Artist Profile — Cieran Murphy

Gallery Rayé presents ‘Silent Mountains’ — an exhibition of photographic works by Cieran Murphy.

Meanjin / Brisbane Cieran’s intrepid nature has led him to Saudi Arabia, Papua New Guinea, France and Italy for commercial and independent projects alike. ‘Silent Mountains’ was captured in July 2019 on the South Island of New Zealand.

“Silent Mountains speaks to reconnecting with and engaging the majesty of the mountains. My personal photographic projects are increasingly motivated by nature and seek to detach from the structures and confines of the mundane. Silent Mountains is a personally meaningful and increasingly rare chance to hit reset.”

Taking to the air affords him the space and perspective to stage natural formations. Artistically aligned with his previous ‘Western Australia’ photographic series. “I allow the landscape and light to inform my compositions.” The resultant abstracted landscapes produce painterly results that seek to perplex and inspire contemplation of the medium.

In 2017, Cieran was awarded first prize in the Lord Mayor of Brisbane’s Photographic Awards. This wider recognition of his talent was commemorated by a tour of Western Australia and culminated in a major photographic series of landscapes and topographical studies, captured in the remote deserts of the Kimberly region.