'Troubles'-era photomontages

later collage works: irelantis.com

collage and other links

contact details

to homepage and other works

some information on this work

Contact Seán Hillen here

Download a printable pdf document of 48 'troubles' photomontage images (2.9Mb)

image downloads:
(right-click image or title and select 'download link to disk')

Or use contact mail above
to request any image from the GALLERY

Warning- large files!


"Who Is My Enemy?"
photomontage, 1987 - 3,478 x 3,272 pixels 1.8MB


"Cosmonaut Lands in Annalong Harbour"
photomontage, 1992. 2,843 x 3,480 pixels 2.72MB


"The Goddess Appears in Newry, Easter 1993"
photomontage, 1992. 1,998x 2,532 pixels 1.44MB

Older news below:

Recently added: images of Seán's video projection for Re-Joyce Festival (2004)

2002:
Seán was one of several Irish artists commissioned for the ABSOLUT collection.
He made a lava lamp of the famous bottle:

2002:
Seán's work appeared in Yahoo! Picks in June in a review of the excellent photomontage site Cut'nPaste


2001:
Seán made a video for Sony Music & the Super Furry Animals, for their DVD album & single 'Rings Around The World'.



Here's a review, and another review. Here's an article from a local newspaper.'
He used 'The Great Pyramids..' collage at the beginning and end of the video and it became the cover image for the single of 'Rings Around The World'

more here at irelantis news


March 1999:
Seán had 23 collages (half 'Irelantis', half 'Troubles') in an exhibition in the Royal Festival Hall, London, which then travelled to The Royal Photographic Society at Bath.
"The Goddess Appears in Newry.." was the image used in leaflets and the poster:



"The Goddess Appears in Newry"
appeared on the cover of
the June '99 "Photographic Journal", the magazine of the Royal Photographic Society.

Many other montages
were published in the press,
one across a full page of the London Times Metro.

"St. Christopher Appears in London.." appeared on the cover
of LAM (a London 'listings') magazine:





1993:
"Jesus Appears in The City"
appeared on the cover of
' Creative Camera' magazine. There was also a colour spread inside.

In 1981, this documentary photo of Seán's was used on the cover of the memoir of the late Nora Connolly O'Brien, daughter of Easter Rising leader James Connolly.





Mosquito Press, 1981

FORTHCOMING:

May-June 2013: EXHIBITION: 'PICTURING DERRY'
Seán will contribute a number of works to the 'Picturing Derry' exhibition, which is part of the City of Culture programme. Read more.

May 2013: 'NORTHERN IRELAND: 30 YEARS OF PHOTOGRAPHY'
Sean will contribute a number of works to the forthcoming exhibition organised by Belfast Exposed. Read more

LATEST NEWS:

April 2013: MAJOR BOOK LAUNCH: 'MELANCHOLY WITNESS'
Roy Foster, professor of Irish History at Oxford launched The History Press Ireland's "Melancholy Witness", a hardback collection of 120 photos from the Seán Hillen Collection at the National Library of Ireland. The event took place in the Front Hall of the National Library of Ireland in Kildare Street Dublin.
Foster's and Hillen's speeches have been posted on youtube and can be seen here.

See the book cover here.
The book can be ordered online here and here or inscribed copies are available direct from this website. Click here to email enquiry.

"Melancholy Witness is the published collection of Sean Hillen's lauded photography documenting the years of The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Combining art with documentary history, what emerges is a powerful and compelling story of unrest, beauty and change."
"The photographs are like black and white time machines that bring back the desolation and danger of the Troubles. The images have a documentary accuracy, but it is the aura of melancholy witness that marks them as the work of Sean Hillen." - Seamus Heaney, Nobel Laureate
"Striking, haunting sometimes bleakly beautiful,:a record of historical importance but also much more."
- Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History, Hertford College, Oxford.

There is a slideshow prevew of the book at thejournal.ie here:

There is an article on the book in lecool Dublin, here:


March 2013: HILLEN WORK ON COVER OF NEW BOOK ON IRISH ART
"The Oracle at O'Connell Bridge, Irelantis" appears on the cover of an important new book on Irish art: Reaktion Books has published 'Art in Ireland since 1910' , to be distributed in the US by the University of Chicago Press.


March 2013: SEAN HILLEN INTERVIEW IN ARGON MAGAZINE
Seán was interviewed by Katy Fitzpatrick for Argon online magazine: link


March 2013: PHOTO FEATURE AND INTERVIEW ONLINE
For the OFFSET festival LeCool Dublin commissioned SeanandYvette to photograph Seán in his studio. Words byBrian Herron. See it here.


February 2013: UPDATE: WORKS ON MORE THAN 30 BOOK COVERS
With the forthcoming cover image it seems a good time to review (link) the many books and magazines with Seán Hillen works on their covers.


January 2013: ONE-DAY SYMPOSIUM ON COLLECTING
Sean took part in a symposium on January 26th at the Irish Gallery of Photography, which looked at issues around collecting photography.
Read more here on GoP's facebook page:


January 2013: EN FRANCAIS: ONLINE ARTICLE ON SEAN HILLEN
Le Web Pedagogique blog 'Tips in English' carries a comprehensive article covering a range of Sean's work, with links to other texts in French.
The original in French is here and an online translation in English here.


December 2012: BBC INTERVIEW SPECIAL PROGRAMME
BBC Radio Ulster Arts Extra broadcast an interview with Sean with Louise Muir as one of their Christmas Special programmes. Produced by Paul Russell, the programme was on iPlayer and and may become available again as podcast.


December 2012 PAPER ON IRELANTIS IN IMPORTANT JOURNAL
The eminent journal Ranam published a fascinating academic paper by Valerie Morrison of the University of Bourgogne, entitled "Sean Hillen's Irelantis- the second life of parody". You can read the abstract here which says: "..postmodern parodies that .. spur the viewers to address the issue of referentiality as reality is turned into a spectacle.. also parodies tourism photography and the staging of heritage.. therefore a critical inquiry into Irishness, the invention of traditions, and the construction of staged authenticity. It echoes the revisionist trend in Irish history and signals the advent of the postnational era."

UPDATE:
OPENING CHAPTER DISCUSSING IRELANTIS NOW AVAILABLE
The complete opening chapter from 'Theorizing Ireland' (Palgrave, 2002) recently became available online here: Ireland in Theory', (pdf) . By editor Claire Connolly of Cardiff University, it devotes several pages to an interesting discussion of Irelantis:
"Hillen's Irelantis provides an ideal viewpoint from which the ebb and flow of cultural currents can be observed.. ...
...Multiple borders are invoked in the image: the land meets the lough, which in its turn confronts the sea; the sea encounters sky and the skyline dramatically gives way to outer space. Boundaries and edges are the very stuff of Hillen's art, and here, as with all his collages, the lines and joins are obvious, jutting out for all to see. The pyramids are clearly pasted into the Irish landscape, itself overlaid into a global skyscape. If Carlingford Lough's strategic position on the Irish border is taken into account, the meanings of these boundaries become clearer: they inscribe a political border that is not physically present, the only clues to its existence being the juxtaposition of superimposed scenes... "

Irelantis has also been written about interestingly in the past by academics including Jennifer Way (Uni. Texas) here for instance published in the Journal of European Popular Culture, and here in the Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies.


December 2012: HILLEN IN NEW BOOK ON 'NEW CONTEMPORARY' IRISH ART
Seán Hillen's work features over several pages in a new book on 'New Contemporary' Irish art, a genre that admits 'Lowbrow, Pop Surrealism, Comic, Graphic, Illustrative, Urban, Body Horror, and more'. 'Goblin Market' by Alexa MacDermot, published by White Lady Art includes work by artists including; Anarkitty, Gaetan Billault, Harriet Myfanwy Nia Tahany, Solus, Verz, Rosemary Fallon, Kathrina Rupit, Paul McGrane, Victoria Cody, Loreana Rushe, Carolyn Walsh, DMC, ADW, Leah Hewson, Boz Mugabe and Loki Nom Art... more information here.


October-December 2012: ' SEAN HILLEN RE-VIEWED' EXHIBITION IN DONEGAL
The new exhibition of mega-resolution prints ran in An Gealearaí in Gweedore , in Donegal. Also featuring were two original collages from the 'WHAT'S WRONG? with The Consolations of Genius" series. The show ran until 21st. December.


September 2012: EXHIBITION OPENED BY SEÁN
Seán opened 'Tales of Seduction' by artist & illustrator Una Gildea at the Copper House Gallery- see more about the opening here and her terrific work here.


September 2012 INSPIRATIONAL ARTS AWARD PRESENTED
Seán was honoured to judge and present the 2012 award. This year's shortlist showed very exciting work, see the web-galleries of Karl Martini and Laura McCormack, and the highly deserving winner Lynn Rothwell.


September 2012 PHOTOS IN NEWRY EXHIBITION
Six of the photographs recently acquired by the NLI were in an exhibition as part of the Pride In Newry Festival .


September 2012 WORKS IN OMAGH LITERARY FESTIVAL EXHIBITION:
Seán has three works, including a new version of "WHAT'S WRONG? with WTC7", the animation work created for the Photographer's Gallery London in May. "Memory, Imagination, Myth" in the Strule Arts Centre, as part of the The Benedict Kiely Literary Festival (website) (download PDF). Curated by Terry Sweeney, the exhibition includes work by JB Yeats and George (AE) Russell as well as contemporary Irish artists.


Aug-September 2012: NATIONAL LIBRARY ACQUISITION & EXHIBITION
The National Library of Ireland announced at PhotoIreland 2012 that it had acquired and would exhibit what will be known as The Seán Hillen Collection of around 600 photographs taken by the artist between 1979 and 1990.
Read more here See a selection of the photos here

There was a major exhibition of almost 50 photos in the National Library of Ireland Photographic Archive gallery in Temple Bar Dublin as a Featured Exhibition of PhotoIreland 2012 7 days a week until 30th September.
Update:16,500 people visited the NLI exhibition.

OPENING SPEECH:
The exhibition was opened with a moving speech by author Don Mullan.

TALK- PART 1 POSTED ON WEB: Seán gave a 2-hr 'walking tour' of the NLI exhibition which was filmed by TV Monaghan and a first instalment has been posted on YouTube here, a sort of introduction and discussion of the first group of photos in the show.

PRESS: There is a very moving review in Le Cool online magazine here.
PRESS: Two photos feature in an Irish Times online slideshow here.
PRESS: There was a page devoted to a photo in the July Totally Dublin Magazine see screengrab or read the edition online here.

NATIONAL TV INTERVIEW:
Seán did an interview with Martin King of Ireland's TV3.

NATIONAL RADIO APPEARANCE:
Seán gave a short interview on the National radio station RTÉ's 'Morning Ireland' to talk about the NLI show and about 'Culture Night' when art institutions across Ireland remain open until late night. 2856 people visited the NLI exhibition on the night.

TALK: GALLERY TALK 10th August NLI Photo Archive Dublin
As part of the Temple Bar 'High Tea Hop' day Seán gave a 45 minute talk.
Seán gave a number of talks on the exhibition to different groups.


May 2012: EXHIBITION OF NEW ANIMATION ARTWORK LONDON
Seán was invited to contribute a new artwork, in the form of a GIF image animation, for exhibition on a video wall at The Photographer's Gallery.
Here's the GIF on their page Here's more about the project which celebrated the history of the animated GIF image, as part of activities celebrating the Gallery's reopening.
The new work; "WHAT'S WRONG? with WTC7.." was seen again with two other Hillen works in an interesting exhibition in Omagh in September.
Here is the full-resolution version of the animation- will take a few seconds to load.


February 2012: EXHIBITION DUBLIN / NEW PRINT EDITIONS
A new exhibition presents new museum-scale print editions derived from new ultra-high-resolution scans of Seán's collages . "ReViewed" by Seán Hillen at Copper House Gallery Synge St. Dublin, was opened by Tanya Kiang, director of the Gallery of Photography.
READ PRESS RELEASE

PRESS: FEATURES
Ros Drinkwater for the Sunday Business Post
Conor McDevitt for Le Cool
'Going Out' list in Metro Herald


October 2011: VISITING LECTURES MADRID
Seán visited to give lectures and teaching for the International Photobook course for the very interesting European Master In Fine Art Photography course at the IED Madrid. Download PDF. Website. The course has an international visitng staff including Simon Roberts and Martin Parr.

September 2011: INSPIRATIONAL ARTS PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD
Seán had the task of choosing shortlists and winners from the photography courses taking part in the 2011 Inspirational Arts Photography Award, with the final award given on Culture Night 23rd September.

August 2011: NEW KINETIC SCULPTURE IN EXHIBITION
Seán contributed a new kinetic sculptural work to the prizewinning Science Gallery at Trinity College's exhibition; ELEMENTS
See website here and image here


July 2011: EXHIBITION DUBLIN / WEBSITE OF NEW PHOTO WORKS
A new body of photographs by Seán Hillen was shown:
"Ghost Shops" a major exhibition for PhotoIreland 2011

July 2011: PRESS: ONLINE ARTICLE & SLIDESHOW
The Journal.ie: 'An Empty Set Photographed'

April 2011: PRESS: SLIDESHOW
One of Seán's Ghost Shop photos appeared as a 'postcard' in an Irish Times feature "Wish You Were Here?" which can be seen as a slideshow here

March 2011: PRESS: ONLINE ARTICLES & SLIDESHOWS & VIDEO
The Journal.ie: 'Artist Seán Hillen brings new political statement to Dail's doorstep'
Vulgo.ie: Audio interview and slideshow by Deirdre Mulrooney
Short video by Bryan Meade on 'Ghost Shops'

February 2011: PRESS: IMPORTANT REVIEW ARTICLE
'Culture Shock' by Fintan O'Toole: Irish Times:
"The darker side of IRELANTIS was lost on us.."

February 2011: EXHIBITION OF NEW COLLAGE WORKS
Seán exhibited for the first time a new body of 18 photocollage works, 2010-2011:
"WHAT'S WRONG? with The Consolations of Genius" at Oliver Sears Gallery
and website for the new collages

February-March 2011: PRESS: INTERVIEWS AND FEATURES ON THE SHOW
radio Interview: RTÉ 'Arena'
radio interview for Dublin City FM
review and interview at Le Cool Dublin
interview on RTÉ Lyric FM Culture File (MP3)
Irish Times article: 'Hillen Dale' screengrab
feature article in Dublin METRO Herald: hires scan

October 2010: ONLINE EDUCATION PROJECT
Several of Seán's collages are being published as part of the "Images and Identity" educational project part-funded by the EU.

September 2010: MUSEUM ACQUISITION & EXHIBITION
Newry & Mourne Regional Museum showed a major exhibition of Seán's 'Troubles'-era works including several recently added to their permanent collection.

July 2010: MAJOR EXHIBITION
'Fragments From A Broken World' with kennardphilipps for PhotoIreland 2010
curated by Anthony Haughey at National Library of Ireland Photo Archive

Podcast of a panel discussion (listenable, here) with Cat Phillips, Peter Kennard, Seán Hillen and Anthony Haughey by CREATE

National Photo Archive show in Le Cool online magazine

June 2010: TV DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
10 minute TV feature on Newry Museum exhibition on TG4 'Imeall'.
(Irish Times 'critic's choice' for the day)

April 2010: PRESS UPDATE
There was a full-page interview with Seán in Totally Dublin magazine, available online.
The Alliance show got half-page articles in the Irish Independent (link) and the Irish SUN and picked as 'Going Up' and 'Worth Seeing' by the Irish Times.
It was 'Critic'sChoice' in the Irish Independent.
The Irish Times printed a huge image of '..Collage Green' with their review of the Dictionary of Irish Biography.

March 2010: EXHIBITION & TALK DUBLIN
Seán gave an illustrated talk on his work and its history in association with the exhibition at the Alliance Francaise 1 Kildare St. Dublin info here.

March-April 2010: EXHIBITION DUBLIN
'Return to Irelantis' at the Alliance Francaise, 1 Kildare St. Dublin - including several of the original collages, and a selection of archival prints. The show celebrates the Alliance's 50th Anniversary.
A catalogue with 18 images was available.
Download press release (pdf)

March 2010: EXHIBITION CAVAN
A large review show in the Bluewall Gallery in Cavan included some 'Troubles'-era pictures never previously exhibited. Article in the Anglo Celt here.

February 2010: EXHIBITION ART CHICAGO
Ten of Seán's 'troubles' - era collages were shown in association with BlueLeaf Gallery at ART CHICAGO

February 2010: EXHIBITION DUBLIN
'Wildly Different Things: New York and Dublin' at 'The Observatory', 7-11 Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin 2.
Irish Times articles here and here

February 2010: EXHIBITION NEW YORK
Three prints of Sean's collages were in 'Putting It All Together' at Climate Gallery, Long Island, NYC

Jan 2010: EXHIBITION YORK
CRUNCHTIME 2010 : 'Art and Global Issues' in York, UK, exhibited two of Seán's 2007 collages.

December 2009: MAJOR MUSEUM PURCHASE
Wolverhampton Museum purchased two of Seán's 1980's photomontage works including the important picture "Four Ideas For a New Town No.1.
for their semi-permanently exhibited 'Northern Ireland' collection

November 2009: 2006 DOCUMENTARY NOW ONLINE
"Hillen- Return To Newry" online HERE on VIMEO . A 28 minute documentary, Made 2006-7 by Aidan Bell, Saidhbh Ní Dhúlaing, Roma Roberts and Ross Murray, as a final year project.

October 2009: CONFERENCE / EVENT
Seán took part in the "Belfast Sarajevo Initiative At Queen's 2009" event, in Queen's University Belfast.
More information here.

October 2009: SEAN STUDIO PHOTOS
Seán was photographed in his studio by Aidan Kelly.

September 2009:PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG FEATURE
Seán's work was featured by MaryAnn Camilleri, founder of Magenta Publishing, with her other picks from this year's Rhubarb-Rhubarb folio review event and a PHOTO

August 2009:TV DOCUMENTARY ONLINE
Community TV channel NVTV broadcast in Belfast their documentary on the recent Arts Council of Northern Ireland's 'Art & Conflict' conference, and Seán was interviewed,as well as Zoë Lippett of Wolverhampton Art Gallery, and Justice Albie Sachs. Glenn Patterson spoke with Michael Longley. Internet archive now available here

August 2009: PHOTO-FESTIVAL EXHIBITION
Seán's work was exhibited in '9 lessons on Photography as part of KAUNAS FOTO the Baltic States' photo-festival. , and will be later in CRUNCHTIME 2010 in the city of York.

August 2009: ARCHITECTURE WORKSHOP
Seán gave a talk and took part in the now what? workshop 10: MONUMENT TIME at Richview the School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering at University College Dublin. Contributors included Maurizio Scalera, Benedetta Alessi, Brian Ward, Ide Moloney, and Gary Farrelly

August 2009: RHUBARB-RHUBARB PHOTOGRAPHIC REVIEWS
Seán attended the International Portfolio Review at 'Rhubarb-Rhubarb', 'Europe's premier portolio event' in Birmingham. He met and showed his pictures to several eminent and significant reviewers and the work was very well received. It is hoped that among other things, a new 'collected works' book project will result.

August 2009: EXHIBITION: BIRR ARTS FESTIVAL
Six of Seán's collage originals were in 'Ritual Flux 51', curated by Eilis Lavelle of the Mermaid Arts Centre, and Carl Giffney and Ruth Lyons of The Good Hatchery

June 2009: MAJOR 'ART & CONFLICT' CONFERENCE
Seán spoke at a major conference in Belfast. "Art & Conflict" , organised by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in the Royal Opera House Belfast. More information here or download flyer PDF.
UPDATE: Some of Seán's remarks got the attention of blogger 'Slugger O'Toole' via Malachi O Doherty's arts blog.. More Here.

June 2009: UPGRADE TO OMAGH MEMORIAL SCULPTURE
Recent weather allowed work to upgrade the Omagh Bomb Memorial .A new mirror near the pillar allows someone on the opposite pavement to look into the cut-glass heart directly backlit by sunlight from the Memorial Garden.
New photos at omaghbombmemorial.com

June 2009: BOOK LAUNCH
Seán launched a book for Dr. Maria Duffy of the Milltown institute. "Paul Ricoeur's Pedagogy of Pardon" 'describes how memory is structured, ... and addresses issues in his theory of forgiveness and reconciliation'. Dr. Duffy's book includes a photo of the Omagh Memorial.

May 2009: LODZ FOTOFESTIWAL POLAND
Seán was one of three Irish photographic artists who attended Lodz Fotofestiwal. Curated by Peggy Amison of Sirius Arts Centre and with the support of Culture Ireland they attended presentations of their work and participated in the Portfolio Review sessions, an opportunity to meet curators, gallerists and publishers. The other artists attending were David Farrell and Eoin O'Connaill and the work of Jackie Nickerson and Mark Curran was also shown.

April 2009: MUSEUM EXHIBITION
Three of Seán's 'troubles'-era works can now be seen on semipermanent exhibition at the Imperial War Museum IWM North in Manchester.

November 2008: NEW COLLAGE WORKS: "Searching For Evidence..."
More than 12 new collages by Seánwere unveiled in an exhibition at the Gallery of Photography, Dublin. There was a reception on Friday 14th. with a performance by the marvellous Kevin McAleer.
There is a new webgallery for the work.
For more info download the press release here.
UPDATE: Someone has kindly uploaded video of much of Kevin's performance- Worth seeing! HERE. Turn volume UP and make sure to play all the parts...

One of the images was simultaneously exhibited as a 48-sheet billboard in three locations in Belfast as part of the "Art, Media and Contested Space" events by the 'Interface' unit at the University of Ulster School of Art & Design

August 2008: MAJOR MEMORIAL UNVEILED
The Omagh Bomb Memorial, by Seán and Landscape Architect Desmond Fitzgerald, was unveiled at a 10th Anniversary event in Omagh.
more information at www.omaghbombmemorial.com.

August 2008:MAJOR ARTICLE PUBLISHED
Artinfo.com carried a front-page article on Seán's work and the Omagh Memorial commission.
Read "The Art of Peace" by Oscar MacLennan

August 2008: EXHIBITION OF NEW COLLAGE
A new and previously unseen collage work by Seán appears in an exhibition at the Irish Gallery of Photography, Dublin.
"No Evidence of A 757 Near the Ha'penny Bridge, Dublin" appears in: 'Based On Our Current Science', curated by Sally Timmons runs August 14 th until September 21st.

June 2008: EXHIBITION
Several IRELANTIS works (about 5 originals and 5 prints) were featured in a major exhibition as part of the 6th World Archaeological Congress in UCD Dublin.
The exhibition ran from 30th June until 31st July.
Click here for more information.

May 2008: EXHIBITION OPENING
Seán opened an exhibition for students in BA (Hons.) Creative Imaging from the SRC Lurgan, and Huddersfield University, at St. Patrick's Trian in Armagh.
Click here for more information on the work and show..

March 2008: ONLINE PUBLICATION
The CANDY COLLECTIVE published 20 pages of Seán's work, with an interview.February 2008: MAJOR MUSEUM PURCHASE
The Imperial War Museum, London, have purchased two more of á 'Troubles' - era photomontage works for their Permanent Collection.

January 2008: NEW BOOK COVER
One of Seán's 'IRELANTIS' collages is on the cover of a new book: "Film, Media and Popular Culture in Ireland" by Martin McLoone, author of the standard work on Irish Cinema

January 2008: NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION
One of án's 'Troubles' - era photomontage works was published in "Le Monde- Diplomatique" to illustrate an article on 'Troubles tourism'.

December 2007: SEMINAR BELFAST
Lens Based Practice and the Representation of Conflict: "Through a lens, darkly"
READ MORE

November 2007:DOCUMENTARY SCREENING
"Hillen- Return To Newry" (Dir. Aidan Bell) at the Foyle Film Festival "Artist Seán Hillen grew up in Newry, surrounded by the conflict of the'Troubles'. Nearly forty years later, he revisits the place that influenced his work so heavily.. "
MOREOctober 2007: TALKS
Thursday 11th October-Dublin.Sugar Club, from 7pm.SweetTalk 27 : "an audiovisual spectacular retrospective of the graphic visionary Niall Sweeney" with contributions from 'heroes & muses', included a short presentation by Seán.

Seán gave a presentation on his work, as a guest in "SweetTalk 26 " an evening with 'Factory' photographer Nat Finkelstein, related to "The Eternal Now" Andy Warhol exhibition in The Model in Sligo.
SweetTalk is a project by the Candy Collective.
September 2007:
One of Seán's IRELANTIS collages; "Newry Gagarin over Dublin" was in a show called "[C]artography: map-making as artform" in the Crawford Gallery in Cork.August 2007: PERMANENT MUSEUM EXHIBITION MANCHESTER
Two of Seán's photomontage artworks from the 1980's are on semi-permanent exhibition in the 'TimeLine' at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester.
The IWM acquired several of the works for their Permanent Collection in 1988.
May 2007: EDUCATION PROJECT
The images Seán created with Deansrath College for Amnesty Ireland (see more below) have been published, with others, in a workbook which will be made available to schools.

April 2007: EXHIBITION NEWRY
Seán exhibited a number of 'Troubles"- era montages, in an interesting show in "The Gallery Newry" from the 13th to 27th of April
March 2007: EVENT
Seán took part in the SOURCE AT 50 'PHOTO QUIZ' event being held in Dublin on 24th March, to mark the relaunch of the photography magazine.

Febuary 2007: NEW WEBGALLERY
There is a new webgallery of nearly 900 photographs from the period of the Northern Irish 'Troubles'. This includes all the photos in the original gallery.February 2007: TV TITLE GRAPHICS
Seán's 'IRELANTIS' collages are used in the opening graphics of TG4's series,
"Cártaî Poist" in which guests re-create classic 'John Hinde' Irish postcards.
January 2007: WEBSITE UPGRADE
All images in the main gallery of photomontage works now zoom in to hi-resolution versions.
Click on the image to enlarge it and click again to return.

January 2007: WEB PUBLICATION
Seán's Dublin Bicykills photos were written about in an Irish Cycling blog.

December 2006: TV APPEARANCE
Seán appeared on RTÉ TV's 'Capital D' talking about 'SEED' the new Art/Science group in Dublin.

November 2006: WEB PUBLICATION
There is now a 'wikipedia' entry for Seán click here

October 2006: LECTURE
Seán gave a presentation, open to the public, at Limerick School of Art & Design

September 2006: EXHIBITION & LECTURE
Seán exhibited and lectured at this year's Westport Arts Festival

Seán contributed some works from his 'Dublin BicyKills' project to the first Dublin Bicycle Festival

July 2006: LECTURE TARRAGONA CATALONIA
Seán gave one of the plenary lectures, on his work, at the 7th International Conference of the Utopian Studies Society,on the 8th July in Tarragona, Catalonia (Spain).
The other lecture was given by British novelist Maggie Gee.

May 2006: EXHIBITION
Seán was one of the invited artists at the 2006 Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition

May 2006: EDUCATION PROJECT
Seán took part in Amnesty International Irish Section's "Voice Our Concern" project for Secondary School students.
Here is a web-page with the images.
He worked with a group of students in Deansrath Community College in Dublin.
May 2006: LECTURE NEWCASTLE ENGLAND
Seán gave a presentation on his work to the Annual Conference of A4,
the UK Association for Advice & Support in Art & Design, in Newcastle on 13th May.

December 2005: MAJOR EXHIBITION DUBLIN
Seán's 'troubles' photomontages were the inaugural show in Dublin City Council's new LAB Arts Centre.
The show, comprising over 40 images ran until December 3rd.
The exhibition was opened with a speech by Fintan O'Toole

October 2005: PRESENTATION DUBLIN
Seán made the inaugural presentation to Dublin's new "SEED" art-science salon.
He presented an exhibition and talk to the group on his as-yet-unpublished work in the area of 'lost technology', and some of the artworks he is creating as a result.

September 2005: EXHIBITION: NEW WORK DUBLIN
Five new 'IRELANTIS' coIlages, the first since 1998 were shown in the new Stone Gallery in Dublin.
The show included new work by Seán and Antóin O'Heocha and two prints by Andy Warhol.
update: Three of the collages were acquired for the AIB Bank and one for a private collection.

July 2005: COMMISSION
Seán made a collage for Dublin's"City Arts" organisation.

June 2005 TEXT BOOK PUBLICATION
"The Goddess Appears In Newry.." appears as a full-page chapter opening in a new French schoolbook on 'war and peace in religion':
"Geurres et paix- paix et conflit dans la religion"
Editions Palette, 2005 ISBN 2-915710-14-7

May - August 2005: EXHIBITION FRANKFURT
15 of Seán's IRELANTIS images were in an exhibition: "Contemporary Art From Ireland" at the ECB in Frankfurt.

April 2005: NEW REVIEW:
There was a new review of the Paris exhibition in"CIRCA" , the Irish Art journal.

March-April 2005: EXHIBITION NEW WORK
A previously unseen 'IRELANTIS" collage was in a show at the RHA gallery in Dublin.

April 2005 NEW COLLAGES ADDED
Seven collages were added to the IRELANTIS web gallery.

February 2005: EXHIBITION & PUBLICATION
The "Leabhar Mór" exhibition was in the Glucksman Gallery and Seán's image for the project was on the page on their site

November-December 2004 MAJOR EXHIBITION PARIS
As part of the 'Mois de La Photo', there was a major exhibition in Paris of Seán's 'troubles' work in the Centre Culturel Irlandais.
The exhibition also included a slideshow of Seán's original photographs from the period.

PUBLICATIONS
Seán's work was featured in several magazines and on the web:
A full-page image in "Beaux-Arts Magazine", features in "Palace" magazine, "France-Soir", "Le Figaro", "Paris Voice" and in a three-page spread in "Art Actuel" magazine (translated here).
There is an online interview at 3declic.net and it was the front page image and featured in"Art-Of-The-Day.com"

June-November 2004: MUSEUM EXHIBITION
Three Seán Hillen photomontage originals were on exhibition at the Imperial War Museum, London. The exhibition was called: "OPEN SECRET- Something old, something new - redefining the boundaries of the Art Collection"
and ran until 28th of November '04

October '04 and Feb '05: WEB PUBLICATION
Seán's "Dublin BicyKills" gallery of vandalised bikes was linked from the front pages of VeloVision Online : one contributor says "..the most bloody depressing thing I've ever seen..."

October 2004: BOOK COVER
New book cover: the 'Bóthar' image from the 'Focail.com' project with Ruán Magan is on the cover of "Collision Culture: Transformations in Everyday Life in Ireland' by Kieran Keohane and Carmen Kuhling "

July 2004: PERMANENT PUBLIC SCULPTURE DUBLIN
in Dublin City Centre; a new permanent public sculptural work, in collaboration with Katharine Lamb, in a percent-for-art commission for Dublin City Council.

June 2004: MAJOR TEMPORARY PUBLIC ARTWORK DUBLIN
Seán made a commission for the ReJoyce Festival: click to see more
Co-devising & directing:
Raymond Keane.
The biggest ever projection project in Dublin, in collaboration with Raymond Keane of Barabbas The Company , for whom he'd previously designed 'The Whiteheaded Boy' . The show ran every night at the Millennium Bridge in Dublin, at about 11pm every night until 1am, until 6th July.
Cast: Raymond Keane, Susie Lamb & Marcus Lamb.
2nd camera and additional editing & effects: Tony Kenny.
Production manager for Sean: Katharine Lamb.
Costume: Marie Tierney
Makeup: Joanne Boyle.
Hair: Anna Gronerus

March 2004: COMMISSION DUBLIN
Seán made a 48 x 4 foot banner for the St. Patrick's Festival "Talking Irish" Symposium. using his photographs from the detritus of the Dublin streets.
The banner had a central row of discarded umbrellas, above a row of alternating thrown-away coins and food, and below was alternating vandalised bikes and infinity-twisted bike wheels (see the VACUUM cover below)
Above Right: The whole banner re-formatted.
Below Right: The banner in situ.
March 2004: TV INTERVIEW
Seán did an interview on RTÉ TV's afternoon programme 'Open House' to talk about the banner and his other work. He also showed a prototype of his and Katharine Lamb's new sculpture work (below).
Open House put up a web page article about Sean.

February 2004: COVER ART COMMISSION
Seán produced two cover images for a special Dublin edition: "Down Mexico Way" of "The Vacuum" magazine, published in Belfast by Factotum
One was based on a photo by Seán of a guy in a Dublin street, the other a montage of 9 bicycle-wheels-twisted-into-infinity-symbols from the ongoing but not yet published bicycle project of which an early version is here. (see June 2002 below)

February 2004: WEB PUBLICATION
One of Sean's IRELANTIS collages was on a front page at the new online National Irish Visual Arts Library

January 2004: COVER ART COMMISSION
Seán made an illustration- a montage over a photo of the Super Furry Animals' Gruff, by Myles Claffey, for "Foggy Notions" magazine

August 2003: MAJOR CORPORATE SCULPTURE COMMISSION
Seán made a major sculpture, for Citi-Group in Dublin. There's a webgallery for it here.
You can see the sculpture inside and from outside the atrium of the Citi-Group building on the North Wall Quay in Dublin.

June 2003: BOOK COVER
"Trouble in Paradise,#1" appears on the cover of a major new book: "The Troubles in Ballybogoin: Memory and Identity in Northern Ireland"
William F. Kelleher, Jr.
University of Michigan Press
Cloth 0-472-11169-8

June 2003: CD COVER
Seán made the artwork for a new CD by Katell Keineg. It uses photos by Katell, Clare Langan and Seán.

March 2003: BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN
Seán collaborated with Ruán Magan on 'focail.com, a cultural campaign' with a website and 40 billboards nationwide.

February 2003: IMAGE COMMISSSION
Seán made an contemporary pastiche of Richard Hamilton's "Just What Is It About Today's Home..?" as a publicity shot for Rough Magic Theatre Company's "SHIVER" at the Project Art Centre

2002: IMAGE COMMISSION
Sean made a photoshop & collage image to illustrate a poem in The Great Book of Gaelic, published by Canongate.

June 2002: TV PUBLICATION
A sequence of the Bicykills photos was featured in Ruán Magan's film for the RTÉ TV series 'The Changing Face of Dublin' in May 2002
On 1st. June Dublin Corporation ran this ad. in the Irish Times.

March 2002: WEB COMMISSION
For the Darklight New Media Festival, Seán made a website gallery of 256 photographs he took of discarded umbrellas.
There's also now a new gallery:
people with broken umbrellas

2002: DESIGN
Seán contributed a design for a playing card to the Irish Hospice Foundation's Art-Pack project.

June 2001: ADVERTISEMENT DESIGN COMMISSION
Seán produced a set of images for advertisements with McCann-Erickson for the Bank of Ireland.
Hybrid photoshop/collage works, they're pastiches of classic John Hinde Ltd. postcard scenes, with ATM machines in appropriately inappropriate places.
The ads ran again the following summer, in Cara magazine, in Dublin Airport and sea ports.
Top: "Visitors at The ATM At Blarney Castle"
Middle: "Stopping Off at The ATM At a Neolithic Dolmen"
Bottom: "A View of The Bay From a 12th Century Round Tower ATM2001: CD SLEEVE DESIGN
Seán made a sleeve design for his friends in Dacianos

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