THEME #25Winners2021JUL

STORY

SHORT LIST

DETAIL

Statement

homebound with my parents

When the strict measures were introduced in Ireland in March 2020, I decided to take portraits of my parents during the ongoing lockdown. These images are taken using nostalgia, humour, and Catholic iconography, as a form of escapism from the stress of lockdown.
Enda’s work explores themes of family and identity in contemporary Ireland, allowing humour and integrity to shine through the mundane. I am particularly drawn to the strange monotony associated with family life and how small transient details of colour and play can become marvels in monotonous settings.

Profile

Enda Burke

Enda Burke is a photographer based in the west of Ireland.

Enda’s project ‘Homebound with my parents ‘was the recent recipient winner of the international Bartur Photo and also been featured in The Guardian, Rolling Stone magazine, and a whole host of other publications.

“When the strict lockdown measures were introduced in Ireland , I decided to build sets and concoct stories with my parents as the protagonists These images are taken using nostalgia, humour, and Catholic iconography, as a form of escapism from the stress of lockdown.”

Enda’s work explores themes of family and identity in contemporary Ireland, allowing humour and integrity to shine through the mundane. “I am particularly drawn to the strange monotony associated with life and how small transient details of colour and play can become marvels in monotonous settings.”

Jury selection

Judged by Tomoko Yoneda:

The rigid COVID lockdown has taken away the freedom of our everyday. With this “home” under the state of emergency as a tableau, his parents, closer to each other than ever before, stand as models within this enclosed daily life. This amusing work has powerfully depicted the sorrowful days with nowhere to go, through scattered details of identity of his native Ireland, 1980s nostalgia and icons. He has paid attention to the tiniest details to construct an excellently arranged picture full of symbolism.