Interview

Interview with Gerard Byrne “When I look back at the early days of my career, those hard times were precious. They made me who I am today.”

Gerard Byrne
Interview /

Interview with Gerard Byrne “When I look back at the early days of my career, those hard times were precious. They made me who I am today.”

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Gerard Byrne, a Dublin native and one of Ireland’s well-known contemporary artists. He is recognised for his vivid plein air works and figurative paintings, and he has established a comfortable gallery and studio in the heart of Ranelagh. We are delighted to chat with Gerard about his work and his recently published book “Turning Corners“.
Artist Gerard Byrne pictured with “Turning Corners” book on Ashfield Road, Ranelagh. Photo: Richie Stokes

You’ve been painting throughout the pandemic, and you’ve chronicled it so well through your artworks. How did you select the paintings that made it into the book?

Every painting I produced during the three lockdown periods is included in Turning Corners. All 150 of them. Originally, I felt it might be too much to include them all. I was conscious that several of the works are very similar – the same scene painted from different viewpoints or at various times of the day for instance. But each painting has its own unique story, its own place within the context of my lockdown journey: the people I met while I was painting it, the weather on the day, the atmosphere, my own thoughts etc. When I look at each one, I remember those moments. The book is a visual journal of a specific and significant time, so it wouldn’t be truly representative of the period if any painting had been left out.

It’s obviously much different painting in 2020 compared to this summer. What are some differences you’ve noticed yourself from the process?

During lockdown, people were more curious. They had more time to stop and talk, to ask questions, to engage with me. I think they were almost looking for distraction, for entertainment, and they seemed to really appreciate seeing me out painting. It touched a nerve; it meant something to them, and they were outspoken in letting me know. Now, it’s very much back to business, to normality. People don’t have the time, or the need. The public still engages with me when I’m out painting but not at all to the same extent. Not that I’ve had much time to paint this summer, to be honest. After the huge output of lockdown, I needed a bit of a break. The weather wasn’t great at times either. I had a few commissions to complete in Dingle but every time I wanted to go the forecast was for stormy, wet conditions. Also, a massive amount of work went into the production of the book, so that’s where the focus was this year.

Gerard Byrne “Seapoint. Ray of Sunshine”, oil on canvas 60x60cm

Once the lockdowns eased up, did you have the urge to travel further for locations? Have you done any international work since 2020?

Once the lockdown was over, I wanted to run away – like a lot of people in the country, I think. It wasn’t as easy as that though. It was expensive, there were problems at the airport, massive queues, luggage going missing and so on. When I go abroad to paint, I take a lot of equipment with me, a lot of excess luggage. I didn’t want to head off somewhere and then find my easel or my canvases hadn’t arrived. Also, we – myself and my wife, Agata – had been working flat out throughout the pandemic to keep the business going. Because the Gallery was closed, we focused a lot of time on the website, on social media, virtual tours, and online exhibitions etc. And, of course, the book. When travel was possible again, our minds weren’t really focused on ‘what’s next?’ or ‘where next?’. What we needed was to recharge the batteries, take a deep breath after the frantic pace of the previous two years. We took the month of August off this year to do just that.

How was the process of making the book? Was there something about this body of work that seemed especially suited to a book format?

My output was huge during lockdown. The Gallery was closed so I had accumulated a very large amount of work. Agata has had, for quite some time, the idea of producing a coffee table type book of my work, perhaps to document my thirty-year career. But when the pandemic happened, and I had this explosion of creativity, it seemed that here we had a body of work that could, in effect, frame this hugely significant period in our history. It felt like the right time to do it, for now and for future generations.

Having continued to such a positive proactive approach during the global crisis, do you have advice for artists who may be struggling through difficult circumstances?

Don’t expect it to be easy. Be true to what you want to do. Try and enjoy the pain. Accept that this is the way it’s supposed to be. I have been a full time artist for over thirty years. I did the starving artist bit in New York when I had absolutely no money, and in Berlin in the late 1980s when the Wall was coming down. I painted through the recession. Being an artist is always a struggle. Making that choice is never an easy thing to do. If it was, we’d all be doing it. But when I look back at the early days of my career, those hard times were precious. They made me who I am today. I chose to be an artist not thinking about how I could pay my bills. I just knew I wanted to do it and that if I paid my bills, that would be a bonus. I met some good people along the way, people who recognised my intent, my ambition. Those are the people who will help you and support you. We have a short life and a certain time to live it. You can spend that time doing a job you hate but it’s better to do the best you can with the time you have. That’s the decision I made, and it worked for me. I reckon I’m the luckiest person going, in that sense.

 
Gerard Byrne “Beautiful Moments in Time”, oil on canvas 60x80cm

Hopefully you still have the opportunity to paint the cherry blossoms of Japan. After this exhibition, do you have plans for 2023 and beyond?

I have lots of ambitions. Lots of dreams. Since my show in Singapore (Byrne was Artist-in-Residence at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 2019) I’ve been looking more towards international exposure. I feel I’d be ready for Japan. Before Covid, I was making plans like nobody’s business, looking to the future. But the pandemic taught me a lesson: don’t make plans, just do it. I’d like to go to the States to paint the fall. I did it before and would like to do it again. I saw Boston for the first time this year and I’d like to go back and paint the streets, the architecture. I’d also like to go back to Paris to paint. I’ve got lots of ideas: painting in different climates, different lights. I’m open to opportunities and I’m hoping Turning Corners will be a gate-opener, that the opportunities will seek me out. I’m ready for the challenge and I’m looking forward to it.

 

Anything else you like to mention?

We are living in strange times. We’ve gone from Covid to war, to energy shortages, accommodation crises and so on. The news always seems to be bad. It plays on the subconscious. It’s doom and gloom, we’re heading into the winter etc. So, I’d like to think that this exhibition will, in some way, alleviate those stresses and strains, that it will allow people to relax, to escape from the outside world, so to speak. We have opened another room to accommodate over 60 paintings on show and it’s not often people can see such a large body of work by one artist under one roof in a private gallery. The general feedback from visitors has been that they have really enjoyed the ambience, the tranquility that comes through the work, the colour, the warmth, the escapism.

Turning Corners exhibition continues at Gerard Byrne Studio until 23rd of October 2022.

Turning Corners book is available to purchase in the gallery and online at gerardbyrneartist.com.

We ship worldwide

To contact or learn more about Gerard Byrne’s work follow him on social media and check his website:

website: Gerard Byrne

Instagram: @gerard_byrne_artist

Twitter: @gbyrneartist

Facebook: @Gerard Byrne Artist

Linkedin: Gerard Byrne

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Interview with Gerard Byrne “When I look back at the early days of my career, those hard times were precious. They made me who I am today.” Read More »

Conversation with Maser: “I found graffiti definitely was the vehicle for me to be able to really explore what I wanted to do, meet similar peers that had the same sort of mindset as me […]”

Maser
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Conversation with Maser: “I found graffiti definitely was the vehicle for me to be able to really explore what I wanted to do, meet similar peers that had the same sort of mindset as me […]”

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Al Maser, also known as Maser, is one of Dublin’s most well-known street artists. We sat down and spoke with him at his Dublin-based studio, Atelier Now.

Maser’s studio is an artist’s ideal set up – it’s spacious, bright, open and has enough space to sit and relax with a coffee. The studio is a result of Maser’s personal philosophy and goals. When he returned home to Dublin after living abroad, he wanted to create a multipurpose space where he could do all the things he loved; meditation, build a community, host workshops, and have the space to produce large-scale artworks.

At our visit, his studio was full of works for his upcoming exhibition at Gormley’s on the 27th October 2022. It’s safe to say that he has been busy, and in addition to his upcoming exhibition, Maser recently released a new “limited edition” print of his “U Are Alive” mural, which was launched on his website in 29th September,  sold in in a number of hours.

Maser’s upcoming exhibition will be his biggest to date, spanning three floors and consisting of more than 60 paintings, the exhibition is aptly named “Lost Time, Found Again.” His meditations on time have been greatly influenced by having a 7-month-old baby and establishing where his priorities lie. “That theme [time] has always been in my life, like how do you balance stuff, I haven’t figured it out but everything is moving constantly, but you make time for things that are important. I’ve had to slow down a lot of stuff, like less shows here, stop the artist residency cause I had to prioritise family for a minute. Then we get offers all the time for people to come in, first thing I’d say is I don’t have time but then where does that sit on my priorities? And it sits quite high – engaging community, especially young community. That there is no problem – just allocating the time.” 

Maser is one of Dublin’s best known contemporary artists. He grew up with graffiti and street, where he used this medium to fully explore his interests. “I found graffiti definitely was the vehicle for me to be able to really explore what I wanted to do, meet similar peers that had the same sort of mindset as me […]”. But like many of us as teenagers, he was once was unsure of what he wanted to do and unaware of the possibilities of pursuing art as a career. Although the path to an artistic career wasn’t always clear for him, art and creativity have always been a passion of his. “Growing up art was definitely deemed arts and crafts […]. But it was always something that was a companion, something I always did and enjoyed and in some ways it was a bit secretive, ‘cause I guess art was touching more into the feminine side and you definitely weren’t allowed to engage with that as a young 15 year old [boy].” 

Maser went to study fine arts, but eventually dropped out to study graphic design. He was already creating a lot graffiti at the time, and it is where he first encountered his love of colour and ambition as an artist. Although graphic design, especially typography, is where he found his niche and how he began to develop his signature style. He took what he had learned from his studies and combined these elements to create a visual language that we all know him for. As he says “Graffiti –  it’s typography, it’s your name and you’re skewing it, so it’s sort of abstract typography in some way.” 

His compositions are expressive and striking, and the results are a combination of both the artist’s and the designer’s mentality. “[When] you’re painting on the streets you want your piece to be as loud as possible, so you’re using quite processed vibrant colours, and that black – those black lines are coming from graffiti, usually- not all the time you’d black outline a piece. Black and white balance out the composition and the colours – without it, it would be quite muted, so they’re the levers.” 

“It’s an open message, people take what they want from it, like I’ve had loads of people messaging me very kind things on how it has affected them and helped them.”

One of the most rememberable murals he’s ever worked on was the Repeal mural from 2016, which was partially removed back in 2018. The mural’s message was seen across all media; the graphic appeared on t-shirts and badges and on people’s social media profiles. “Repeal was quite important obviously for its reason, but also that collective energy, really having no ownership of the work was really nice and seeing it pull people together.” It’s clear that Maser wants his street art to speak for itself and be interpreted by people in their own way. The “U Are Alive” mural has been a familiar sight for the last eight years and brings a spark of joy to Dublin’s streets, as well as a connection to the general population that Maser really values. “It’s an open message, people take what they want from it, like I’ve had loads of people messaging me very kind things on how it has affected them and helped them.”

[…] “I’ve had loads of people messaging me very kind things on how it has affected them and helped them.”

The lack of personal ownership over street art is something Maser brings to his attitude about his art work as well, especially when painting is a means for processing or expressing emotions. “You’re sort of painting cause you’re figuring out stuff and I don’t really hold on to [works]. Because you’re growing, you’re going to develop more and develop more. I think, actually if anything, when I see artists really hold on and be precious with a work then it really slows them down and fucks them up. They don’t release. Don’t control it, just make it and move on.” 

 

Outside of the studio and his art, Maser is a mental health advocate. Alongside his friend Conor Creighton, they established the Dublin Boys Club – a group established to build community and break down the cultural and societal obstacles that prevent men from discussing their mental health. They had activities such as meeting at his studio, hosting events, and hiking. Earlier this month he completed a cycle with a member of the Dublin Boys Club from Dublin to Galway as part of Suicide Prevention Day. The reason for the cycle itself is a worthwhile one but the physical test of endurance also feeds into his artistic practice. While the days were full of harsh and unforgivable weather, his mentality helped him get through the trip. Pushing one’s self is something he believes in. As he says comes from his art practice: “You can sit in this comfort zone but how far can you push something? Then you push through that little bit and you’re getting closer to the edge.” To quote his friend, John, to “Find those edges”. “[…]and it’s the same with painting – what if we did 60 paintings, what if we did this, and that’s why I like to do it. I like finding your abilities and your breaking point.”

So, what does Maser hope his audience take away from his art? He says people should “[…] take something positive from it. It depends who’s looking at it really, you definitely don’t want to be forcing your intentions or opinions on [others] you definitely want it to be open.” It is refreshing chatting to Maser, and it is evident that he places as much importance in his own wellbeing and the promotion of positive mental health in others as he does his work. This welcome attitude should be encouraged. Regardless of what each individual takes away from viewing his work, it is difficult not to feel uplifted when confronted with his bright, playful, and expressive paintings.

So, what are the future plans for Maser? Within the art sphere, we will be marking our calendars for his upcoming exhibition “Lost Time Found Again” at Gormley’s on the 27th of October 2022. One of his goals for the upcoming year include strengthening the Dublin Boys Club community and investing more energy there, developing a system there that will enable it to be self-sustaining 

To contact or learn more about Maser’s work follow him on social media and check his website:

website: Maser Art

Instagram: @maserart







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Conversation with Maser: “I found graffiti definitely was the vehicle for me to be able to really explore what I wanted to do, meet similar peers that had the same sort of mindset as me […]” Read More »

Interview with Owen de Forge: “I find shapes to be immensely powerful tools for conveying emotion, heavily utilised in abstract painting but also subtly present in all visual art.”

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Interview with Owen de Forge: “I find shapes to be immensely powerful tools for conveying emotion, heavily utilised in abstract painting but also subtly present in all visual art.”

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Owen de Forge, an Irish visual artist, known for his figurative painting and his unconventional canvas structures, Here, we talk to him about all things art, his animation background and his upcoming projects.

Tell us about yourself!

I’m a figurative painter from Dublin. I’ve been working as an artist since graduating in 2019. I paint to process moments from my life. I work quite slowly, so making work gives me a lot of time to daydream and reflect on my relationships, human behavior, and how we interact in the world.

Tell me about your art and your art process.

Most of my ideas for paintings come from memories. I take a lot of photos so that I can always find a visual reference for a moment, but the photo on its own rarely captures how the moment feels. That’s where paint comes in. I interpret the photograph through paint, selectively rendering certain areas and letting others become vague or abstracted. I leave my memory on the canvas, my own heavily subjective point of view.

I read you studied animation before you began painting full-time. What did you love about animation? How was this transition?

That’s right, I always loved animated films growing up and in my late teens I started watching a lot of experimental animation and reading graphic novels. I was drawn to how animators use body language to convey powerful emotion in their drawings. I found drawing from life really challenging and fascinating. I was quite intimidated by painting. I thought you had to have a special gift for it.

I had a painting module in my first year of college and the teacher did an excellent job of teaching simple techniques and demystifying the whole process. Once I understood the basics I started to really enjoy it and I realised I could become good at it with a lot of practice. I painted a lot in my free time throughout college and by the time I graduated it was all I wanted to do.

Do you still like animation?
 
animation has definitely driven me towards creating an impression of motion in my paintings. My favourite paintings are a bit like key poses in animation; moments that suggest what could happen before and afterwards.
 
I still watch a lot of animation. I love seeing what my classmates have been working on since graduating. I haven’t actually done any animation since then. It’s so time consuming and I’m completely preoccupied with painting. I would like come back to it at at some point though, if I can find some place for it in my work.
 
 




Behind the Scenes

I love your figurative paintings! How do you choose someone to paint?

I’m not always sure what makes me want to paint someone. It could be something in the way they carry themselves or their style that appeals to me. I’m not picky about who I paint though. As long as someone is able to be vulnerable and authentically themselves I can always find something about them worth painting. It takes a huge amount of courage to let yourself be scrutinised like that. I really appreciate the trust people have in letting me paint them.

Your recent paintings are not subjected to the conventional rectangular canvas. What is the reason for this?

Initially it was just a question of ‘why not?’

I started to think it was weird that most paintings are rectangular. I got very curious about the shape in general, googling the history of geometry and not understanding much of what I found. You never see rectangles in nature do you? Only on a microscopic level like with certain crystals. I thought about being constantly boxed in by rectangles. Does this affect the way our brains develop?I have an absurd number of unanswered questions about rectangles. If anyone knows more about this could they please reach out to me?

Artistically anyway I find shapes to be immensely powerful tools for conveying emotion, heavily utilised in abstract painting but also subtly present in all visual art. We instinctively associate sharp angles and straight edges with pain and rigidity, while rounded shapes feel soft and comfortable. This seems to be universal across all cultures.

To be clear I don’t have anything against rectangles on principle. I now completely understand their utility after making some very unwieldy paintings, but I feel compelled to explore the infinite potential of shape as a compositional variable.

Were there any specific influences that helped mold your artistic style?

Egon Schiele was one of the first artists that got me excited about making art. His paintings have a sensitivity that finds a unique spirit in everyone he paints. His expressive observations are a marriage of what he sees and what he feels. Every painting is a sort of self portrait. That kind of subjectivity is definitely something that inspired my approach to painting.

What is a memorable painting you’ve ever worked on? 

I did a painting last year called ‘Still Climbing Trees’. It’s a self portrait but only my legs and hands are visible. The shape and colours are distorted in a way that feels very personal to me. The main appeal is that I’m climbing a tree in the painting, an activity that I’ve always been fond of and hope to keep doing well into old age. Secondly it takes place at night, outside of normal tree climbing hours, and it’s cropped so close that there’s no context to explain the situation. For me it captures how it feels to be between waking and dreaming, and shows something of myself that can’t be put into words. For selfish reasons it would have to be my favourite.

Still Climbing Trees

What is something you’ve always wanted to do in your art career?

To paint what I want, as much as I want and not have to worry about money.

Are you working on anything at the minute that you’d like to share to us?

I will be in a group show at Outset Gallery in Galway opening August 19th. It’s a new gallery run by talented, passionate people and I’m excited to be involved. Check it out if you have the chance!

I’m currently in a year-long residency with The Dean Art Studios in Chatham Row. It’s the first time I’ve had the space to experiment as much as I want and make really ambitious work. Expect a body of work of unprecedented scope and quality sometime next year.

To contact or learn more about Owen de Forge’s work follow him on social media and check his website:

website: Owen de Forge

Instagram: @odeforge




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Interview with Sophia Vigne Welsh: “We’re bombarded by a constant flow of information and inspiration, and painting gives me the space to figure out which bits matter to me.”

Sophia Vigne Welsh
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Interview with Sophia Vigne Welsh: “We’re bombarded by a constant flow of information and inspiration, and painting gives me the space to figure out which bits matter to me.”

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Sophia Vigne Welsh, an Irish visual artist, chats to us to talk about the inspirations that drives her art, how she works and the impact of living and working in different places in the world.

Tell us about yourself!

I’m a visual artist who makes abstract paintings with elements of collage and drawing to try and make sense of life. Last October 2021, I moved to Lisbon and since this move I’ve been in the incredibly privileged position of being able to paint full time, something that seemed out of reach for a long time. I’ve been painting since I left college in 2016 and in the last couple of years have also begun working on large scale murals.

Tell me about your art!

I make work to explore bodily tension in various environments and relationships both from a first person pov and through observing others behaviours and what’s happening politically and in pop culture. I’d like to think that you can see both the high and low brow content that I consume come through in my paintings.

What is your art process like?

My process is pretty simple really; show up and make the work! Usually I’m working on 3 – 4 canvases at once and some works on paper. I make a lot of tiny shape drawings in my notebooks which I’ll go back to and reference when working on the larger pieces but I never have a set plan for a painting nor do I try to replicate these sketches. I tried working this way when I started to paint but over the years have found this more intuitive approach to be much more enjoyable and to yield better results. I’m happiest and most myself when painting and I think this comes through in the work but also hope that when the viewer looks a bit deeper they can see the tension that I’m trying to communicate. In the last 2 years or so I feel like I’ve created a discernible visual language through which I can express myself honestly and accurately.  

Before moving to the medium of paint and drawing you worked with photography, can you tell me a bit about the transition?

I began painting in my final year in NCAD where I studied Fine Art Media with a particular interest in socially engaged work. For my final project I took on a pretty intense workload of conducting workshops and photographing students in various Youthreach centres with the aim of destigmatising alternative education paths. Initially painting was something fun to do to blow off some steam but quickly I realised that this was what I really wanted to be spending my time doing. When I graduated I moved to L.A. for the year and decided to see where painting would bring me. For a long time I felt like this was a really selfish decision but it’s one I’m very happy I made.




Do you have any inspirations (artists or beyond) that influence your style of art?

My inspiration really comes from the process of painting itself; making mistakes, experimenting and exploring with the hope of creating something that satisfies my mind and eye. We’re bombarded by a constant flow of information and inspiration and painting gives me the space to figure out which bits matter to me. At the moment my favourite painters are Helen Frankenthaler and Matt Connors, their use of colour and both loose and structured forms are next level and inspire me to be a better painter. If I’m feeling really lacking in creative energy there’s an episode of Broken Record with Rick Rubin and Pharrell that I go back to and it gets me fired up to get back to work. 

You have lived and worked in Ireland, Spain, L.A, and are currently living and working in Lisbon. In what way does your location and environment have an impact on your work?

I think what has the biggest impact is the time that your location and environment allow. Living in a small town in Ireland during the first covid lockdown I made the most paintings in a small amount of time that I ever have. I was in my bedroom and out in the garden painting everyday and looking back I can see that the quick progression I made was really significant. I don’t want to make light of the horrendous situation that covid was but that time really allowed me to find my voice as an artist. After that I was back to working in the service industry and painting in the evenings and on days off. I managed to keep my practice ticking over but it was exhausting and it came to a point where I had burnt myself out creatively and emotionally. Now living in Lisbon I have both the time and space to make work but have to be strict with myself and not get distracted by the social side of the city. One day I hope I can move back to Wicklow and afford to paint full time from there.

You use your art to express and explore different emotions. Are your paintings and drawings created in hindsight of your thoughts and feelings, or do you use the medium of abstract painting and drawing to process your emotions as you experience them?

A bit of both really. Being alone in the studio gives me a lot of time to think and the physicality and concentration that painting takes gives me space to decipher my feelings. I would say it’s all a constant cycle.

I see you paint murals too! How does that differ from working in a studio, does it require more planning and collaboration with a client or team?

Yeah it absolutely takes much more prep and planning than when I’m painting in the studio and often there’s a collaborative effort between myself and the client. Generally I’ll spend some time coming up with the initial sketches and colour palette and then there’ll be some back and forth until we’re both happy with the result. The last year or so I’ve been feeling much more confident with this process and thoroughly enjoy it. It’s great to get out of the studio and I’m very lucky that any of the clients I’ve worked with have been lovely. Finishing a big wall after a long day of painting outside is a real buzz.

Is there anything that you’re working on that you’d like to tell us about or that we should keep an eye out for?

Recently, I had two paintings included in Herman’s Modern & Contemporary Art auction which was very exciting! To see my work alongside the other artist’s on display has made me realise how far I’ve come in the last few years and makes me feel pretty proud. In Lisbon I’ve been working on a collaborative art and food experience with a group of friends which will launch next week. Lastly I’m going to LA at the end of October for a few weeks after four years away and I can’t wait to see my favourite city again. There’s so many things wrong with the place but there’s something in the air that will always have me going back. 

To contact or learn more about Sophia Vigne Welsh’s work follow her on social media and check her website:

website: Sophia Vigne Welsh

Instagram: @sophia_vigne_welsh




Latest Exhibitions

Jun 14 2024 - Mar 17 2025

Take A Breath

Irish Museum of Modern Art
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November 22, 2024Interview
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Interview with Sophia Vigne Welsh: “We’re bombarded by a constant flow of information and inspiration, and painting gives me the space to figure out which bits matter to me.” Read More »

Interview with Jessica Karuhanga: “It is always important to me to spend time in the site or location I am to physically be in. I want to experience the space before I insert my body or objects.”

Interview /

Interview with Jessica Karuhanga: “It is always important to me to spend time in the site or location I am to physically be in. I want to experience the space before I insert my body or objects.”

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Jessica Karuhanga, a first-generation Canadian artist of British-Ugandan descent, sits with us to talk about her art process, influences and how the virtual space has led her to different places in the world.

Image still: Video still, ‘ground and cover me’, OCAD University, Toronto, 2017. Credit: Ryan Ferko and Parastoo Anoushapour

On the month of May 2022, Pallas Projects/Studio’s are launching QALEIDOSCOPE: Queer Film and Performance on Tour. It features Canadian and International film and performance art by Queer and QTIBPOC artists who are using queer artistic expression to propose and investigate diverse ways of looking at sexuality, gender, race, and film and performance art itself. One artist featured is Jessica Karuhanga. Her work uses lens-based technology, writing, drawing, and performances to highlight problems of cultural politics of identity and Black diasporic concerns.

We sat down with Karuhanga, to discuss her work before her artist talk and performance in Dublin.

Tell us about yourself.

I am Jessica Patricia Kichoncho Karuhanga. Jess, JPKK, or Kichoncho will do. Only maybe three family members call me Jessie. I’m an artist and for me that includes filmmaking, writing, drawing and dance..

How did you get into creating performance pieces? Can you tell me a bit more about your work?

Performance was an extension of other mediums I had been working through before. As soon as I understood that virtually anything could be material I began working through all the ways I could undo and rearrange or question my material research. Performance emerged out of a time that I had very little in terms of material wealth or tangible support. I miss the anonymity. However, community is also very important to me. I typically start with an impulse and then figure out the medium to translate that idea later. I love the ways that performance resists archival containment that will never tell the whole story. Memories we hold in our bodies might be more informative or moving than a photograph or video documentation. These forms exist on my website or grant applications but their lustre isn’t quite the same as the live thing. I’m still working through meaning and how this is generated and how that might live on.

Image Still: Video still, ‘ground and cover me’, OCAD University, Toronto, 2017. Credit: Ryan Ferko and Parastoo Anoushapour

Are there any inspirations that influence your work?

Janet Jackson or Erykah Badu music videos, memories of dancing to disco records with my parents or memories of my Dad blasting afro-beats when he would pick me up from school. Trust me – no one else in my hometown was listening to afrobeats. Pop music wasn’t pulling from these roots in the same ways. Appropriation looked different. I love theatre, musicals, anything to do with astronomy, physics or astrology. My mum recently found a journal of mine from when I was eleven years old. In one of the pages I wrote that my dream is to grow up to be an artist, geographer or “famous dancer.” And I find it wild that I knew who I was so young. I lost sight for a moment. But its very affirming to read young Jessica’s dreams.

Your project ground and cover will be showing at Qaleidoscope— Queer Film and Performance on Tour at the Pallas Project this May, it’s a stark yet tender performance; can you tell me about your creative process?

In most cases, regardless of medium, but especially with performance it is always important to me to spend time in the site or location I am to physically be in. I want to experience the space before I insert my body or objects. I want to thoughtfully consider presentation before it reaches the audiences gaze. Sometimes I take notes. Sometimes I just sit in the space for minutes or hours. Sometimes its multiple visits at different times of day with different conditions that can be social and/or environmental.

You wear headphones in ground and cover, can you tell me about your choice to move to music or sound that is not heard by the viewer?

I think of the headphones as a partition. They separate us but not fully. I have always been struck by when I see folk with headphones on how they are in their own space moving through the world. So figuratively and literally I wanted to explore this kind of distancing.

You have referenced the “white walls of the institution” in previous talks, what do you intend your work to say about the position of the black female body within certain man made spaces?

I think I’m always thinking about white walls as a structure, a construct, or a choice. The idea of the performance “ground and cover me” came to me after reading Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen.” In the text she cites a Nora Zeale Hurston quote that says somehing along the lines of, “I feel most black when thrust upon a white background.” I had this idea of caressing the contours of white walls figuratively and physically.

How do you feel about social media platforms being a potential vehicle for performance based art or as a place for artists to share their work or find inspiration?

I really love seeing the ways in which artists have used platforms such as Vine, Instagram and TikTok as an outlet for their alter-egos or queer parties. I eat up posts by @iamtonytalks @joannethescammer and @iamcleotrapa. The algorithm has led me to niche spaces like Ugandan, African or Toronto TikTok. The references get so specific. Virtual space is as real as any other physical space. I also think artists such as Neta Bomani and American Artist are working through digital technologies in compelling ways as Black artists that resist translation or being contained.

What performances are you excited to see at Qaleidoscope— Queer Film and Performance on Tour?

I will only get a chance to see screenings and focus on my own work during my stay. I am most excited to see Kourtney Jackson’s “Wash Day” and Thirza Cutland’s “Less Lethal Fetishes.”

Are you working on anything at the minute that you’d like to tell us about or that we should keep an eye out for?

I have a performance film coming out late this year that Kourtney [Jackson] was actually the assistant director on. I collaborated with my dear friend and film director, Roya DeSol, on envisioning ways a documentation could exist as its own pure form that lives on. The film explores themes of communion, rage and isolation

To contact or learn more about Jessica Karuhanga’s work follow her on social media and check her website:

website: Jessica Karuhanga Instagram: @iamkichoncho




Latest Exhibitions

Jun 14 2024 - Mar 17 2025

Take A Breath

Irish Museum of Modern Art
No event found!

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November 22, 2024Interview
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Interview with Jessica Karuhanga: “It is always important to me to spend time in the site or location I am to physically be in. I want to experience the space before I insert my body or objects.” Read More »

Interview with Irish Artist, Aidan Harte: “Public sculpture is an opportunity to work big, something that all sculptors crave.”

Aidan Harte
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Interview with Irish Artist, Aidan Harte: “Public sculpture is an opportunity to work big, something that all
sculptors crave.”

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Aidan Harte, the man responsible for the most widely-discussed artwork in Ireland this year, talks art, Irish mythology, and the influences of his infamous sculpture Púca.

Aidan Harte beside Púca

Earlier this month, a public artwork commissioned for a town in Clare became the focus of a national news story. The piece is entitled Púca, and offers a striking, contemporary depiction of the horse-headed chancer from Celtic mythology. It was due to be installed on the streets of Ennistymon, but after protestations from a local parish priest, Clare County Council paused the project. It is currently under evaluation, and has energized a vibrant debate in Munster and beyond. Is it a paganist symbol unsuited to be public art, or a loving tribute to our island’s rich cultural history?

To better understand the situation, we sat down with Dublin-based artist Aidan Harte, the man responsible for the most widely-discussed artwork in Ireland this year.

Tell us about yourself.

I’m from Kilkenny. I began in animation, directing Cartoon Saloon’s first TV show. It won an IFTA. Following that, I studied Classical Sculpture in the Florence Academy of Art. I returned to Dublin ten years ago and began sculpting. My bronze sculpture can be found in Sol Art Gallery on D’Olier street, Dublin.

Tell us about your art practice.

My ambition was always to bring to life disreputable characters like the Minotaur and the Púca, To do that, I had to become an accomplished figurative sculptor. I studied drawing and anatomy in Florence. The Old Masters’ subject matter influenced me as well as their techniques.  Characters like the Centaur and Minotaur embody, I think, humanity’s duality. The anthropological term for these hybrid figures is a “therianthrope”. They reappear in the hunting scenes of cave paintings all over the world. Whatever instinct made our ancestors create art, made them create human figures with tails or beaks, or heads of lions or bulls.  I guess it made me make Púca.

What made you want to pursue this project? And tell me how you began.

Public sculpture is an opportunity to work big, something that all sculptors crave. The Púca is two meters tall, by far the biggest sculpture I have made. Ennistymon is a pretty little town near the Atlantic coast in County Clare, a part of Ireland known for its traditional music. The horse fair of Ennistymon was once famous, and I connected that to the Púca, a shapeshifter who often appears in the form of a horse.

Aidan Harte working on his infamous sculpture Púca

Making statues is a unique practise. Lots of preparation work is imputed. How has the pandemic affected the sculpting process, from studio work to casting?

It has had little effect on me – I was working in my studio through the last lockdown.  It interrupted my foundry more so. They had to delay casting of several pieces, and so that will have delay other projects in turn. I understand that gallery sales have not been hurt hugely either. Other industries have been hit worse.

Irish mythology has some great representation in statuary, like The Children of LÍr in the Garden of Remembrance or the Taín pieces by the IFSC building. What made you choose the Púca to add to this public art tradition?

Oisín Kelly made The Children of LÍr and similar art in the 60s and 70s, the last great flowering of Irish interest in the Celtic past. Then followed a dreary period where anything too Irish was considered kitsch, but that cultural cringe is now itself old hat.  Folklore is mythology’s disreputable brother. I’ve loved those stories all my life. They have been given new life by magic realists like Angela Carter and Neil Jordan. That’s what I want to do with the Púca who, contrary to what you may have heard, is not a devil. He’s more akin to the Greek Pan, and English Puck – a wild nature spirit. The fairies in Irish folklore were spirits who were not good enough for heaven and not wicked enough for hell. Just like us, they are conflicted and unreliable.

Were there any specific influences that helped you envision this piece?

The Discobolus of Myron has a similar pose, and the terrifying horses of the Elgin Marbles, with their rolling eyes and lolling tongues, were another classical inspiration. More recently, I like the élan and audacity of Barry Flanagan’s Nijinski Hares. My Púca is another dancing fool.

You capture Púca‘s mischievous side wonderfully. Were there specific texts you studied?

Thank you. The Púca is a Celtic cousin of Shakespeare’s Puck, a lord of misrule associated with carnival. Irish artists, from Lady Wilde to Flann O’Brien, have constantly reinvented this dark horse. His hoofprints are found across Ireland, at Carrigaphooca Castle in Cork, the Puck Fair of Kerry, and Ahaphuca in Limerick. Poulaphuca in Wicklow is famous. But there’s another Poulaphuca in the Burren and anyone who has left the Léim an Phúca Mhóir or seen the Wedge Tomb of Caheraphuca knows that the Pooka is a frequent caller to Clare. Westropp’s A Folklore Survey of County Clare tells of a Clonlara man who becomes the Pooka’s sport. UCD’s Folklore Collection reports that a Kilkee man suffered a similar fate.

“The Púca is a shapeshifter as you know, and I suppose the story has completely changed shape since it began to rumble in April.”

Clare County Council have put the project on pause, following condemnation from the local priest. The peculiar controversy seems to have created growing support from Clare residents, who are speaking up in favour of your piece. Are you hopeful that community support will help Púca reach that unveiling day?

The funny thing about the objections is that no one has actually seen the sculpture. They have only seen photos. I finished the clay on schedule in March. Bronze Art Foundry in Dublin made the mold for me in April. Before casting could begin in May, the project was paused. If we get the green light next month, it’s just a matter of pouring the bronze. My foundry, as you can imagine, was disappointed with the delay. Naturally I was too, but Clare County Council’s decision to pause was sensible.
The intervention of celebrities like Dara O’Briain, Chris O’Dowd and Maeve Higgins obviously played a part in the shift. It also helped that everyone got to see the picture from my studio where the scale could be properly appreciated. Local politicians and clergy have every right to speak up for their constituents and congregation, but now everyone knows that the Púca is only a rogue and nothing sinister. Since last week I’ve heard that CCC has been deluged with support so the scale is now more balanced.
The Púca is a shapeshifter as you know, and I suppose the story has completely changed shape since it began to rumble in April. We shall see.

This work was commissioned especially for Ennistymon. If the censorship campaign is successful, are there plans to potentially relocate it?

Art rarely intrudes into Ireland’s public consciousness – but last week the Púca was trending on twitter. Since the story went viral, several credible offers have come in. He will find a home. The only question is where.

What other sculptures would you like to make in Ireland?

I’m spoiled for choice! Irish mythology and folklore are populated with wild characters. I’ve always thought Balor of the Evil Eye, the tyrannous Fomorian giant, and his heroic grandson Lugh of the Long Arms, would make a great pairing, an Irish David and Goliath.

To contact or learn more about Aidan Harte’s work follow him on social media and check out his website:

Instagram: @aidanhartesculptor | Twitter: @harteaidan | Website: www.aidanharte.com




Latest Exhibitions

Jun 14 2024 - Mar 17 2025

Take A Breath

Irish Museum of Modern Art
No event found!

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November 22, 2024Interview
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Interview with Irish Artist, Aidan Harte: “Public sculpture is an opportunity to work big, something that all sculptors crave.” Read More »

Interview with Aarif Amod: “Portraits have the power to give us a true insight into human nature and into the heart of a subject”

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Interview with Aarif Amod: “Portraits have the power to give us a true insight into human nature and into the heart of a subject”

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Aarif Amod on capturing the right portrait, the evolution of Dublin, and the importance of having diverse cultures in Ireland
 
Born in South Africa, artist Aarif Amod works on documentary, street, music, and concert photography – he’s also a talented musician with a passion for traditional music.
Amon moved to Dublin in 1998, when he was only 11 years old. It was a big move for a young boy, and he sadly suffered instances of racism and negativity. Despite these, he was never deterred from Dublin, and he has witnessed its sociocultural development through the opening decades of the twenty-first century.
Amod has previously worked on photographic projects capturing our capital’s colourful city. In his latest online exhibition, “Cultures of Dublin” (in conjunction with Mother Tongues Festival) he continues to document our ever-changing city with gorgeous portraits of the many diverse people based in Dublin.
What made you want to pursue “Cultures of Dublin”?
I began working on this project in 2020, after completing my first Portrait Series titled “Masked Portraits Of Dublin“ which captured Dublin City’s public adjusting to Covid-19. I began to feel comfortable approaching people and really enjoyed talking and listening to people’s stories and backgrounds of their life in Dublin. Over time I really began to notice how Dublin has expanded culturally since I arrived here in 1998, and I began constructing a sol{“type”:”block”,”srcClientIds”:[“032ca072-5214-4d6d-9557-f72d2ad80d1f”],”srcRootClientId”:”03615b00-27c5-457d-8ddf-0d8f1fc8807a”}id piece of work. I aim to expand on the project and delve into much deeper aspects of immigration and sense of place and conflict in the future.
How has Dublin changed since you moved here?
Dublin has really expanded in diversity. The schools have completely changed and the atmosphere and energy on the streets has changed too. Dublin seems to have embraced a colourful mix of Food, Arts, and Music, and I’m really excited to be a part of it. I truly believe that the best way to evolve, learn and expand with each other starts with simple acts like understanding, listening, and supporting those around us. I’d say a lot of people I came in contact with have the same goals as I did when I moved here: to find their place and meaning here, and be happy.
What have you learned from the people from this project?
After choosing to properly focus on the project, I began realising that every person from every background brings their own sense of culture and energy to Dublin City. The city has really changed since I moved here from South Africa and even though there is sparks of conflict at times, taking portraits also acquires a lot of patience, and taking time to hear people’s stories has had a great effect on me. Dublin will always be an ever-changing and growing environment.
How do you know when you captured the right portrait?
After studying photography and learning the true power of a great portrait, I saw how pictures can be a powerful representation of a sense of time and place. Simple portraits can hold a great power behind them and trying to constantly achieve this is a great test. Portraits have the power to give us a true insight into human nature and into the heart of a subject. I felt I took a great portrait when I could see the true honesty in people, and when they feel honest and true in the picture.
And the most interesting encounter from your project?
During a walk, I approached a person who actually stayed and worked in the same part of South Africa that I grew up in 23 years ago. He was from South Africa and got stuck in Dublin during the second Lockdown. The world is a small place.
What is the importance of having different cultures in Ireland?
Great question. Looking at it from an Artists’s point of view, I feel jumping into as many aspects of Art as possible from around the world really shapes you, not only as an artist but as a person too. I think that comes from approaching something new and trying to understand it rather than looking through it. When we begin to break certain social and personal boundaries and look past aspects of race and background, we begin to understand and learn so much from each other.  Dublin is shaping up to becoming an incredibly multicultural city, and it a great time to be an artist and be a part of it.
What are your future project plans?
Please check out my new Documentary Project “Moore Street Pulse” – documenting the cultural shift on one of Dublin’s oldest and historically rich streets.
Just want to thank the Mother Tongues Festival for the important role. They are playing in providing artists with a platform to express themselves. I look forward to collaborating and working with them.
“Cultures of Dublin” is supported by the Mother Tongues Festival, a festival celebrating linguistic diversity through the arts in Ireland.
To contact or learn more about Aarif Amod’s work and his latest project, follow him on social media for updates:
Instagram: @reefosnaps



Latest Exhibitions

Jun 14 2024 - Mar 17 2025

Take A Breath

Irish Museum of Modern Art
No event found!

More News

November 22, 2024Interview
November 8, 2024Interview
October 4, 2024Interview
July 5, 2024Interview
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Interview with Aarif Amod: “Portraits have the power to give us a true insight into human nature and into the heart of a subject” Read More »