Tadhg McSweeney, Saoirse, 2 August – 31 August

McSweeney was an exceptionally individual artist who found extraordinary beauty in the absolutely ordinary, in the landscapes, animals and everyday objects of his home surroundings. The exhibition was introduced by Tadhg’s friend and film-maker, Vivienne Dick: a recording of her remarks can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/0-Z8mj2TiLk

The poet Brian Lynch wrote, ‘the simplicity, the stubbornness, the freshness, and the joy he finds in nature are facets of an ongoing self-portrait, expressions of the soul of an original artistic personality. He is in the tradition of Irish genius, but there is no genius like him. Tadhg McSweeney is unique’.

McSweeney studied in the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, between 1959 and 1960, and later studied printmaking techniques, such as etching and silkscreen printing, in London. He exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy, the Oireachtas, Group 65 and the Independent Artists annual exhibitions, and had fourteen solo shows in Cork, Dublin, San Francisco, Hamburg, Killarney and London. He died in August 2018, aged 82. The exhibition runs until 31 August, open Wed—Sun, 12—5pm or by appointment.

Above  Dorota Borowa, I would give the water a voice to hum: Water Drawing 6, Fabriano paper, natural pigment, oil paint, movement of water, 148 x 190 cm unframed, 2022

Áine Ryan & Bernadette Cotter,  Beirt le chéile, 18 October – 23 November

Left  Áine Ryan, Part of the Herd, 2022, digital manipulated photograph, 30 x 30 cm

Right  Bernadette Cotter, Edge of Absence, 2014, Performance, 2018, LCGA

Ryan’s practice ranges from object making to site-specific land interventions. She creates primarily sculptural pieces with cast glass, mixed media and found objects. Sometimes she incorporates textiles and photography into her pieces. Her frustrations, anxieties and personal history act as catalysts in her work. Ryan draws from nature and her farm upbringing to interrogate the social construct of feminine identity and to examine the role and value of women within the rural patriarchal space. 

Meditation, religion and catharsis are central to Cotter’s practice. Whether in drawings, textiles, performance or installations, the level of detail in Bernadette’s work is astonishing, as she says: ‘I can’t seem to get away from it. Even in the drawings — the drawings are made up of thousands of little units. Either little dots or words or the same gesture in the work, sometimes repeated over and over. I suppose it’s a kind of meditation.’