Hannah Starkey was born in 1971 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The artist studied photography at Napier University, Edinburgh, and the Royal College of Art, London. Working with professional actors, Starkey constructs complex images in urban environments that suggest chance encounters and personal impressions. Starkey has exhibited extensively since the 1990s, including solos exhibitions at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry; Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, New York. ‘Hannah Starkey: Photographs’ took place at IMMA in 2000.