Exhibition

RDS Visual Art Awards partner with the RHA for the second time in the history of the awards, supporting the newest talents in Irish art today.

The RDS Visual Art Awards is the most important platform for visual art graduates in Ireland. It has a very important social impact to artists and the country’s cultural industry as it provides substantial funding to arts programming. The Awards also create a high-end curated exhibition opportunity with a significant prize fund this year of over €40,000, as well as vital exposure for emerging visual artists as they move into early professional practice.

This year’s curator is Colin Martin RHA Head of School, a dynamic learning environment that supports art students to build the skillset and material knowledge to make creative and exciting art for today. Martin will also design the exhibition space with this year’s exhibiting artists.

10 exhibiting artists that have been meticulously selected to exhibit this year and they have been chosen from some of the best BA & MA visual art graduates from all over Ireland, having gone through a rigorous competitive two-stage process to get their work into this much sought show for emerging artists. The 2024 exhibition will be embedded into the RHA Gallery’s core programming as it runs from 22 November, 2024 to 18 January, 2025 – giving further opportunity to the artists’ work to be seen at an internationally renowned gallery space and for a proper run period of time that gives impetus to spotlight their work holistically.

From the shortlist, the judging panel decide on who will showcase their work in the 2024 RDS Visual Art Awards exhibition at the RHA Gallery. The 2024 panel includes: Mary McCarthy (Chair of the 2024 VAA panel and Director, Crawford Gallery), Eithne Jordan (RHA Nominated Judge), Janice Hough (IMMA Nominated Judge), Gary Coyle (National Gallery of Ireland Nominated Judge) and Irish artist Colin Martin (Professional Artist & 2024 RDS VAA’s Exhibition Curator).

Each of the ten exhibiting artists will be in with the chance to win one of the five prizes on offer including: The RDS Taylor Art Award (€10,000); R.C. Lewis-Crosby Award (€5,000); RDS Members’ Art Fund Award (€5,000); the RDS Mason Hayes & Curran LLP Centre Culturel Irlandais Residency Award, in Paris (€8,000 value); The RHA Graduate Studio Award (€7,500 value); and finally a new Award – the RDS Graphic Studio Dublin Emerging Visiting Artist Award (€5,000 value); Winners will be announced on the opening night of the show (22 November)

ABOUT THE RDS FOUNDATION:

Since its inception in 1731, the RDS has been dedicated to a mission to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. The RDS Foundation is the way the RDS realises that mission today. For 290 years the RDS has responded to the needs and priorities of Ireland, addressing gaps in the development of our culture and economy and have helped shape the country. The RDS is focused on a long-term vision for Ireland and five key areas underpin its work: agriculture, the arts, enterprise, equestrianism and science. The RDS harnesses people’s energy and ideas, identifying the needs within each area and bringing momentum and scale to fulfil those needs. Through this, the organisation helps to develop and nurture long-lasting positive impact in Irish society.

The RDS has a proud history of supporting the arts and was central to the establishment of several of our national cultural institutions. The RDS Arts Programme today provides significant financial support, as well as performance, studio, residency and exhibition opportunities to artists starting out in their professional careers in the areas of visual art, craft and classical music

Of Byrne’s first solo exhibition in ‘89, The George Gallery Director Susan Stairs wrote, “Gerard Byrne is a dedicated, prolific and exceptionally talented artist. This exhibition is, therefore, a stimulating and profound beginning to what will be a long and significant career.”

Over three decades later, her words prove prophetic. Byrne has become Ireland’s leading modern Impressionist, and this year, we celebrate 35 years of his remarkable journey as a practicing artist.

This exhibition includes recent paintings that represent the culmination of 35 years in painting: vibrant plein air, dynamic botanical and figurative works, iconic Irish seascapes, and serene still-lifes. On view for the first time since ‘89, three early paintings: Wilde Flowers, Kitchen Interior and Miss Martin’s Apple-tree.

Byrne has been painting plein air in Dublin since the start of his career, keeping record of a city that has continued to inspire and shape his practice. In the late 80’s, when Byrne was living in the Liberties, he painted Open Window, capturing the rooftops and backyards of the place he called home. In Stair’s account, it was his first attempt at immersing himself in his subject and suggested a yearning to go out and paint among the people and amidst the landscapes. This yearning has come to define his unique artistic approach.

In the early 90’s, Byrne was drawn to St. Stephens Green, jumping the railing to paint before the city rose. He also painted on location at nightclubs, capturing the city after dark. Over the years, he repeatedly visited iconic spots such as the Shelbourne Hotel, Café en Seine, the coastline of South Dublin with its Martello Towers, and the National Botanic Gardens, capturing these cherished locations from various perspectives and across seasons.

Throughout his career, he traveled the world, recording Parisian summers, London bridges and New York rooftops, but he always returned to Dublin as a central subject of his work. 35 years later, the walls of Gerard Byrne Studio proudly display the fruit of an impressive career.
___________________

EXHIBITION DETAILS:

Exhibition Launch
Thursday 28th November
6.30pm – 9.30pm

Exhibition continues until Sunday 29th December 2024.
GALLERY OPENING HOURS:

Tuesday – Saturday 11 – 6pm
Sunday 12 – 5pm
And by appointment

No booking required
Free entry