Gerard Byrne: The Struggle With the Angel

28 Feb-5 Apr 2025

Overview

The Struggle With the Angel presents a series of black and white photographs taken using a Mamiya 7, a highly portable medium-format camera with a cult status among artists. Purchased from a fellow artist in 2008, Byrne brought the camera with him on his travels for a period of 15 years, a span encompassing his participation in international exhibitions like Skulptur Projekte, the Venice Biennale, and Documenta. The artist has captured transient moments on the periphery of these events, as well as more intimate and reflective encounters – visiting parks and beaches, or relaxing with friends and family. The resulting body of work, developed by hand by Byrne in a darkroom built to produce the project, is a meditation on the world the camera conjures, its promises, disappointments, and surprises.