About
My photographic practice is focused on portraiture and concerned with humanity, behaviour, interconnected relationships, interaction and communication. My focus in on building community through shared photographic experiences; participation is key. I set simple rules and parameters to encourage people to explore how they communicate and relate to each other and the places they live. Predominantly my work is an exploration and observation of how people co-exist, relate to and interact with each other, and the various environments they inhabit. I often cultivate the same theme in several countries, building connections across communities, societies and cultures. My intention is to create thoughtful and playful photographic works that come into being through social interaction.
Dowling has worked on commissions, projects and residencies in the UK, Ireland, Los Angeles, Cuba, South Africa, Mexico, India and Lebanon. Group and solo exhibitions include 209 Women Portcullis House, Portraits: Shared Experiences, Galeria Jardin, ITESO Mexico, Journeys | Recoriddos with LACMA in Los Angeles, The Movement of an Object at The Photographers’ Gallery, How We learn at Belfast Exposed and the John Kobal Portraiture Award at the National Portrait Gallery. She has been commissioned to produce work for publication and exhibition by Belfast Exposed, Tate, The Whitechapel Gallery, The Photographers’ Gallery, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, South London Gallery, The Courtauld Gallery and Barnardo’s children’s charity.
Dowling has also worked on commissions and participation projects with The V&A, National Portrait Gallery, Chisenhale Gallery, Courtauld Institute, Gasworks, Goldsmiths College, All Change Arts, Bow Arts Trust, The Foundling Museum, San Alejandro School of Art (Havana) Barnardos and PhotoVoice.
CV
Selected Commissions | Residencies | Projects | Exhibitions
2019: Representation on the Line (Un)Framing Identity. RPS Hundred Heroines exhibition, London, Blackpool
2019: 209 Women exhibition, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool
2019: Exhibition, Great Ormond Street Hospital, GOSH Arts
2019: Who Makes All Change, project & publlication with writer Sarah Butler and All Change
2018: 209 Women exhibition, Portculis House Westminster
2017-19:International Summer Project, Artists Programme, ITESO University Guadalajara, Mexico
2018: Change Makers, Barbican
2017-19: Resident Artists, GOSH ARTS
2017-19: DEVELOP The Photographers Gallery
2017: The Portrait as Transformation, Workshops, MARCO Museum Mexico
2017: Who Makes Finsbury Park? With Writer Sarah Butler & All Change
2017: Portraits: Shared Experiences, Exhibition, Galeria Jardin, ITESO, Mexico
2016-18: Start (3yr project) South London Gallery, ending in a group exhibition at SLG
2016: Art Exchange, Tate modern and MARCO Mexico, Video Provocations, October - December
2016: Art Exchange, Tate Modern, Activating Art through Body, Disguise and Performance
2016: BP Art Exchange, Tate London, MARCO Museum, UDEM and ITESO Mexico
2015: Tate BP Art Exchange & Kochi Biennale, working with students from Srishti University, Kochi India
2015: Reach Out (exhibition) Museum of Contemporary Art (MARCO) Monterrey, Mexico
2014-15: Tate BP Art Exchange, extending How We Learn with participants in the UK, Mexico and Russia resulting in 'Reach Out' an Exhibition at Tate Modern
2014: How We Learn, Belfast Exposed, commission of new work made with primary age children in Belfast, exhibited at Belfast Exposed as part of the How We Learn group show
2014: The Family Album, Portslade Academy School with Photoworks & BPB. Exhibited as part of the Brighton Photo Biennial in Brighton’s Jubilee Square
2013-14: Look Again, The Courtauld Institute
2012: Parallel Interventions, Tate Modern & Inhotim (Brazil)
2012: Turbine Generation, Tate Modern & MARCO (Mexico)
2011: Live Art Residency, Chisenhale Gallery
2011: Stories of the World, Courtauld Institute of Art
2010: My City, My Home, Ragged School Museum
2009: The World in London, The Photographers’ Gallery, London
2009: A Young Mums Life, The National Portrait Gallery
2008: Journeys | Recorridos Artist project, Art Programs with the Community: LACMA On-Site, LACMA, Los Angeles, USA
2008: Welcoming the World, Photographic project, 13 schools in 5 Olympic boroughs
2008: Changing Representations, Brighton photo Biennial 2007-09: Residency; San Alejandro School of Art, Havana
2007: Seeing is Believing, Art project with Barnardo’s service users
2007: The Movement of an Object, The Photographers’ Gallery
2006: VENUE, Chisenhale Gallery
2005: Creative Connections residency, The Whitechapel Gallery resulting in an exhibition at the gallery
2005: Residency at Ben Jonson Primary with The Whitechapel Gallery. Work held in the Allan Kaprow archive
Selected Publications, articles, press
2018: Who Makes Finsbury Park? All Change
2013: I Am, All Change
2009: Forum, Camera Austria. The Movement of an Object
2007: The Movement of an Object / Selected Projects: The Photographers’ Gallery and Foldedsheet PROfile series with essay by Chris Townsend
2006: Arts professional, Collapsing boundaries by Helen James
2003: The British Journal of Photography
2000: National advertising campaign for Learn Free, education website
1998: Hotshoe International magazine
Education
2003 - 2005: MA Design by Independent Project, University of Brighton
1995 - 1998: BA Hons Editorial Photography, University of Brighton
1994 - 1995: Diploma, Art foundation, Central St Martins college of Art and Design, London