettes series scoops major portrait prize. BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 0307-1235.
8. News: 2018-10-18. Drum majorette portraits win photo prize. BBC News. 16 October 2018.
9. News: 2018-10-18. Winner of the 2018 Taylor Wessing photographic portrait prize announced – in pictures. The Guardian. 16 October 2018. 0261-3077.
10. Web site: 2019-12-05. Photographer wins portrait prize with snap of his mother. Independent.ie.
11. Web site: 2019-12-05. Pat Martin wins Taylor Wessing prize for intimate portraits of his late mother. 5 November 2019. British Journal of Photography.
12. News: 2019-12-05. 'Sensitive' mother pictures win top portrait prize. 5 November 2019.
13. News: 2019-12-09. Photographer wins portrait prize with snap of his mother. BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 0307-1235.
14. Web site: 2019-12-07. Pat Martin's 'sensitive' photographs of his late mother win leading portrait prize. 6 November 2019. Creative Boom.
15. Web site: 2019-12-07. Photographer wins portrait prize with snap of his mother. 5 November 2019. The Irish News.
16. Web site: 2019-12-07. Son's pictures of his drug addict mother win £15,000 portrait prize. 6 November 2019. Metro.
17. Web site: National Gallery of Ireland: Zurich Portrait Prize 2019. 23 December 2019.
18. Web site: 2018-10-18. Enda Bowe, At Mirrored River. PhotoIreland Foundation.
19. Web site: 2018-10-27. At Mirrored River – Enda Bowe – VISUAL Carlow Carlow. www.visualcarlow.ie.
20. News: 2018-10-18. Hot list: What we want to see, do and buy this weekend – Independent.ie. Independent.ie.
21. News: Susan. Daly. 2018-10-17. Slideshow: Irish photographers are picture perfect winners. TheJournal.ie.
22. News: 2018-10-18. Work of five Irish photographers selected for exhibition. The Irish Times.
23. Web site: 2018-10-26. Enda Bowe – Artists – Plat(t)form – Explore – Fotomuseum Winterthur. Fotomuseum Winterthur.
24. Web site: 2018-10-18. Solas 2015: Enda Bowe: 'At Mirrored River' – Gallery of Photography. Gallery of Photography. 29 November 2015.
25. Web site: 2018-10-26. Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize shortlist announced – British Journal of Photography. British Journal of Photography.