Jack Maher
Ring The Bell stems from a lifelong passion for professional wrestling. Wrestling is often dismissed as being “fake”. The theatrical performances and larger personalities can lead many to assume that the competitors are simply actors pretending to fight. However, the physical realities of these performances are intense, gruelling, and unforgiving. This project focuses on this Irish community of wrestlers who dedicate themselves fully to the sport. It focusses on the athleticism, endurance, and commitment that characterises these performers. In reimagining the props from a fight as photographic objects, the images permit the viewer to consider what the spectacle means for the performers and audience.
Jack Maher is a photographer based in Dublin and Kildare, specialising in both digital and analogue photography. His work centres largely on performance, spanning music, sport, and wrestling, with a particular focus on capturing the individual behind the performance itself.
With an interest in design and the differing visual worlds that come from sports or music, he is consistently seeking innovative and unconventional approaches within his practice and looks at ways to expand the form and presentation of images. Having worked closely with bands, musicians and dancers he continues to document major artists and festivals in Ireland and abroad.
