Richard Gosnold
Richard Gosnold is a photographic artist based in Belfast, born in 1970. The overarching focus for his artistic practice is the human condition. Employing varied photographic processes, he creates narratives by which to communicate his ideas. Previous artworks have covered themes such as: belonging, isolation, transience and loss. Most recently, his work raises questions regarding socio-political oppression, inequality and vulnerability. His photographic work has been exhibited across Ireland and Europe and is held in private collections. Gosnold has shown in Golden Thread, A Bigger Picture, Group show, Belfast, May 1 - July 9, 2022. Kehrer Verlag published his first photobook, ‘It Starts With Silence’, in 2021. The Library Project in Dublin published three printed volumes from his work ‘Paradise Lost’, in 2020, as part of their TLP Editions series. His book dummy of ‘It Starts With Silence’ was shortlisted for the Unseen Photobook Award, Amsterdam in 2019.
Project Title: It Starts with Silence
Richard Gosnold and his wife, Denise, were told that the baby they were expecting had a fatal anomaly and would likely die during pregnancy or birth. If the foetus survived birth, the baby would suffer terrible pain and then die. Abortion was illegal in Northern Ireland, so Denise was forced to carry the dying foetus to term.
'It Starts With Silence' addresses the legal, political, and personal aspects of the lack of access to abortion, as essential healthcare. This work of protest is informed by conversations with lawmakers, held in small rooms, behind closed doors. Aware of the power of personal stories as a tool of activism to effect change, and keen to subvert the patriarchal doctrine that sensitivity is a weakness that should be avoided, Gosnold refers to the work as a "tender protest", in which he reflects upon these conversations, as well as his place in the political and physical landscape of Northern Ireland.
It is a sorrowful lament, a work of love, for people who are troubled with crisis pregnancies, a message of hope and solidarity for all whose voices are lost among the chaos of political discourse. Set in a small province in the North of Ireland, this story remains politically relevant and resonates around the world.
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