Donovan Wylie facts for kids
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Donovan Wylie (born 1971) is a photographer from Northern Ireland. He lives and works in Belfast. His photos often show how buildings and places are used to control or watch people during conflicts. He mixes real-life documentary photos with artistic ones.
Donovan Wylie's work has been shown in many important places. These include the Imperial War Museum in London and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. His photos are also part of collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Tate Modern in London. In 2010, he was nominated for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. He was also a member of Magnum Photos, a famous group of photographers, from 1998 to 2017. Wylie has also made films. In 2002, he won a BAFTA award for his documentary called The Train.
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Donovan Wylie's Photography Journey
Donovan Wylie was born in 1971 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He started taking pictures when he was a teenager. At 16, he left school and traveled around Ireland for three months. This trip led to his first book, 32 Counties, which came out when he was just 18.
In 1992, at age 20, Wylie joined Magnum Photos as a nominee. He became a full member in 1998 and left the group in 2017.
Exploring Conflict Through Photos
Since 2000, Wylie has worked on many photo and film projects. He explores ideas about identity, history, and land, especially in Northern Ireland. His work often focuses on the "architecture of conflict." This means he photographs buildings and structures used in conflicts.
Some of his well-known projects include photos of The Maze Prison in Northern Ireland. He also photographed British watchtowers and the Green Zone in Baghdad. He has also worked in countries like China, Russia, and Israel.
The Guardian newspaper reviewed Wylie's "Vision as Power" exhibition. They said his photos show how surveillance buildings affect the landscape. They also show how important watching is in modern conflicts.
Two of Wylie's books, The Maze (2004) and Scrapbook (2009), are included in important books about photobooks.
In 2013, Wylie was an artist-in-residence at Yale University Art Gallery. This led to a series of photos about America called A Good and Spacious Land.
In 2018 and 2019, he photographed lighthouses around the British Isles. He did this as a response to Brexit, which was Britain leaving the European Union.
Films by Donovan Wylie
Donovan Wylie has directed and filmed several documentaries:
- The Train (2001) – This 50-minute film was written, directed, and filmed by Wylie. It won him a BAFTA award.
- YoYo (2002)
- Jesus Comes To London (2003)
- The 12th (2003)
Solo Exhibitions
Donovan Wylie's work has been shown in many solo exhibitions:
- The Maze, The Photographers' Gallery, London, 2004.
- Outposts, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, 2011; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, 2012.
- Vision as Power, Imperial War Museum, London, 2013. This show included photos from several of his projects.
Awards and Recognition
Donovan Wylie has received several awards for his work:
- 2002: Won "New Director – Factual" at the British Academy Television Craft Awards (BAFTA) for The Train.
- 2002: Received the Royal Photographic Society Vic Odden Award.
- 2009: Shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010.
- 2010: Awarded the Bradford Fellowship to create his "Outposts" project.
Where to See His Work
Donovan Wylie's photographs are held in the collections of many major museums and galleries:
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
- Tate Modern, London
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London
- Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
- Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
- National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
- Science Museum Group, UK
- Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
- Ulster Museum, Belfast
