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SURVEYOR 2020

Past viewing_room
21 November - 22 December 2020
  • SURVEYOR serves to support, value, and encourage Meath artists in the development of their practices and creative careers. The exhibition...
    SURVEYOR serves to support, value, and encourage Meath artists in the development of their practices and creative careers. The exhibition presents an overview of contemporary visual arts practice throughout the county.
  • CATHERINE MARSHALL, 2020 GUEST CURATOR

    CATHERINE MARSHALL

    2020 GUEST CURATOR

    Catherine Marshall is an art historian and Joint-editor of Twentieth Century, Vol V. of the Royal Irish Academy’s five-volume, Art and Architecture of Ireland.  She lectured in the History of Art department of Trinity College Dublin, National College of Art and Design and was founding Head of Collections at IMMA from 1995 to 2007.

     

    Marshall has curated exhibitions of contemporary Irish art and Outsider Art in Ireland, China, USA and Canada. She is currently Head of the Visual Arts Steering Committee for Bealtaine, and is a board member of the Butler Gallery, Kilkenny and KCAT. She is one of the founding editors of Comcol, the online journal of the Collections section of ICOM.

  • SURVEYOR 2020

    By Catherine Marshall

    Selecting and curating an exhibition drawn from an open submission of artworks is both challenging  and exciting – challenging because if you are a complete outsider to the community that is invited to participate you have no idea what delicate balances and existing relationships might be inadvertently disrupted during the process, but it is also exciting because of the potential for new discoveries it brings with it. Presenting the resulting exhibition during a pandemic is challenging too for everyone involved. Curating an exhibition online solves the problem of gallery lockdowns to some extent but it limits those opportunities beloved of curators where you can position the artworks to allow for a nuanced reading of the selector’s choices. You can’t do as the great French painter, Jean Simeon Chardin did in the Paris Salon in the eighteenth century when he hung certain paintings in shady corners or behind doors, while giving prominence to those works he felt were truly significant or placed some alongside each other to draw out key aspects of the work. The online facility promotes equality while denying nuance.

     

    Solstice’s SURVEYOR 2020  brings all of these issues together. As one might expect there were a great many paintings, especially landscapes, that highlighted the beauty of the local or sometimes more exotic countryside; many of these were painted and presented with love and skill. And there were incredibly crafted landscapes made from textile collages, photographs  and sleek graphic designs that could happily travel anywhere.

    There was a smaller number of more experimental works in which the artist took a bold leap into the unknown with work that is not always so technically proficient but which sets out to make visible that which is not so obvious. They do what Paul Klee famously said is the role of art, not to mimic the visible but to reveal the invisible.

     

    For that reason, it was a thrill to discover the video works of Sinead Keogh, this year’s winner of the overall prize for outstanding artwork. Sinead Keogh’s work delves deep beneath the familiar surfaces of our lives, making us re-connect with subliminal fears and darker forces, the very things that modern science and technology should have removed from our collective psyche but have never quite managed to do. In Dracula, Keogh reminds us of things beyond our control as the Covid 19 virus spreads invisibly around us, just like the cholera epidemic that was one of the sources for Bram Stoker’s Dracula over a century ago. And Keogh does this with a maturity and attention to detail that makes their work utterly convincing, even as our rational minds question it. Add to that a wickedly clever sense of humour and a thorough knowledge of gothic cinema and art, and the cocktail is formidable.

     

    Keogh was closely challenged however, by another young video artist, this time a recent graduate from art college, Chloe McKeown. McKeown’s work centres on agricultural practices, an extraordinarily courageous thing to do in an area of strong farmers and a burgeoning dairy industry. Her performative video piece, Calf-feeder, and Daisy, an elegiac database of statistics about how human animals treat their bovine cousins makes compelling and unforgettable viewing.

     

    Other artists chose more traditional disciplines but painting in the work of Lesley Ann O’Connell, offering a light touch, and a deep understanding of colour harmonies within an abstract language, proves that it will always have something new to say. Sean Cotter  showed a more sombre side, using pen and ink as well as paint to conjure up the contrastingly bleached landscapes of Iceland where daylight lasts for half of the year and the dark, brooding depths of winter night, reminding us of how uncertain both are in a period of climate change. Marianne Slevin has invented a personal language of marks used repetitively to evoke the inner strengths needed to deal with dust and heat on the pilgrim’s route to Compostella. The cumulative impact of those repeated motifs give an impression of scale that expands far beyond her modest canvases. If Cotter and Slevin bring us through extreme environmental conditions and their impact on those who traverse them, Ajo Adelowokan. opens up the social life, colourful costumes and ritual practices of his native Nigeria with large scale work, brimming with the vitality of folk ritual and remembered hustle and bustle. His work is imbued with a real sense of loss of homeland, something generations of the Irish too, knew only too well, and in Adelowokan’s case, it is fed through a thoughtful homage to the women in his heritage. At the other end of the global spectrum, Aidan Flanagan’s prints effortlessly but modestly  bring out the effect of changing light patterns on the Irish countryside.

     

    Not many artists chose to send in photographic work. That made Suella Holland’s disturbing mix of nostalgia and threat, all the more welcome, especially as they are delivered with such clarity and punch. In a world of lockdowns her images of a decaying hallway, a massive lock and a pair of hands juxtaposed with a closed door are searing.  Despite the year we have all lived through, the Covid pandemic was rarely dealt with directly, but three substantial grids of polaroid photographs by Simon McDermott attempted to map it in a kind of personal journal. The immediacy of the polaroid created a poignant parallel to the virus-led need to live in the moment and to savour it because nothing else was, or is, certain. We are returned to claustrophobic space by William O’Neill’s clinical Two Lunch Boxes and Two Ice Packs and that is re-enforced rather than relieved, in a very different way by  the controlled desperation of Mary Clarke’s Looking Down.

     

    Sculpture too, was less visible but quantity was made up for in quality work by Sharon Ramsey, Bernadette Tuite. Siobhan Ni Cheallaigh, and Penelope Lacey. Ramsey, another recent graduate did that magic thing we love artists’ for, she magicked something wonderful from the most unlikely of materials, while Bernadette Tuite used her knowledge of ceramics and glass to express her concerns about the impact of time and coastal traumas.  Siobhan Ni Cheallaigh is interested in heritage which is revealed through her combination of fragments of ordinary life, but Penelope Lacey seeks, if the virus allows, to engage her living audiences in direct participation.

     

    Some artists reference traditional disciplines while actually presenting something else. Paula Piotrowoska’s Modern Moons are not merely paint, but mixed media presented in such a way that they take on sculptural dimensions as does Brian Synott’s Natural History, using mirrors and steel to play with ideas of space, and Yvonne Corrigan’s whimsical recycling of a bit of plastic wrapping. Not all artists choose to be as  iconoclastic or as experimental as them but their work is memorable in other ways. Laura Mahony, Eileen O’Sullivan, Clare O’Connor, Carol O’Connor, Shane Hoey, Patrick Beatty, Derrick Smyth, and David Newton showed strong independent voices, but more traditional approaches by artists like Kieran McNulty, Anne Marie Hayes and Fiona Nestor spell out the strength of our connections to the natural world.

     

    It was good to see self-taught artists like Paddy Price, James Kelliher and Angela Kelliher whose spontaneous little record of the last family meeting before a local lockdown was the only other direct reference to the pandemic. Her work reminds us that these are difficult times for everyone, but artists never fail to tackle those challenges and fight to restore our sense of balance in the world.

     

    Congratulations to Solstice on another inclusive exhibition in its surveyor series and on its determination to keep normality afloat through the arts despite the lurking threats. It was a pleasure to have been part of it.

     

     

     

  • SELECTED ARTWORKS

    • Ajao Adelowokan The Unsung Heroines, 2019
      Ajao Adelowokan
      The Unsung Heroines, 2019
      €17,000
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    • Aidan Flanagan Connemara Dusk, 2020
      Aidan Flanagan
      Connemara Dusk, 2020
      €250
      View more details
    • Aidan Flanagan Near Sheephouse, Co. Meath, 2020
      Aidan Flanagan
      Near Sheephouse, Co. Meath, 2020
      €250
      View more details
    • Anne Marie Hayes Waves, 2020
      Anne Marie Hayes
      Waves, 2020
      SOLD
      View more details
    • Angela Kelliher Last family outing before lockdown, 2020
      Angela Kelliher
      Last family outing before lockdown, 2020
      View more details
    • Anna Maye Praesentia, 2019
      Anna Maye
      Praesentia, 2019
      €350
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    • Patrick Beatty Chairs, 2020
      Patrick Beatty
      Chairs, 2020
      €200
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    • Catherine Bridgett The Sentinels - Portmarnock Strand, 2020
      Catherine Bridgett
      The Sentinels - Portmarnock Strand, 2020
      €480
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    • Siobhan Ni Cheallaigh genesis, 2020
      Siobhan Ni Cheallaigh
      genesis, 2020
      €3,200
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    • Lorraine Clarke Old Boatyard, Renvyle, 2020
      Lorraine Clarke
      Old Boatyard, Renvyle, 2020
      SOLD
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    • Mary Clarke Looking down, 2019
      Mary Clarke
      Looking down, 2019
      €450
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    • Yvonne Corrigan Transformations: Read/Red, 2020
      Yvonne Corrigan
      Transformations: Read/Red, 2020
      €180
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    • Seán Cotter Diamond Beach Variant, 2020
      Seán Cotter
      Diamond Beach Variant, 2020
      €4,900
      View more details
    • Seán Cotter Untitled (Iceland), 2020
      Seán Cotter
      Untitled (Iceland), 2020
      €1,100
      View more details
    • Seán Cotter Vatnajökull, 2020
      Seán Cotter
      Vatnajökull, 2020
      POA
      View more details
    • Eoghan Cullen Citycircle 1, 2020
      Eoghan Cullen
      Citycircle 1, 2020
      €100
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    • Helen Farrell Chief Seattle and his letter, 2020
      Helen Farrell
      Chief Seattle and his letter, 2020
      €425
      View more details
    • Shane Hoey Dolph Dance 2, 2020
      Shane Hoey
      Dolph Dance 2, 2020
      €360
      View more details
    • Shane Holland 66, 2020
      Shane Holland
      66, 2020
      €950
      View more details
    • Suella Holland Another Me, 2019
      Suella Holland
      Another Me, 2019
      €195
      View more details
    • Suella Holland Detachment, 2019
      Suella Holland
      Detachment, 2019
      €195
      View more details
    • Suella Holland Time to Think, 2019
      Suella Holland
      Time to Think, 2019
      €195
      View more details
    • James Kelliher Golden Barrel, 2020
      James Kelliher
      Golden Barrel, 2020
      €85
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    • Sinéad Keogh Dracula (Love never dies), 2016
      Sinéad Keogh
      Dracula (Love never dies), 2016
      NOT FOR SALE
      View more details
    • Sinéad Keogh In the Hours of Darkness, 2018
      Sinéad Keogh
      In the Hours of Darkness, 2018
      NOT FOR SALE
      View more details
    • Fiona Kerbey The ship of the mouth is sailing at noon, 2020
      Fiona Kerbey
      The ship of the mouth is sailing at noon, 2020
      €485
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    • Penelope Lacey Elemental Twist, 2020
      Penelope Lacey
      Elemental Twist, 2020
      €225
      View more details
    • Penelope Lacey Ilicit Gathering, 2020
      Penelope Lacey
      Ilicit Gathering, 2020
      €350
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    • Louisa Mahony Beach Oak, 2020
      Louisa Mahony
      Beach Oak, 2020
      €800
      View more details
    • Louisa Mahony Familiar Being, 2020
      Louisa Mahony
      Familiar Being, 2020
      €800
      View more details
    • Helene Malone Pending Storm, 2020
      Helene Malone
      Pending Storm, 2020
      €480
      View more details
    • Simon McDermott Pandemic Polaroids April-May, 2020
      Simon McDermott
      Pandemic Polaroids April-May, 2020
      €500
      View more details
    • Simon McDermott Pandemic Polaroids March-April, 2020
      Simon McDermott
      Pandemic Polaroids March-April, 2020
      €500
      View more details
    • Simon McDermott Pandemic Polaroids May-June, 2020
      Simon McDermott
      Pandemic Polaroids May-June, 2020
      €500
      View more details
    • Henry McGrane "January", Navan., 2020
      Henry McGrane
      "January", Navan., 2020
      €3,200
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    • Chloe McKeown Calf Feeder, 2020
      Chloe McKeown
      Calf Feeder, 2020
      NOT FOR SALE
      View more details
    • Chloe McKeown Daisy, 2020
      Chloe McKeown
      Daisy, 2020
      Not for sale
      View more details
    • Eileen McNulty Fairy tree, 2020
      Eileen McNulty
      Fairy tree, 2020
      SOLD
      View more details
    • Kieran McNulty Island (i), 2020
      Kieran McNulty
      Island (i), 2020
      €1,200
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    • Fiona Nestor Herons&Green, 2020
      Fiona Nestor
      Herons&Green, 2020
      €420
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    • David Newton Neck Kiss, 2020
      David Newton
      Neck Kiss, 2020
      €190
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    • Carol O Connor Expelled from heaven, 2020
      Carol O Connor
      Expelled from heaven, 2020
      €400
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    • Lesley-Ann O'Connell Cerulean, 2020
      Lesley-Ann O'Connell
      Cerulean, 2020
      €650
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    • Lesley-Ann O'Connell Rough Notes, 2020
      Lesley-Ann O'Connell
      Rough Notes, 2020
      €1,000
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    • Lesley-Ann O'Connell Shades of Views, 2020
      Lesley-Ann O'Connell
      Shades of Views, 2020
      €850
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    • Clare O'Connor Navigating The Labyrinth Series, 2019
      Clare O'Connor
      Navigating The Labyrinth Series, 2019
      €300
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    • William O'Neill Two lunchboxes & two icepacks II, 2020
      William O'Neill
      Two lunchboxes & two icepacks II, 2020
      €700
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    • Eileen O'Sullivan Gates, 2020
      Eileen O'Sullivan
      Gates, 2020
      NOT FOR SALE
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    • Gwen O'Sullivan Fragmented memories, 2015
      Gwen O'Sullivan
      Fragmented memories, 2015
      €2,750
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    • Cosette Olohan Fern 3, 2019
      Cosette Olohan
      Fern 3, 2019
      €85
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    • Paula Piotrowska Modern Moon I, 2020
      Paula Piotrowska
      Modern Moon I, 2020
      €150
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    • Paula Piotrowska Modern Moon II, 2020
      Paula Piotrowska
      Modern Moon II, 2020
      €120
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    • Paula Piotrowska Modern Moon III, 2020
      Paula Piotrowska
      Modern Moon III, 2020
      €60
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    • Paddy Price Cave man, 2019
      Paddy Price
      Cave man, 2019
      €147
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    • Paddy Price Lepidoptera, 2020
      Paddy Price
      Lepidoptera, 2020
      €244
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    • Sharon Ramsey Bee Catcher, 2020
      Sharon Ramsey
      Bee Catcher, 2020
      €240
      View more details
    • Sharon Ramsey Take Me With You, 2018
      Sharon Ramsey
      Take Me With You, 2018
      €240
      View more details
    • Bernard Reynolds Winter Grasses, 2020
      Bernard Reynolds
      Winter Grasses, 2020
      €3,200
      View more details
    • Marianne Slevin 49 Days Walking from Seville to Santiago, 2019
      Marianne Slevin
      49 Days Walking from Seville to Santiago, 2019
      SOLD
      View more details
    • Marianne Slevin Dust Road Journeys, 2018
      Marianne Slevin
      Dust Road Journeys, 2018
      €180
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    • Marianne Slevin Her private matters, 2019
      Marianne Slevin
      Her private matters, 2019
      €180
      View more details
    • Derick Smith Ox-herding (No.25), 2020
      Derick Smith
      Ox-herding (No.25), 2020
      €700
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    • Brian Synnott Natural History, 2020
      Brian Synnott
      Natural History, 2020
      €1,000
      View more details
    • Bernadette Tuite Dunny Cove, 2019
      Bernadette Tuite
      Dunny Cove, 2019
      €600
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    • Bernadette Tuite Garrethstown West I & II, 2020
      Bernadette Tuite
      Garrethstown West I & II, 2020
      €125 each
      View more details
    • Bernadette Tuite Mizen Head, 2020
      Bernadette Tuite
      Mizen Head, 2020
      SOLD
      View more details
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