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Fenton Gallery: Visual Fictions (15th Feb-13th Mar)
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15th February - 13th March
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VISUAL FICTIONS
curated by Cliodhna Shaffrey
Aideen Barry, Stephen Brandes,
Atsushi Kaga, Nevan Lahart, Eoin McHugh,
Mark McGreevy, Beth O Halloran,
Mairead O’hEocha, Suky Best & Rory Hamilton.
Visual Fictions is an exhibition of paintings, drawings and animations by eight artists whose work contains elements of narrative and fragments of fiction, curated by Cliodhna Shaffrey. “Visual Fictions presents work that is poetic, poignant, political and strange. The imagery ranges from quirky humour to touches of nostalgia, re-presentations of moments in reality, distilled memories, futuristic sci-fi landscapes, witty cartoon analogy and the uncanny aura of the fairytale. A pulsating mischievous energy, a live-rhythmic flow locates us within another world that hovers between the imagined and experienced, between the remembered and invented. Visual Fictions presents works that open us up to the unreal in make-believe scenes and sequences and like good fiction, brings us closer to a truth, back to an essential.”
Aideen Barry’s films and animations deal with the notion of the “Uncanny”, and a preoccupation with the theme of distortion. She is interested in the idea of the in between space, the perception of what is real and what is imagined, and is inspired by the writings of Charlotte Perkins-Gilman, Joseph Sheridan La Fanu and the philosophy's of Foucault. Born in Cork, 1979 she recently completed an MA in Visual Art Practices at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art and Design Technology. She has just been awarded the Tyrone Guthrie award for 2007 and has recently received the experimental film award in Cork in October 2006. In 2003 she had her first international solo show in The Centre Cultural in Paris for “Bloomsday”. Barry will take up residencies at both the Banff Centre in Canada and in Reykjavik in Iceland this year.
Stephen Brandes work borders between fact and fiction. He has described himself as “trying to create a perpetually developing fictional world – one that references a vast terrain, both geographical and chronologically”. (From an essay by Barry Schwabsky) Born in England 1966, but presently living in Cork, Brandes completed his M.A. at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 2002. His most recent solo exhibition was held at the RHA Gallery, Dublin 2006. He was selected to represent Ireland at the Venice Biennale in 2005. His work has regularly been exhibited internationally including in the ‘Cross the line’ exhibition, Dusseldorf, Germany and in ‘Girlpower and Boyhood’, Denmark 2006, and Norway 2007. Stephen Brandes shows with the Rubicon Gallery, Dublin.
There is a duality in the kernel of Atsushi Kaga’s work. Behind the simple and witty façade is a concern with everyday life, the complexity of human behavior. He enjoys making work, which he says ‘is silly and profound at the same time’. Originally from Japan, Atsushi Kaga, graduated from NCAD in 2005. He participated in a drawing exhibition at Temple Bar Gallery in 2006 and was also selected for Eigse, Carlow in the same year. He has been invited to exhibit at the Boyle Arts festival, Roscommon, this year and also has an upcoming solo show at Mother’s Tank station, Dublin. He is currently taking part in the international residency programme in Temple Bar Studios. Courtesy Mother’s Tank Station, Dublin.
For Nevan Lahart “painting can be viewed in terms of ludite filmmaking. You can write, edit cast, light, produce and direct them all by yourself and you don't have the hassle of having to cater for a whole crew. Paintings can also function as escapism that you hang on the wall and can rewatch over and over again in hyper slo-mo in case you forgot the plot. Paintings are best appreciated during ad breaks, grab a quick glance during Coronation Street’s interval, they also have the benefit of energy efficiency.” Lahart completed his masters at NCAD in 2003. He has an upcoming solo exhibition at the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny. He was selected for the EV+A exhibition in 2006 and the Eurojet futures in 2004 /05 at the RHA, Dublin. He has also completed a residency at IMMA and exhibited in the process room there in 2005
Eoin McHugh’s interest is in the psychology of imagery, in the processing involved in its creation. He is interested in the interpretation of ambivalence and ambiguity, in the space between the image, the object and the idea. Eoin McHugh graduated in 2005 with a BA in Fine Art from the National College of Art & Design, Dublin. As well as a solo show of his drawings at the Temple Bar Gallery in 2006, Eoin has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions and his work has been selected for EV +A 2006 and RHA annual exhibition 2006.
Mark McGreevy’s paintings of figures seem to ramble and stutter into existence. There is often a decadent baroque appearance to the paintings. McGreevy completed his masters at the University of Ulster, Belfast in 2003. In 2004 he was shortlisted for the AIB art award and in 2006 for the Jerwood Painting Prize in London. He completed a residency at IMMA in 2005. Solo shows of his work have been held in the Old Museum Arts Cente, Belfast, the Draiocht in Dublin, and The Third Space Belfast. Courtesy The Third Space, Belfast
Beth O Halloran’s current work marks a departure from using photographic references to more formalist painterly concerns. The work inhabits a space between abstraction and representation and investigates aspects of permanence versus the momentary and presence versus absence. O’Halloran received her Master’s in Visual Arts Practices from IADT last year. She has exhibited in Ireland, the UK, USA, and Japan. Recent exhibitions include a solo at the Lab in Dublin and the Square Root of Drawing at Temple Bar Galleries. Upcoming shows include her first Museum-based exhibition in Portland, Maine, USA.
Mairead O hEocha bbelieves that “…all paintings have an in-built sentimentality to them. I want to acknowledge and expose the limitations and potential of painting as a credible means of image-making. It’s all make-believe". Mairead O’hEocha was born in Dublin and graduated from NCAD 2000 and Goldsmith’s, UK in 2004. She was awarded studio membership of Temple Bar Galleries and studios in 2006. Recent shows include Invited Eigse, Carlow 2006, and The Happiest Country in the World, Dublin 2005.
Suky Best and Rory Hamilton’s Train Hold-up 2005, DVD, 1 min 29 sec
Suky Best and Rory Hamilton’s collaborative animations take archetypal scenes from classic cowboy movies and remove everything but the silhouette of the hero (and his horse) in order to explore his mythic status and the filmic structures that support this.
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- Aideen Barry
film still
Please contact the gallery for information and prices of Aideen Barry's film and animation pieces.
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- Atsushi Kaga
Bunny 1,
2006
acrylic on board,
19.5 x 14cm
€750
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- Atsushi Kaga
Panda Crying Pandas,
2006
acrylic on board,
29.5 x 30.5cm
€750
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- Atsushi Kaga
Don’t come out there is a fire,
2006
acrylic on board,
22.5 x 21cm
SOLD
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- Atsushi Kaga
Are you giving me that flower,
2006
acrylic on board,
20 x 25.7cm
€750
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- Nevan Lahart
A Twee bit of Blasphemy,
2004,
oil on board,
48 x 70cm,
€1,945.67
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- Nevan Lahart
‘Twomobly’s heroic one second battle’,
oil on board,
plastic and tweety bird,
60 x 80cm,
€1,945.67
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- Nevan Lahart
‘The Pope Leads the Mission intoAfricia to neutralise 5 family planning clinics (after St. Martin of Kippenberger)’,
2004,
oil on MDF,
90 x 120cm,
€3,661.13
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- Nevan Lahart
Good Ship Destiny (Buttners Bed),
2005,
acrylic on MDF,
87 x 113cm,
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- Eoin McHugh
‘Romantic Science (wallpaper design) pt 1’
2007,
mixed media on paper,
53 x43 cm,
€1,500
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- Eoin McHugh
Edible Sculpture no. 17,
2007,
mixed media on paper,
53x43 cm
€1,400
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- Eoin McHugh
"Social intervention, pt 1,"
2007,
mixed media on paper,
38x46 cm
SOLD
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- Beth O’Halloran
Backbay from Memory,
2007
acrylic on MDF,
28cm x 38cm
€1,200
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- Mairead O’hEocha
Burnt Tree and House at N11,
2006,
oil on board,
37 x 43cm,
€1,200
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- Mairead O’hEocha
Out Houses Near Inch at N11,
2006,
oil on board,
37 x 43cm,
€1,200
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- Mairead O’hEocha
Paint Ball Advertisement Near Scarnagh at N11,
2006,
oil on board,
37 x 43cm
€1,200
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- Mairead O’hEocha
Out Buildings Near Inch at N11,
2006,
oil on board,
37 x 43cm,
SOLD
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