‘Taxi III’ stems from the artist Lisa Byrne’s experience of driving a taxi in Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007, which she did to both fund and inform her artistic practice, which centres on human experience. This inspired the artist’s ‘Taxi Triology’, a video series exploring the post-conflict landscape of the region, and the continuing impact of ‘The Troubles’.

“The series and this work from it, brings together an intimate portrait of the aftermath of trauma experienced by different taxi drivers, as a telling to camera of their experiences of surviving paramilitary attack during the 1980s and the 1990s. Filmed within the parameters of the taxi journey, important to the work and the artist’s approach to practice, is an artist-subject relationship based on shared trust and understanding.” Arts Council of Northern Ireland

London-based Lisa Byrne (b. Northern Ireland, 1973) works mainly in film and photography, exploring a number of difficult subjects, from the trauma experienced by victims of sectarian violence, to issues surrounding the death of one’s life partner and growing old alone.  Byrne has been exhibiting internationally since 1995, with major group shows including Time at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London (2009), where she exhibited alongside Mark Wallanger and Antony Gormley; the Scolt Head Screenings – Series 3, London (2008), showing with 2008 Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey; and Video Apartment 20, Body City, Dublin (2007).  Her first solo exhibition was at Mars Gallery, Moscow (2004), where she also completed a residency.  Byrne’s work is held in a number of private collections.

The work was purchased for the Golden Thread Gallery Collection with support from the Ampersand Foundation.