David Gepp: The Narrow Road to the Deep North/Auguries of Innocence

Born in Belfast in 1948, David left to study in England and now lives in Wales. He has returned in the 1990's to document the multi-faceted life of Northern Ireland. Referencing both ancient and modern symbols, and the chilling evidence of the dark side of life in Northern Ireland, the work also shows moments of humour and compassion in the lives of the ordinary people. From celtic monuments to fortified off-licences, the images include texts and subtexts that reveal the complexity of the troubled cultures of this community.

David Gepp was born in Belfast and studied creative photography with John Blakemore at Derby and has lived in Wales for the past 20 years. In 1997 the BBC broadcast 'An Italian Dream', the critically acclaimed film produced and directed by Clive Flowers, about Gepp's work in Venice and Ireland. An Arts Council of Wales travel award enabled Gepp to make visits to the north of Ireland between 1991 and 1993. While there is chilling evidence of the dark side of life in Northern Ireland in the 1990s, there is also humour and compassion in these photographs of ordinary peoples' lives and the ancient and modern symbols that surround them. Our expectations and preconceptions are often confounded by surprising juxtapositions.