Trish Morrissey
My work lies somewhere between self portraiture and performance, with research at its root taking in fields such as history, psychology, philosophy, biography, literary fiction and film... I am influenced by how historical fiction is constructed. History may give you the facts, but rarely the feelings of the people written about. What traces are left after people die? What do we really know about their lived experience?
Morrissey, originally from Ireland, lives and works in the UK. After moving from Dublin to London in the 1990s, she briefly worked as a commercial photographer before completing formal studies in photography, graduating in 2001. In 2023, Morrissey's first major UK survey of work at Impressions Gallery, Bradford followed it's very successful run at Serlachius Museum Gustaf, Finland - the exhibition brought together photographs and films spanning more than twenty years of the artist’s career. The exhibition then toured to Photo Museum Ireland in Dublin, running until early 2024. It received a five star review in The Irish Times with their reporter writing, "Trish Morrissey may not yet be a household name, but this new exhibition ...demonstrates why she should be." ‘Autofictions’ was also in The Guardian’s top 10 photographic exhibitions of 2023.
CLOSE are very pleased to present a solo exhibition, Trish Morrissey at CLOSE, 20 April - 15 June 2024. Find out more.
Morrissey has exhibited in solo and group shows nationally and internationally and her work is held in public and private collections including the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol; the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the Wilson Centre for Photography, London; the Museum of Fine Art, Houston, USA; Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation, Finland; and the Museum of Applied and Contemporary Arts, Vienna. Morrissey's short film EUPNEA has won a host of awards, including winning the 'Best Artist Film (short)' at the Berlin Indie Film Festival 2024.
Morrissey constructs identity, through photography, film and investigative practices. She approaches a project with a white wall, which she sits with and gradually populates a picture of her intention for a work, like an investigative journalist or detective. To some extent she is compared to the Pictures Generation—a group that also includes Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine. However, the fascination of Morrissey, which sets her apart, is the elevation of the ordinary. She appropriates images from histories that are both her own and borrowed. She fabricates nostalgia with humour and criticism. Morrisey was always interested in experimenting with different identities - she transforms herself, displaying the diversity of her own relatives/family and fabricates characters imagined from historical texts and hearsay. She works in series, improvising on themes of family, motherhood, as well as investigative narratives of historical buildings where she analyses the people that once lived there.
CURRENT EXHIBITION
Trish Morrissey at CLOSE
CLOSE Ltd, Hatch Beauchamp, Somerset TA3 6AE
20 April - 15 June 2024
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'Autofictions' catalogueView more details
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'Autofictions' Catalogue, Special EditionView more details
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Joanna Southcott's Box, 2020View more details
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Self Portrait with Snail, 3rd June, 2020, 2020View more details
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Gower, 2008-2010View more details
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Dookinella, 2008-2010View more details
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Dughort, 2008-2010View more details
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Keem Bay , 2008-2010View more details
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Hayley Coles June 17th 2006, 2006View more details
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Hayley Atwere, (nee Coles), July 17th, 2016, 2016View more details
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10th May 2023, 2023View more details
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11th June 2017, 2017View more details
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12th March 2017, 2017View more details
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14th October 2021, 2021View more details
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15th September 2023, 2023View more details
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16th May 2022 , 2022View more details
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17th May 2021, 2021View more details
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19th September 2022, 2022View more details
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20th April 2020, 2020View more details
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23rd September 2018, 2018View more details
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24th June 2019, 2019View more details
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30th June 2022 , 2022View more details
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30th March 2019, 2019View more details
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6th May 2018, 2018View more details
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A Ghost Darker than the Night, 2017View more details
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A Wild Dog Chasing a London Bird, 2011View more details
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Bitzer, 2011View more details
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Clown Face, 2017View more details
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Cyclops Twins, 2017View more details
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Emoji Love Eyes, 2017View more details
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Ginger, 2017View more details
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Ladybird, 2011View more details
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Life and Death, 2017View more details
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Miranda Sings, 2017View more details
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Owl, 2017View more details
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Party Girl, 2011View more details
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Pretty Ogre, 2011View more details
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Sleeping Beauty, 2011View more details
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The Tooth Fairy, 2011View more details
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Tortoro, 2011View more details
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Eupnea, 2023View more details
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Hospital Drawings, 2013/2021View more details
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Paul Carey-Kent interviews Trish Morrissey
1 May 2024On the opening day of our current show 'Trish Morrissey at CLOSE', open until 15 June 2024, we were delighted to have art writer and...Read more -
Hettie Judah on Trish Morrissey | Among Women (in mulieribus)
Essay by writer and curator Hettie Judah on Trish Morrissey's exhibition at CLOSE 25 Apr 2024Hettie Judah is chief art critic at the British daily paper The i, a regular contributor to The Guardian’s arts pages, and a columnist for...Read more -
Conversations with Trish Morrissey and Martin Parr
30 Nov 2023Earlier this year, our artist Trish Morrissey was invited to talk to Martin Parr for the Martin Parr Foundation Sofa Sessions. Their discussion ranges from...Read more -
5***** Review for Trish Morrissey's 'Autofictions'
29 Nov 2023'Autofictions: Twenty Years of Photography and Film', Trish Morrisseys survey exhibition at Photo Museum Ireland (23 Nov 2023 - 10 Feb 2024) , has received...Read more
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Upcoming Trish Morrissey Survey Exhibition at Photo Museum Ireland
23 Nov 2023 - 10 Feb 2024 27 Sep 2023Trish Morrissey: Autofictions Twenty Years of Photography and Film This survey exhibition of Irish artist Trish Morrissey, who we announced representation of back in July...Read more -
Trish Morrissey's short film EUPNEA | Women Over 50 Film Festival 2023
26 Sep 2023Back in July of this year we announced our representation of Artist / Filmmaker / Photographer & Visual Historian, Trish Morrissey. Morrissey is currently exhibiting...Read more -
Welcoming Trish Morrissey to CLOSE
14 Jul 2023CLOSE are thrilled to announce the reputation of artist Trish Morrissey. Morrissey’s work lies somewhere between self portraiture and performance, with research at its root,...Read more
Morrissey, originally from Ireland, lives and works in the UK. After moving from Dublin to London in the 1990s, she briefly worked as a commercial photographer before completing formal studies in photography, graduating in 2001. 2023 sees Morrissey's first major UK survey of work at Impressions Gallery, Bradford following it's very successful run at Serlachius Museum Gustaf, Finland - the exhibition brings together photographs and films spanning more than twenty years of the artist’s career.
Morrissey has exhibited in solo and group shows nationally and internationally and her work is held in public and private collections including the Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol; the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; the Wilson Centre for Photography, London; the Museum of Fine Art, Houston, USA; Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation, Finland; and the Museum of Applied and Contemporary Arts, Vienna.
Morrissey constructs identity, through photography, film and investigative practices. She approaches a project with a white wall, which she sits with and gradually populates a picture of her intention for a work, like an investigative journalist or detective. To some extent she is compared to the Pictures Generation—a group that also includes Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine. However, the fascination of Morrissey, which sets her apart, is the elevation of the ordinary. She appropriates images from histories that are both her own and borrowed. She fabricates nostalgia with humour and criticism. Morrisey was always interested in experimenting with different identities - she transforms herself, displaying the diversity of her own relatives/family and fabricates characters imagined from historical texts and hearsay. She works in series, improvising on themes of family, motherhood, as well as investigative narratives of historical buildings where she analyses the people that once lived there.