Michael Canning’s botanical paintings stand as an allegory for a natural world under threat, observes Sue Hubbard
Marianne O’Kane Boal welcomes a new body of work from the prolific Neil Shawcross at the Caldwell Gallery, Belfast this spring
Stephanie McBride navigates questions of context and place in Anne Tallentire’s current series of work, currently on view at IMMA
Martin Finnin’s intuitive approach to colour and composition is at its most confident in new work at the John Martin Gallery, London, writes Mark Ewart
On the topic of his new work Mick O’Dea tells Brian McAvera “The Black and Tans were the Bogeyman and I am looking at what the Bogeyman looked like.”
While Rachel Joynt’s successful public sculptures are eminently legible, their enduring appeal stems from their detail and scale, writes Lisa Godson
In terms of public commissions, Rachel Joynt is one of the most successful sculptors of her generation. The Kerry-born sculptor lives and works far from the city, far from the sea, in the foothills of the Blackstairs Mountains in Co Carlow (Fig 2). She says that it is here, in this ‘arcadian landscape’ that she finds the stillness and spaciousness to develop her projects. These are orientated in two key directions – horizontal along the ground plane, and vertical against the sky.
As the AIB Prize comes into its tenth year, with past winners representing some of Ireland’s most promising artists of the decade, it is time to reflect on where Irish art is going, what might survive in the challenging economic times ahead and how young contemporary Irish artists can position themselves to achieve recognition.
Shane McCausland explores the rich narrative themes of Ming-Qing era art from the Shanghai Museum on view at the Chester Beatty Library
John Schwatschke’s subject matter and style may evoke sources, but his biting Germanic brand of satire belongs to Horace not Juvenal, writes Gerry Walker
Photographer David Davison discusses David Cantwell’s intimate portraits of the faces usually found behind the camera
A rejection of Margaret Allen’s nascent political voice in conservative Victorian society prompted her return to uncontroversial subjects, writes Derville Murphy
A new book and exhibition on the multi-talented Mrs Delany prompts Nicola Gordon Bowe to call for a reassessment of the contribution made by women to Georgian cultural life
Karena Morton uncovers the evidence of a more colourful medieval past, through existing fragments discovered within Ireland’s tower houses and religious sites
Terence Reeves-Smyth revisits Castle Ward, Co Down, famous for its contrasting Rococo-Gothick and Palladian styles
Raymund Ryan visits the spectacular Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin’s Docklands designed by Daniel Libeskind and Dublin’s McCauley Daye O’Connell.
In a visually direct manner, Peadar Lamb’s glass frieze for the New York-based Irish Repertory Theatre encapsulates Ireland’s theatrical heritage, writes James Hanley.
Christina Kennedy selects a work by Philippe Parreno from the collection at IMMA
