Amelia Stein
A word from our awardee ...
"I worked on the premise that each individual would feel well represented by their own image and that as a body of work the sum of the individual images would capture a moment in time in the history of RCSI." — Amelia SteinAmelia Stein was awarded the 2018 RCSI Art Award for her work 'Brig. Gen. Jimmy Flynn (retired) DSM' at the 189th RHA Annual Exhibition.
Her commission for RCSI is titled 'Women in Focus'. It comprises nine individual photographic portraits of women in senior academic and professional positions in RCSI. Stein chose to photograph her subjects in signature black and white, using only natural daylight and simple compositions to focus the eye of the viewer. Each women holds an object of their choosing that represents their individual area of expertise.
Amelia commented: "A preliminary conversation with each of the subjects chosen for the portrait series was the starting point for this body of work, in order to establish a level of understanding and trust between myself, the photographer, and the nine women as subjects. There needed to be complicity between the person being photographed and the photographer.
"The portraits were made in the historic Boardroom of RCSI in 123 St Stephen's Green in 2019, under the watchful gaze of former women leaders in RCSI history commissioned as part of the 'Women on Walls' series of painted portraits unveiled earlier the same year. In a space traditionally occupied by portraits of men, Stein's work continues to elevate the role of women as leaders in healthcare and education.
"In this instance the fact that we were all women was to our advantage. It was a learning curve for all ten of us who took part in creating this work. There were the inevitable discussions about how women are perceived and how to portray the very best possible version of themselves as women in their chosen professions. Many interesting conversations and discussions ensued before the process of making the work was commenced."
About the artist
Amelia Stein is a portrait photographer who lives and works in Dublin, where she was born in 1958. Formerly a performing arts photographer, her signature black and white photographs pursue character and the constituent elements that create them.
Her practice widens the meaning of portraiture to the effect of life and time on everything from the conventional face to the scarred landscape. Stein’s work is represented in the collections of The National Gallery of Ireland, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, The Arts Council of Ireland, The Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, The Glucksman Gallery in University College Cork, the Office of Public Works, and Limerick City Gallery of Art.
She was elected a full member of the RHA in 2004 and a member of Aosdána in 2006.