Tommie Lehane’s Exhibition of Photographs from Pre-War Syria

An Imperfect Normality offers a reflection of Syria prior to the outbreak of war, primarily framed within the period of 2005-2009. Having experienced Syria first-hand during this period, the work captures the ‘normality’ of a country that the world has come to experience through only one lens- one which inscribes Syria with a narrative of war, destruction and turmoil. As prevalent as this perspective of Syria is within the wider media, the work proposes that it is not the sole determinant of the country. Throughout the exhibition you can expect to see a counter-narrative to the Syria you have come to know. Alternatively, what is fore-fronted within the exhibition is the captivating human aspects of the Syrian community, conveyed through a domestic and rural perspective, of what the artist describes as a ‘proud and varied people,’ subsumed not only by war, but simultaneously by the diverse administrative imperfections within the area.  Come along to the exhibition to experience the almost invisible ‘normality’ of individuals within Syria through a new lens.

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The work in this exhibition is apolitical and does not seek to comment on events in Syria that have happened post 2011. In contrast, it aims to depict a positive image of Syria prior to these events.

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Tommy Lehane originally comes from Westport but has travelled wide both as a photographer and exhibitor. His work has been shown in Ireland and Europe and also in Aleppo, in Syria. He has also been exhibited a number of times at the Annual Exhibition of the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin. In 2014 he was the chosen as the Alliance Française Photography Laureate for Ireland.