Launch 6pm Thu 3 May
Running 1-13 May

Pallas Projects
115-117 The Coombe, Dublin 8

Opening Hours Wed-Sat 12-6pm

Gerry Balfe Smyth’s first solo exhibition Last Breath is a series of photographs documenting life in the south inner city flats complex of St.Teresa’s Gardens in Dublin’s Liberties area. Built in the 1950’s this social housing project was home to over two thousand tenants. The pictures, which were inspired by the spirit and resolve of an isolated community that have been neglected for generations.

In the early 1980’s Dublin’s heroin epidemic was at its height. The St.Teresa’s Gardens flats complex was one of many deprived communities in Dublin that had been flooded with heroin. Drug dealers were operating on a level that had not been seen before, the police and government bodies were not equipped to contain the situation. Many young lives were wiped out through addiction, their families torn apart and with little or no support from the state.

Over time the residents fought back and the Concerned Parents Against Drugs group did a lot to reclaim their community, forced evictions of dealers and nightly patrols by the residents were the only way they could begin to address the problem.

Now with regeneration in its final stages a small number of residents remain. Most of the buildings have been demolished and the occupants moved to different locations around Dublin. These people are now dealing with the reality of transition into new neighborhoods and establishing a new identity and sense of belonging.

The images were taken over a seven-year period before regeneration had begun, a record of life and some of the people from the ‘flats’ and their the struggle to survive, another reminder that social integration and inclusion must be accompanied by economic investment for it to have a chance. The pictures are the last breath of a vibrant community before it is finally laid to rest.

Gerry Balfe Smith studied Photography at IADT in Dublin before working as a photographic assistant to Perry Ogden and Bruce Weber. He began developing his own personal projects while living in New York and London, working on medium format and polaroid photography. His work is inspired by ‘real people’ giving a voice to those on the margins, exploring social and cultural themes, in particular groups of people that share a common identity. His editorial and documentary work takes him to many different locations around the world, commissioned by leading publications including Dazed Digital, Sunday Telegraph Magazine, Sunday Times Magazine, ATOD Magazine L.A and Vice. He is currently based in Dublin, Ireland.

gerrybalfesmyth.com