It may be impossible to consider the work of Miroslav Tichy without bearing in mind the story of his life, which has been strikingly harsh. Refusing to bow to the inflexible social expectations of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia in the 1950's, the young Tichy, then a painter, frequently found himself in trouble. Occasionally beaten, and from time to time detained in prison and a mental hospital, Tichy eventually found himself excluded from conventional society, living like a pauper and wandering around the outskirts of his native Kyjov. 'Mending' broken cameras with lavatory paper rolls and plastic lenses taken from children's toys and glasses, he began to follow women and young girls, photographing them incessantly. The resulting images, casually printed, frequently altered with a pencil or paints, were usually discarded, tossed on the floor of his dishevelled house, and then forgotten. Only in recent years have they been exhibited. His work is now highly thought of; his acceptance by the art world was recently reflected by a retrospective exhibition at the Centre Pompidou, Paris.

The Douglas Hyde Gallery warmly thanks Roman Buxbaum and the Foundation Tichy Ocean for their support of the exhibition. We also thank, Adi Hoesle, Bernhard Schobinger , and Annelies Strba for their help and advice.

This exhibition was selected by Annelies Strba and Adi Hoesle. It is accompanied by a new publication that includes essays by Adi Hoesle and John Hutchinson.