Seán Hillen facts for kids

Seán Hillen, born in Ireland in 1961, is a famous artist. He creates amazing collages, takes interesting photographs, and uses pictures in very creative ways.

Early Life and Art Studies

Seán Hillen was born in 1961 in Newry. This town is in County Down, Northern Ireland, right on the border with the Republic of Ireland. He grew up during a difficult time called The Troubles. This was a period of conflict in Northern Ireland. Seán described it as "utter chaos."

To help him stay safe and busy, his parents gave him a camera. This encouraged his love for photography. Seán later studied art at the Belfast College of Art. In 1982, he moved to London to continue his art education. He studied at the London College of Printing and then at the Slade School of Fine Art.

Art from the Troubles Era

Seán Hillen traveled often between Northern Ireland and England. He started using his camera to take pictures of the conflict in Northern Ireland. He noticed that newspapers already had many photos of The Troubles. So, he began to make photomontages.

What is a Photomontage?

A photomontage is a type of collage. It's made by cutting and joining many photographs to create a new image. Seán combined his own black and white photos with other pictures. These other pictures came from religious leaflets, London tourist postcards, and even toy packaging.

Famous Works from This Time

Some of his collages from this time include Four Ideas for a New Town, #1 and Trouble in Paradise #1. Many of these works have long, funny titles. For example, one is called Sr. Faustina Appears In LondonNewry, Miraculously Preventing The Illegal Photography Of Members Of The Security Forces....

In the 1990s, it was hard for Hillen to show his art in galleries. This might have been because people were worried about the Northern Ireland peace process. However, his works are now seen as important comments on the conflict. The Imperial War Museum in London has bought several of them. One of his collages is even featured in a book called Art from Contemporary Conflict.

Photographs as Historical Records

Hillen's photographs from the Troubles era are also very important on their own. They are seen as valuable records of the conflict. They also show what society was like in Northern Ireland. Frank Miller, writing for The Irish Times, said that Hillen's photos captured both big events and everyday moments. He noted that Seán had a special way of seeing things, like someone who was both inside and outside the situation.

In 2011, the National Library of Ireland bought over 500 of Hillen's photos. These are now part of The Seán Hillen Collection. Some of these photos were shown in an exhibition in Dublin in 2012.

In 2013, a book of these photographs was published. It was called Melancholy Witness. The title comes from a quote by the poet Seamus Heaney. Heaney said that the photos were like "black and white time machines" that showed the sadness and danger of the Troubles.

Irelantis Series

In 1993, Seán Hillen moved back to Ireland from London. He settled in Dublin. Between 1994 and 1997, he created a new series of works called Irelantis. This became his most well-known photomontage series.

The Irelantis series is made up of collages created with a scalpel and glue. In these works, Hillen makes amazing, dream-like images. He combines ancient places like the Giza pyramid complex (the pyramids in Egypt) with old-fashioned, beautiful scenes of Ireland. These Irish scenes come from tourist postcards by John Hinde. Hillen shows famous Irish places like the Cliffs of Moher, Newgrange, Trinity College, and O'Connell Street.

Other Creative Works

Hillen has also worked in many other types of art. These include sculpture, video, illustration, and graphic design. One of his ongoing projects is called Untitled Broken Umbrella Project. For this, he has taken hundreds of photos of broken umbrellas around Dublin.

In 2007, Seán Hillen and landscape architect Desmond Fitzgerald won a design competition. They designed a memorial for the Omagh bomb victims. Seán Hillen still lives and works in Dublin today.

His artworks are kept in many public and private collections. These include the Irish State Collection, the Imperial War Museum, the European Central Bank, and Microsoft.