Venue: Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2

After successful runs at the Royal College of Physicians in London, the University of Leicester and St Pancras Hospital, Re-Framing Disability will be on display in the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, 6 Kildare St, Dublin 2 from 20 – 24 August 2012.

The exhibition explores a group of rare portraits from the 17th to the 19th centuries, held by the Royal College of Physicians in London. The portraits depict disabled men and women of all ages and walks of life, many of whom earned a living exhibiting themselves to the public.

Some individuals, such as conjoined ‘Siamese’ twins Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–74), are still famous today. Others, including professional artist Thomas Inglefield (b 1769), who was born without legs or hands, are now forgotten.

The exhibition uncovers the extraordinary hidden histories behind the portraits and looks at their impact today through contemporary responses from disabled people. 27 disabled participants from across the UK were invited to have their photographic portraits taken and be filmed. Their responses form an important part of the exhibition.

Heralded by an international panel of judges as ‘inspired’ and ‘challenging’, Re-framing Disability won an Ability Media International ‘Visual Arts Award’ in 2011.