Among the important Irish paintings selected for the forthcoming Gorry Gallery exhibition are a rediscovered river landscape by George Mullins (fl. 1756-c.1786), four paintings by George Barret (c.1728-1784) and a set of four oval pastels by Hugh Douglas Hamilton (1740-1808) depicting members of an Irish family and extant in original carved giltwood frames by Hulbert of Camden St, Dublin. These 18th-century masterworks will be accompanied by additional works by Antonio Mancini, Letitia Hamilton, Harry Kernoff and many others.
Gorry Gallery: 12 – 31 October
Sandra Bell’s exhibition of sculptural works, ‘Flux’, shows at Gormleys Fine Art. A self-taught sculptor, Bell draws great pleasure in moulding and developing a variety of simple linear patterns and flowing shapes. Her figurative images are executed with high technical skill and craftsmanship, finished with rich and varied patinations and polished surfaces. Also on show in October are large studio works by Neal Greig, inspired by the quiet corners of woodland and lakes of counties Tyrone, Fermanagh, Armagh and Monaghan and further afield.
Sandra Bell: 1 – 15 October; Neal Greig: 17 – 31 October
‘Figure and Void’ is Francis Matthews’ second exhibition at the Molesworth Gallery. His paintings are informed by light, architecture and the phenomenology of place. The scenes he creates are usually absent of people, highlighting places of neglect or moments of silence in otherwise inhabited locations. The viewer is cast as the inhabitant of the scene by Matthews’ careful organisation of viewpoint and framing.
Figure and Void: 8 – 30 October
Maria McKinney works in sculpture, photography and film to investigate agricultural practices and the science that informs various methods of food production as well as the experiences of the land workers. For this new body of work, commissioned by Wexford County Council and on show in its offices, McKinney exhibits a series of new sculptures inspired by the agrarian practices and pastoral traditions of six Wexford farms. She draws on a range of materials – including plastics, jute rope and organic wool – as well as incorporating an additional photographic element to the installation.
Maria McKinney: 16 October – 27 November
Nature photographer Tina Claffey illuminates Ireland’s bogs, wetlands and eskers, home to rare and extraordinary plant and animal species for ‘Portal’, at the Birr Theatre and Arts Centre. Claffey uses a macro lens to capture what cannot be seen by the naked eye, rendering the ordinary extraordinary: lichens become forests, sun dews glisten in sunlight and tiny fungi suggest an underworld of parasols and canopies.
Tina Claffey: 1 October – 30 November
Solomon Fine Art exhibits new work by one of Ireland’s finest sculptors, John Behan. His work has always dealt with displacement of people and emigration. Over the last two years, the artist has made frequent visits to Athens to volunteer at Camp Eleonas, a Greek state-run centre for migrants arriving into Europe from Iraq, Syria and sub-Saharan Africa. Behan has delivered art workshops to adults and children at Camp Eleonas and he hopes to complete a large, public, sculptural project involving the camp residents to highlight the plight of forced migrants in Europe.
John Behan: 30 October – 26 November
‘Hold Steady’ presents the work of six artists who participated in the sixth Creative Spark residency programme at An Táin Arts Centre. The programme supports artists through offering studio space, research time, resources and creative opportunities. Drawn from the 2019-20 participants, the exhibited work encompasses the mediums of printmaking, weaving, mixed media and painting, with work by Naoimh Larkin, Annie Julia Callaghan, Riley Waite, Jane Campbell, Niamh Hannaford and Tara Carroll. An exhibition by Creative Spark Print Studio members is also on view.
Hold Steady: 7 October – 7 November
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682) is one of the most celebrated painters of the Spanish Golden Age. A series of six paintings, the parable of the Prodigal Son, was presented to the National Gallery of Ireland by Sir Alfred and Lady Beit in 1987. The Prodigal Son cycle explores sin, repentance and forgiveness across the six paintings, staged in 17th-century Seville, where Murillo was born and lived throughout his life. On view for the first time in thirty years, they have been meticulously restored under the direction of NGI painting conservator Muirne Lydon. Discoveries made during the conservation and research reveal
how the artist worked, from canvas to ground layers and pigments, and form part of the exhibition.
Murillo – The Prodigal Son Restored: until 10 January
‘Less Stress More Success’ features the work of Eimear Murphy, Laura Fitzgerald and Saidbhín Gibson, and is curated by Rachel Botha as part of the Kilkenny Arts Office’s Emerging Curator in Residence Award. The exhibition centres on how more than ever the profession of the artist in a capitalist society is maintained by stress success. The artist becomes a hyper worker, surviving on a rotation of grant applications and pressing deadlines that often dominate over artistic practice.
Less Stress More Success: 12 September – 24 October
Photographs by 19th-century traveller John Thomson will be exhibited at the Chester Beatty Library this spring. Thomson spent ten years (from 1862) in east Asia, where he documented local life and customs. During this time, he was granted unique access to the royal court of King Mongkut in Siam (now Thailand). He was later the first photographer to visit the ruins of Angkor Wat in the Cambodian jungle, then under Siam’s control. ‘Siam Through the Lens of John Thomson’ features twenty-four compelling images of mid-19th century Thailand.
Until 3 Jan 2021
