Paul Seawright facts for kids
Paul Seawright OBE is an artist from Northern Ireland. He was born in 1965 in Belfast. He is famous for his photography. Paul Seawright is also a professor of photography at Ulster University in Belfast. He holds a very important position there as the Deputy Vice Chancellor.
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Life and Work
Paul Seawright studied art and photography at different universities. He earned his first art degree at Ulster University. Later, he got a Bachelor's degree in Photography, Film, and Video from West Surrey College of Art and Design. He also earned a PhD from the University of Wales.
Early Photography in Belfast
Paul Seawright is well-known for his early work about his hometown, Belfast. One important series is called Sectarian Murder, 1988. In this project, he photographed places where violent events had happened in Belfast. He showed these pictures alongside old newspaper reports. He wanted to highlight how many ordinary people were affected by the conflict. This period was known as "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. More than two-thirds of the people who died during this time were civilians. Paul Seawright was also the first editor of a photography magazine called Source, which is based in Belfast.
Later Projects Around the World
More recently, Paul Seawright has taken photographs in other parts of the world. He has worked in Afghanistan after a war, in cities in Africa (in a series called Invisible Cities), and in America. In 2002, the Imperial War Museum in London asked him to create art about the September 11 attacks and the war that followed. His photographs of minefields and old battle sites have been shown internationally. Many museums and public places own his Afghanistan work. This work is also part of a large exhibition at the Imperial War Museums called "Visions of War: Art of the Imperial War Museums," which opened in November 2023.
In 2005, the Fotomuseum Antwerp in Belgium held a big exhibition of his work. They also published a book called Field Notes about his art.
Academic Career and Recognition
Paul Seawright has held many important roles in education. He was the Dean of the Newport School of Art, Media and Design at the University of Wales, Newport. He then became a professor of photography at Belfast School of Art at Ulster University. From 2012, he led the Belfast School of Art. In 2016, he became the Executive Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2021, he was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ulster University. He also served on the Council of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. He was also the Vice President of the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts.
Paul Seawright received an award called Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2020. This award recognized his important contributions to higher education and the arts.
Exhibitions
- Hidden, Irish Museum of Modern Art, 2003
- Further, Wales at The 50th Venice Bienalle, 2003
- Naughton Gallery, Queens University Belfast 2006
- Field Notes, National Media Museum, Bradford 2007
- How We Are: Photographing Britain, Tate Britain, London 2007
Awards
- 1997: Irish Museum of Modern Art Glen Dimplex Art Prize
- 2001: Personal chair by the University of Wales
Collections
- Tate, London
- International Center of Photography New York
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- British Council
- Arts Council of Ireland Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- UK Government Art Collection
TV and Radio
- Afghanistan:Ashes to dust, BBC Radio Wales, BBC World Service 30 min documentary, 2002 – This show featured Seawright reporting from Afghanistan. He talked about how more than twenty years of conflict affected the country and its people.
- Profiles: Paul Seawright by Fintan O'Toole, BBC4, 30 minute documentary, 2003
See also
- List of artists from Northern Ireland
