Samuel Nohe Ireland

Photography (MA)
Samuel Nohe Ireland is a 2025 graduate of The Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, UK, with an MA in Photography and other artistic media. He also holds an MA in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York City, where he focused on Conceptual Art and Relational Aesthetics, writing his thesis on the work of the Danish artist collective Superflex. Mr. Ireland earned an MBA from Portland State University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona, majoring in History and minoring in Art History, graduating summa cum laude. He spent many of his formative years working at the Kunsthalle Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Tucson, Arizona, located in the Sonoran Desert, where he was born and raised. At MOCA Tucson, he held various progressive roles, beginning as an intern in college, becoming the Director of Operations for Public Programming, and ultimately serving as the organization’s Executive Director. He has also served on the Board of Directors and remains involved with the institution as a member of the Ambassador Council. He enjoys traveling, art theory and discourse, creating and collecting contemporary art, exploring political and economic theory and current events, and engaging in rigorous intellectual debate. He is always eager to learn something new. As a youth, he trained extensively in drama, ballet, and modern dance, and attended University High School. You will often find him in his studio/office, out exploring new work, or walking around, talking with people, and taking photographs that reveal something to him about the world or that evoke awe, humor, and/or wonder within him.
"Projects/Series" Exhibition Installation Shots, Digital Photography Collage (19/02/2025) [A] Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes (Screen-print on Canvas, 1x1m each) [B] "Way to Go Champ”: Male Intimacy in Homosocial Spaces (Image Stills and Found Imagery UV Printed on Aluminum Panels, 50x50cm each) [C] The Frustration of the Creative Process in Film Stills (Printed Vinyl Banner) [D] Spinario Maquette, or “Boy with Thorn” (3-D Printed Self-Portrait) [E] Books and Didactics
"Projects/Series" Exhibition Installation Shots, Digital Photography Collage (19/02/2025) [A] Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes (Screen-print on Canvas, 1x1m each) [B] "Way to Go Champ”: Male Intimacy in Homosocial Spaces (Image Stills and Found Imagery UV Printed on Aluminum Panels, 50x50cm each) [C] The Frustration of the Creative Process in Film Stills (Printed Vinyl Banner) [D] Spinario Maquette, or “Boy with Thorn” (3-D Printed Self-Portrait) [E] Books and Didactics
"Projects/Series" Exhibition Installation Shots, Digital Photography Collage (19/02/2025) [A] Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes (Screen-print on Canvas, 1x1m each) [B] "Way to Go Champ”: Male Intimacy in Homosocial Spaces (Image Stills and Found Imagery UV Printed on Aluminum Panels, 50x50cm each) [C] The Frustration of the Creative Process in Film Stills (Printed Vinyl Banner) [D] Spinario Maquette, or “Boy with Thorn” (3-D Printed Self-Portrait) [E] Books and Didactics
Tabula Rasa, Digital Photography Collage, A1 (2025)
Tabula Rasa, Digital Photography Collage, A1 (2025)
Tabula Rasa, Digital Photography Collage, A1 (2025)
The Anthropocene, Digital Photograph, A2 (Printed 2025). The first photograph in this series (Entropy in the Anthropocene) was taken inside a bland, corporate hotel room on O’ahu’s North Shore, between Ka’ena Point and Kahuku, on the most populous island in the Hawaiian archipelago. The image of the ancient-looking fauna and the atmospheric play of humidity and sunlight through the window struck me as having a prehistoric, Mesozoic Era quality to it. Evidence of palm trees can be found in the fossil record from 63 to 90 million years ago, and they were contemporaneous with the time of dinosaurs on planet Earth. Something struck me as I looked at the scene outside this window, and later, as we walked on nearby beaches strewn with debris of very slowly decomposing, brightly colored neon plastic fishing nets. I was traveling with friends wearing similarly plastic (fossil fuel-derived) ironic polyester windbreakers in the same neon colors as the fishing nets. We had just picked up a snack at McDonald’s that we jokingly referred to as potentially having a similar shelf life to the plastic clothing we were wearing and the fishnets we found on the beach, casually dancing to Whitney Houston somewhat carelessly. Amidst this tableau of imagery was the incomprehensible scale of millions of years of natural history and geology, contrasted with humans' toxic, fleeting, and precarious lives in our late-capitalist, high-corporatist era. There we were in the “vacation spot of vacation spots,” wearing, consuming, and observing the detritus/remnants of our lives as an essentially invasive species. One could not help but wonder at humans’ ability to transform the world around them for the worse, with all the impending crises that will haunt the unluckiest of us all—particularly the young who will inherit our collective negligence. At the same time, there is dancing and fun, burgers and french fries, swimming, and drinks. And still, the ocean, nature, erosion... seemed to be already taking back over. In the span of human life, it will feel like—and be—a disaster—filled with fear, death, dwindling species diversity, climate refugees, water shortages, and air conditioners that mask the heat while worsening the situation. The Earth, however, will continue to evolve and grow over our waste, heading in a new direction. We just might not be part of it.
The Anthropocene, Digital Photograph, A2 (Printed 2025). The first photograph in this series (Entropy in the Anthropocene) was taken inside a bland, corporate hotel room on O’ahu’s North Shore, between Ka’ena Point and Kahuku, on the most populous island in the Hawaiian archipelago. The image of the ancient-looking fauna and the atmospheric play of humidity and sunlight through the window struck me as having a prehistoric, Mesozoic Era quality to it. Evidence of palm trees can be found in the fossil record from 63 to 90 million years ago, and they were contemporaneous with the time of dinosaurs on planet Earth. Something struck me as I looked at the scene outside this window, and later, as we walked on nearby beaches strewn with debris of very slowly decomposing, brightly colored neon plastic fishing nets. I was traveling with friends wearing similarly plastic (fossil fuel-derived) ironic polyester windbreakers in the same neon colors as the fishing nets. We had just picked up a snack at McDonald’s that we jokingly referred to as potentially having a similar shelf life to the plastic clothing we were wearing and the fishnets we found on the beach, casually dancing to Whitney Houston somewhat carelessly. Amidst this tableau of imagery was the incomprehensible scale of millions of years of natural history and geology, contrasted with humans' toxic, fleeting, and precarious lives in our late-capitalist, high-corporatist era. There we were in the “vacation spot of vacation spots,” wearing, consuming, and observing the detritus/remnants of our lives as an essentially invasive species. One could not help but wonder at humans’ ability to transform the world around them for the worse, with all the impending crises that will haunt the unluckiest of us all—particularly the young who will inherit our collective negligence. At the same time, there is dancing and fun, burgers and french fries, swimming, and drinks. And still, the ocean, nature, erosion... seemed to be already taking back over. In the span of human life, it will feel like—and be—a disaster—filled with fear, death, dwindling species diversity, climate refugees, water shortages, and air conditioners that mask the heat while worsening the situation. The Earth, however, will continue to evolve and grow over our waste, heading in a new direction. We just might not be part of it.
The Anthropocene, Digital Photograph, A2 (Printed 2025). The first photograph in this series (Entropy in the Anthropocene) was taken inside a bland, corporate hotel room on O’ahu’s North Shore, between Ka’ena Point and Kahuku, on the most populous island in the Hawaiian archipelago. The image of the ancient-looking fauna and the atmospheric play of humidity and sunlight through the window struck me as having a prehistoric, Mesozoic Era quality to it. Evidence of palm trees can be found in the fossil record from 63 to 90 million years ago, and they were contemporaneous with the time of dinosaurs on planet Earth. Something struck me as I looked at the scene outside this window, and later, as we walked on nearby beaches strewn with debris of very slowly decomposing, brightly colored neon plastic fishing nets. I was traveling with friends wearing similarly plastic (fossil fuel-derived) ironic polyester windbreakers in the same neon colors as the fishing nets. We had just picked up a snack at McDonald’s that we jokingly referred to as potentially having a similar shelf life to the plastic clothing we were wearing and the fishnets we found on the beach, casually dancing to Whitney Houston somewhat carelessly. Amidst this tableau of imagery was the incomprehensible scale of millions of years of natural history and geology, contrasted with humans' toxic, fleeting, and precarious lives in our late-capitalist, high-corporatist era. There we were in the “vacation spot of vacation spots,” wearing, consuming, and observing the detritus/remnants of our lives as an essentially invasive species. One could not help but wonder at humans’ ability to transform the world around them for the worse, with all the impending crises that will haunt the unluckiest of us all—particularly the young who will inherit our collective negligence. At the same time, there is dancing and fun, burgers and french fries, swimming, and drinks. And still, the ocean, nature, erosion... seemed to be already taking back over. In the span of human life, it will feel like—and be—a disaster—filled with fear, death, dwindling species diversity, climate refugees, water shortages, and air conditioners that mask the heat while worsening the situation. The Earth, however, will continue to evolve and grow over our waste, heading in a new direction. We just might not be part of it.
Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes, Screen-print on Canvas, 1 x 1 meter each (2025). There are a multitude of patterns inside envelopes that I find both aesthetically pleasing and nostalgic, and that I associate with bills, banking, insurance, and the endless responsibilities of adult life. These envelopes serve to capture capital from individuals and direct it toward large corporations. In other words, one must reconcile the beauty and nostalgia of these patterns inside the envelopes with the secrecy, obfuscation, and unchecked greed of the financial institutions of late capitalism/neoliberalism, or “capitalism with the gloves off.”[1] They can be appreciated purely formally for their visual appeal, as one escapes into their pattern, and/or for their sense of obfuscation in a highly financialized and stratified global society where individuals’ lives are dominated by large multinational corporations, characterized by wealth inequality and laissez-faire governance with regressive taxation and shrinking social safety nets. The end result: a permanent neo-feudal underclass with limited social-economic opportunities and the erosion of democratic institutions. [1] Chomsky, N. (1999). Profit over people: neoliberalism and the global order. New York: Seven Stories Press.
Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes, Screen-print on Canvas, 1 x 1 meter each (2025). There are a multitude of patterns inside envelopes that I find both aesthetically pleasing and nostalgic, and that I associate with bills, banking, insurance, and the endless responsibilities of adult life. These envelopes serve to capture capital from individuals and direct it toward large corporations. In other words, one must reconcile the beauty and nostalgia of these patterns inside the envelopes with the secrecy, obfuscation, and unchecked greed of the financial institutions of late capitalism/neoliberalism, or “capitalism with the gloves off.”[1] They can be appreciated purely formally for their visual appeal, as one escapes into their pattern, and/or for their sense of obfuscation in a highly financialized and stratified global society where individuals’ lives are dominated by large multinational corporations, characterized by wealth inequality and laissez-faire governance with regressive taxation and shrinking social safety nets. The end result: a permanent neo-feudal underclass with limited social-economic opportunities and the erosion of democratic institutions. [1] Chomsky, N. (1999). Profit over people: neoliberalism and the global order. New York: Seven Stories Press.
Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes, Screen-print on Canvas, 1 x 1 meter each (2025). There are a multitude of patterns inside envelopes that I find both aesthetically pleasing and nostalgic, and that I associate with bills, banking, insurance, and the endless responsibilities of adult life. These envelopes serve to capture capital from individuals and direct it toward large corporations. In other words, one must reconcile the beauty and nostalgia of these patterns inside the envelopes with the secrecy, obfuscation, and unchecked greed of the financial institutions of late capitalism/neoliberalism, or “capitalism with the gloves off.”[1] They can be appreciated purely formally for their visual appeal, as one escapes into their pattern, and/or for their sense of obfuscation in a highly financialized and stratified global society where individuals’ lives are dominated by large multinational corporations, characterized by wealth inequality and laissez-faire governance with regressive taxation and shrinking social safety nets. The end result: a permanent neo-feudal underclass with limited social-economic opportunities and the erosion of democratic institutions. [1] Chomsky, N. (1999). Profit over people: neoliberalism and the global order. New York: Seven Stories Press.
"Projects/Series" Exhibition Installation Shots, Digital Photography Collage (19/02/2025) [A] Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes (Screen-print on Canvas, 1x1m each) [B] "Way to Go Champ”: Male Intimacy in Homosocial Spaces (Image Stills and Found Imagery UV Printed on Aluminum Panels, 50x50cm each) [C] The Frustration of the Creative Process in Film Stills (Printed Vinyl Banner) [D] Spinario Maquette, or “Boy with Thorn” (3-D Printed Self-Portrait) [E] Books and Didactics
Tabula Rasa, Digital Photography Collage, A1 (2025)
The Anthropocene, Digital Photograph, A2 (Printed 2025). The first photograph in this series (Entropy in the Anthropocene) was taken inside a bland, corporate hotel room on O’ahu’s North Shore, between Ka’ena Point and Kahuku, on the most populous island in the Hawaiian archipelago. The image of the ancient-looking fauna and the atmospheric play of humidity and sunlight through the window struck me as having a prehistoric, Mesozoic Era quality to it. Evidence of palm trees can be found in the fossil record from 63 to 90 million years ago, and they were contemporaneous with the time of dinosaurs on planet Earth. Something struck me as I looked at the scene outside this window, and later, as we walked on nearby beaches strewn with debris of very slowly decomposing, brightly colored neon plastic fishing nets. I was traveling with friends wearing similarly plastic (fossil fuel-derived) ironic polyester windbreakers in the same neon colors as the fishing nets. We had just picked up a snack at McDonald’s that we jokingly referred to as potentially having a similar shelf life to the plastic clothing we were wearing and the fishnets we found on the beach, casually dancing to Whitney Houston somewhat carelessly. Amidst this tableau of imagery was the incomprehensible scale of millions of years of natural history and geology, contrasted with humans' toxic, fleeting, and precarious lives in our late-capitalist, high-corporatist era. There we were in the “vacation spot of vacation spots,” wearing, consuming, and observing the detritus/remnants of our lives as an essentially invasive species. One could not help but wonder at humans’ ability to transform the world around them for the worse, with all the impending crises that will haunt the unluckiest of us all—particularly the young who will inherit our collective negligence. At the same time, there is dancing and fun, burgers and french fries, swimming, and drinks. And still, the ocean, nature, erosion... seemed to be already taking back over. In the span of human life, it will feel like—and be—a disaster—filled with fear, death, dwindling species diversity, climate refugees, water shortages, and air conditioners that mask the heat while worsening the situation. The Earth, however, will continue to evolve and grow over our waste, heading in a new direction. We just might not be part of it.
Obfuscation and Aesthetics: Patterns Inside Envelopes, Screen-print on Canvas, 1 x 1 meter each (2025). There are a multitude of patterns inside envelopes that I find both aesthetically pleasing and nostalgic, and that I associate with bills, banking, insurance, and the endless responsibilities of adult life. These envelopes serve to capture capital from individuals and direct it toward large corporations. In other words, one must reconcile the beauty and nostalgia of these patterns inside the envelopes with the secrecy, obfuscation, and unchecked greed of the financial institutions of late capitalism/neoliberalism, or “capitalism with the gloves off.”[1] They can be appreciated purely formally for their visual appeal, as one escapes into their pattern, and/or for their sense of obfuscation in a highly financialized and stratified global society where individuals’ lives are dominated by large multinational corporations, characterized by wealth inequality and laissez-faire governance with regressive taxation and shrinking social safety nets. The end result: a permanent neo-feudal underclass with limited social-economic opportunities and the erosion of democratic institutions. [1] Chomsky, N. (1999). Profit over people: neoliberalism and the global order. New York: Seven Stories Press.

About

Samuel Nohe Ireland is a 2025 graduate of The Royal College of Art (RCA) in London, UK, with an MA in Photography and other artistic media. He also holds an MA in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York City, where he focused on Conceptual Art and Relational Aesthetics, writing his thesis on the work of the Danish artist collective Superflex. Mr. Ireland earned an MBA from Portland State University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona, majoring in History and minoring in Art History, graduating summa cum laude. He spent many of his formative years working at the Kunsthalle Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Tucson, Arizona, located in the Sonoran Desert, where he was born and raised. At MOCA Tucson, he held various progressive roles, beginning as an intern in college, becoming the Director of Operations for Public Programming, and ultimately serving as the organization’s Executive Director. He has also served on the Board of Directors and remains involved with the institution as a member of the Ambassador Council. He enjoys traveling, art theory and discourse, creating and collecting contemporary art, exploring political and economic theory and current events, and engaging in rigorous intellectual debate. He is always eager to learn something new. As a youth, he trained extensively in drama, ballet, and modern dance, and attended University High School. You will often find him in his studio/office, out exploring new work, or walking around, talking with people, and taking photographs that reveal something to him about the world or that evoke awe, humor, and/or wonder within him.

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