Contents On The Cover Anna Spearman, ‘Loose Parts’, installation view, Roscommon Arts Centre; photograph by Dickon Whitehead, courtesy the artist and Roscommon Arts Centre. First Pages 6. 8.
Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months. News. The latest developments in the arts sector. Columns
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The Painters in the Trees. Cornelius Browne reflects on painting with his children close to home. North Calling. Ann Quinn discusses her recent paintings, to be shown in her forthcoming exhibition at Taylor Galleries Gathering Ideas. Michael Hill anticipates the challenges and advantages of working towards the Venice Biennale. The Geographical Turn. Miguel Amado discusses collections, colonial legacies and ‘art from elsewhere’. Gradual Shifts in Texture and Tone. John Graham outlines key aspects of his drawing process.
Regional Focus: Waterford 12. 13. 14.
Arts Centres (For All). Síle Penkert, Executive Director, Garter Lane Arts Centre. A Space for Lismore. Paul McAree, Curator, Lismore Castle Arts. Waterford Healing Arts Trust. Claire Meaney, Director. GOMA Gallery of Modern Art. Jenna Whelan, Director. Inside and Out. Clare Scott, Visual Artist. Deep Looking. Sarah Lincoln, Visual Artist.
Critique 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.
Cover Image: Colin Darke, 20th image [detail], ‘A Conversation Ensued, Nobody Said A Word’; photograph courtesy the artist and Belfast Exposed. ‘Sweeny’s Decent’ at An Táin Arts Centre. ‘The Loneliness of Being German’, at Limerick City Gallery of Art. ‘The Maternal Gaze’, an online film programme at IMMA. Claire Murphy, ‘Here Is Where I Am’ at South Tipperary Arts Centre. ‘A Conversation Ensued, Nobody Said A Word’, at Belfast Exposed. Fergus Feehily (Ed.), You & I are Earth (PVA 2021).
Editorial WELCOME to the September – October 2021 Issue of The Visual Artists’ News Sheet. In celebration of physical encounters with art – and the role of writing in recording these experiences – this issue focuses almost exclusively on the many interesting and vibrant exhibitions taking place around the country over the last few months. Among numerous Exhibition Profiles, Mary Flanagan interviews artist Anna Spearman about her recent solo show, ‘Loose Parts’ at Roscommon Arts Centre; Dr Yvonne Scott reflects on Mary-Ruth Walsh’s touring exhibition, ‘SKIN DEEP’; and Davey Moore outlines the recent group show, ‘Double Estate’ at the Pearse Museum, presenting works from the OPW State Art Collection. In addition, Jane Morrow reviews the exhibition series, ‘Mediating Signals’ at Flax Art Studios, curated by Edy Fung; Luan Gallery outlines their current show, ‘Queer As You Are’; Sinéad Keogh discusses the curatorial inquiries underpinning ‘I Am What I Am’ at Ballina Arts Centre; and Dr Barbara Dawson reflects on the twentieth anniversary of the Francis Bacon Studio project. Among festival coverage in this issue, Michael Hill’s column considers the resonance of large-scale international art exhibitions like the Venice Biennale, Jennifer Redmond reviews the visual art programme of Cork Midsummer Festival 2021, and Gwen Burlington considers the second phase of EVA International. Reviewed in the Critique section are:
The Visual Artists' News Sheet:
Editor: Joanne Laws Production/Design: Thomas Pool News/Opportunities: Shelly McDonnell, Thomas Pool Proofreading: Paul Dunne The VAN Podcast (Post-production): Louis Haugh
Visual Artists Ireland:
CEO/Director: Noel Kelly Office Manager: Bernadette Beecher NI Manager & Services Impact: Rob Hilken Advocacy & Advice: Shelly McDonnell Membership & Special Projects: Siobhán Mooney Services Design & Delivery: Michael D’Arcy Logistics & Administration: Kaylah Benton Ní Bhroin News Provision: Thomas Pool Publications: Joanne Laws Accounts: Dina Mulchrone
Exhibition Profile 15. 16. 18. 26. 28. 30. 31.
Queer As You Are. Luan Gallery presents their summer show. Object Relations. Mary Flanagan discusses Anna Spearman’s recent exhibition at Roscommon Arts Centre. Facing the Real. Sinéad Keogh discusses the curatorial inquiries underpinning ‘I Am What I Am’. Skin Deep. Dr Yvonne Scott reflects on Mary-Ruth Walsh’s touring exhibition. Double Estate. Davey Moor outlines the OPW’s Irish State Art Collection and ‘Double Estate’ at the Pearse Museum. Mediating Signals. Jane Morrow reviews a recent exhibition series at Flax Art Studios, Belfast. Francis Bacon’s Studio. Dr Barbara Dawson reflects on the twentieth anniversary of the Francis Bacon Studio project.
Festival 32. 34.
EVA 2021: II. Gwen Burlington reviews phase two of EVA International. Protean Worldmaking. Jennifer Redmond reviews the visual art programme of Cork Midsummer Festival 2021.
VAI Member Profile 36. 37.
Liminal Narratives. Carolann Courtney interviews John Conway about his art practice. Night Shift. Ingrid Lyons considers two recent installations by Liliane Puthod.
Last Pages 39.
VAI Lifelong Learning. Upcoming VAI helpdesks, cafés and webinars.
‘Sweeny’s Decent’ at An Táin Arts Centre; ‘A Conversation Ensued, Nobody Said A Word’, a two-person show with Colin Darke and Yvonne Kennan at Belfast Exposed; Claire Murphy, ‘Here Is Where I Am’ at South Tipperary Arts Centre; ‘The Loneliness of Being German’, a two-person show with Vera Klute and Thomas Brezing at Limerick City Gallery of Art; and ‘The Maternal Gaze’, an online screening programme at IMMA. In Cornelius Browne’s latest Plein Air column, ‘The Painters in the Trees’, he reflects on painting with his children close to home, while Miguel Amado discusses collections, colonial legacies and ‘art from elsewhere’. John Graham outlines key aspects of his drawing process in his Skills column, and Ann Quinn discusses her recent paintings, to be shown at Taylor Galleries. VAI member profiles include Carolann Courtney’s interview with John Conway about his multi-disciplinary art practice, and Ingrid Lyons’s reflection on two recent installations by Liliane Puthod. The Regional Focus for this issue comes from County Waterford, with organisational insights from Síle Penkert (Executive Director, Garter Lane Arts Centre), Paul McAree (Curator, Lismore Castle Arts), Claire Meaney (Director, Waterford Healing Arts Trust) and Jenna Whelan (Director, GOMA Gallery of Modern Art), while visual artists Clare Scott and Sarah Lincoln reflect on the realities of maintaining a visual art practice in the region.
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