Cristín Leach examines two contrasting exhibitions in VISUAL Carlow that have similar yet diverse themes
When curator Benjamin Stafford joined VISUAL Carlow in 2021, he moved to implement a more holistic approach to mounting seasonal exhibitions in a significant regional arts centre that is home to the largest purpose-built gallery in the country. The entire building’s exhibition spaces are treated now as a container for an overarching theme. Currently, that is art ‘linked by an exploration of the memory, experience and legacy embedded in the built environment’. In the case of Niamh O’Malley and Peter Pearson’s new solo shows, it’s perhaps more neatly defined as work that emerges from art as a form of architectural salvage. These are contrasting but complementary shows.
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Barbara Dawson selects Lavacourt under Snow by Claude Monet (1840–1926)
Ann Wilson examines Kitty O’Brien’s Crossing the Bar, a composition in stained glass that functions as a metaphor for hope
Kenneth McConkey explores the use of archways in mise-en-scène works by artist William Orpen