Donovan Wylie facts for kids
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Donovan Wylie is a famous photographer from Northern Ireland. He was born in 1971 in Belfast. His photos often show how buildings and places are used during times of conflict. He calls this idea "vision as power." This means he explores how seeing and being seen are important in wars and difficult situations.
Wylie's work mixes documentary photography with art. His pictures have been shown in many important museums. These include the Imperial War Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He was also a member of Magnum Photos, a well-known group of photographers, for many years. In 2002, he won a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for a documentary film he made called The Train.
Contents
Donovan Wylie's Photography Journey
Early Life and First Steps
Donovan Wylie started taking pictures when he was a teenager. He went to Belfast Royal Academy, where he began learning about photography. At just 16 years old, he left school to travel around Ireland for three months. This trip led to his first book, 32 Counties, which was published when he was 18.
In 1992, when he was 20, Wylie joined Magnum Photos. This is a very respected agency for photographers. He became a full member in 1998 and stayed with them until 2017.
Exploring Conflict Through Pictures
Since 2000, Donovan Wylie has worked on many photo and film projects. He often focuses on the history and identity of Northern Ireland, especially after a period of conflict known as The Troubles. His work has grown to focus on what he calls the "architecture of conflict." This means he photographs buildings and structures that are part of conflicts.
Some of his most famous projects include photos of The Maze Prison in Northern Ireland. He also photographed British watchtowers and the Green Zone in Baghdad. He has taken pictures in many other countries too, like China, Russia, and Israel. His photos show how these buildings affect the landscape. They also highlight how important watching and surveillance are in modern conflicts.
His book The Maze (2004) is considered an important photography book. Another one of his books, Scrapbook (2009), is also well-known.
In 2013, Wylie was an artist-in-residence at Yale University Art Gallery. This led to a collection of photos about America called A Good and Spacious Land. More recently, in 2018 and 2019, he photographed lighthouses around the British Isles. He did this as a response to Brexit, which was a big change for the United Kingdom.
Films by Donovan Wylie
Donovan Wylie has also directed and filmed several documentaries.
- The Train (2001): This 50-minute film won him a BAFTA award.
- YoYo (2002)
- Jesus Comes To London (2003)
- The 12th (2003): A 10-minute film.
Exhibitions of His Work
Donovan Wylie's photographs have been shown in many solo exhibitions.
- The Maze, The Photographers' Gallery, London, 2004.
- Outposts, National Science and Media Museum, Bradford, 2011. It was also shown at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, in 2012.
- Vision as Power, Imperial War Museum, London, 2013. This exhibition included photos from several of his projects.
Awards and Recognition
Donovan Wylie has received several awards for his photography and film work.
- 2002: He won a BAFTA award for "New Director – Factual" for his film The Train.
- 2002: He received the Royal Photographic Society Vic Odden Award in the UK.
- 2009: He was a finalist for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010.
- 2010: He received a Bradford Fellowship. This helped him create his Outposts project.
Where His Photos Are Kept
Donovan Wylie's work is part of the permanent collections of many major art museums and galleries around the world.
- 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
