Biography
David Stephenson is an Irish photographer and filmmaker from Dublin.
His work has been published in local, national and international news outlets, as well as magazines and art journals, including a photo essay in The Irish Arts Review. He has twice been an Invited Artist at the RHA Annual Exhibition.
He was commissioned by International Aid agencies Trocaire, Self Help Africa and Irish Fair Trade coffee company Java Republic to photograph projects in Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Kosovo, El Salvador and Guatemala.
His work can be found in the DLR Collection and the Civic Arts Centre, Tallaght.
Stephenson’s short documentary ‘Raymond’ won six best film awards, including the Fastnet Film Festival and Belfast Film Festival. Out of 1,800 entries ‘Raymond’ made the longlist of 19 films at the Telluride Film Festival. Barry Jenkins, festival judge and Oscar-winning director of Moonlight, loved the film.
Stephenson has been supported with three Arts Council awards for his short films ‘Broken Sleep’ and current film project ‘Main Street’.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023: RHA Annual Exhibition: Invited Artist
2021: RHA Annual Exhibition
2020: RHA Annual Exhibition
2019: RHA Annual Exhibition
2017: RHA Annual Exhibition
2017: DLR Lexicon Open Exhibition
2017: 30 Years Artists Places – Local Authorities Collections
2017: So Fine Art Editions (two shows)
2015: RHA Annual Exhibition: Invited Artist
2015: Winner of First Prize DLR Lexicon Open Exhibition
2014: RHA Annual Exhibition
2009: Boyle Arts Festival
2008: DLR Open Exhibition – Concourse Gallery, Dun Laoghaire County Hall
1997: National Portrait Gallery, London
1996: National Portrait Gallery, London
1995: Angela Flowers Gallery, London
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2005: Slant – Sligo Art Gallery, Yeats Memorial Building, Sligo
2005: Slant – Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin 24
2004: Slant – Gallery of Photography Ireland, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
2000: Retrospective from Central America, Africa & Kosovo – Hunt Museum, Limerick
1999: Rwanda – National Museum, Kigali, Rwanda
1999: African Portraits – Bank of Ireland Arts Centre, Foster Place, Dublin 2
1998: Central American Images – Dolmen Gallery, Limerick
1998: Central American Images – Arthouse, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
1995: Hard Shoulders – United Arts Club Dublin, 3 Upper Fitzwilliam St, Dublin 2
FILM
2022: Main Street (Arts Council Agility Award & Wicklow Arts Office Bursary)
2021: Broken Sleep (funded by The Arts Council)
2016 – 2019: Raymond (winner of six festival awards for Best Short Documentary)
2017: Requiem for a Bar (short film collaboration with Fiachra MacAllister)
Broken Sleep was selected for Docs Ireland 2021, Indie Cork Film Festival 2021, Still Voices Film Festival 2022. More festival submissions are pending.
COLLECTIONS
DLR County Council Collection
The Civic, Tallaght, Dublin 24
Sam Stephenson, Architect, Dublin
Marion Finucane, Broadcaster & Writer
Olivia O’Leary, Broadcaster & Writer
Fergal Keane, Journalist & Writer, London
Frank McCourt, Writer, New York
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2015: Sunday Times Culture (reviews of RHA & dlr Lexicon)
2014: Sunday Times Culture (review of RHA)
2009: Feature-length photo essay in Irish Arts Review, Spring Edition
2005: Reviews of Slant in The Irish Times (Aidan Dunne),
Sunday Times Culture section, The Examiner, The Sunday Tribune & others
2003: Circa Art Magazine (front cover and feature)
2001: Still Project published in Vision Magazine
1996, 1997: National Portrait Gallery London Catalogues