Steady Climber

Iconography, an exhibition of new works by Philippa Sutherland will run at the gallery until Saturday 30th April.

Artist's Statement:

iconography

This body of work looks at the fascination of the idealised images of cultural icons; the carefully staged understatement of the portrayal of artists, designers and models in style magazines and the more vivid depiction of musicians in web-based fanzines.

The figures in the paintings gaze out towards the viewer with detachment or defer their glance altogether in self-absorption. Though some have the frontal stance of portraiture, rather than engaging with an audience as characters, the “models” are a blank canvas, a set of appearances, onto which the viewer might project his/her own reading.

In some cases the application of paint stays close to the photographic image whilst in others there is an editing-out of information, a use of more painterly marks, play with pattern and repetition or the use of borders to reference the imagery’s printed provenance. The palette ranges from monochrome and muted to a selective use of vivid colour.

The video [4min 24.05 secs] explores through an interview with a teenage musician the pleasures of contemplating and reproducing images of the personas offered by the musicians she admires. In contrast to the low-key visual strategy of the style magazines these are heightened versions of aspects of ourselves;the interviewee indicates how the process of drawing allows a close scrutiny of the appearances we might assume, the repertore of behaviours and identities with which we can knowingly play as we imagine and construct our sense of self.

This is Philippa Sutherland’s third solo show at The Paul Kane Gallery [ following “folklore” 2009 and “make-believe” 2007].

Tent

Off season is Niall Kerrigans first show at The Paul Kane Gallery. The show will run until Saturday April 3rd.

The concept of ’Off Season’ comes from the months when holiday homes/villages are unoccupied, the atmosphere this creates and the sense of life in suspended animation; reminiscent of the famine villages.

Shops in small, seaside towns waiting for the tourist business to come back; colourful playgrounds and amusements sitting empty.

Unlike the famine villages there is a justifiable expectation of renewed life but for the moment- ‘Off Season’- they are virtually deserted. Buildings and amenities lose their function. There is a dereliction that creates an atmosphere that, not surprisingly, has suggested itself as the setting for menacing tales to unfold in, in both literature and film.

There is also a great beauty to this abandonment; it allows everything to be seen at its most fundamental, allowing a clarity of vision and attention to detail impossible during high season. Since moving from city life to a seaside village five years ago this aesthetic has seeped into my consciousness and ‘Off Season’ is my attempt to portray its desolate beauty.

Solo Exhibitions:

Group Exhibitions:

Collections:

“ We are where we are” is an exhibition of new works by Eoin Mac Lochlainn, it explores the human dimension to the economic downturn, empathising in particular with those on the margins of society.

I take images from the media as the subjects of my paintings. It is easy to become inurred to the individual stories that lie behind any of these images, but by choosing one and making it the subject of a painting, I try to emphasise the importance of that human story and, in a way, to subvert the notion of the “15 minutes of fame”.

Over the last year much has been written about empty hotels, tenantless apartment blocks and ghost estates, an estimated 300,000 units vacant or unfinished. At the same time we read about the growing problem of homelessness… My work engages with contradictions such as these but, whilst the subject matter may be tough and the questions raised uncomfortable, my primary intention is to make paintings whose colour and form are equally compelling.

24-12-2010 +25-12-2010

WATER COLOUR is an exhibition of very recent new works by Marc Reilly continuing his exploration of the waters, trees and landscape of his immediate surroundings in Laragh,Co. Wicklow. The exhibion will run until Friday 28th January.