Ailve McCormack talks to artist Lisa Shaughnessy

In the lead up to the opening of Amharc Fhine Gall VIII - Unknown Knowns, curator Ailve McCormack talks to artist Lisa Shaughnessy about the work she is exhibiting.

Lisa Shaughnessy

Q: Can you tell me a bit about the work you’re making for this exhibition and can you talk through how you made some of the work?

The work I am exhibiting for ‘Unknown Knowns’ concerns itself with the physicality and materiality of the artists materials, primarily paint and materials concerned with the painting process. Within my practice, the work explores the historical and conceptual meanings of painting within a contemporary context.

For this exhibition I have honed in on the ideas of manipulating such materials in a way which is somewhat unintended or ‘unknown’. This is done by removing the materials from their traditional backdrop and manipulating them by means such as pouring, spilling, containing, layering, pushing and pulling. In doing this, new forms and structures are created, which examine and blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture.

As well as adapting new methods for this body of work, I have introduced some other materials such as polyurethane foam and polythene sheets. The polyurethane foam is sprayed on various surfaces to mimic tensions, shapes or textures. It is then manipulated and coated as the volume increases and the material expands.
In this exhibition I will be showing some of these foam and polythene sheet pieces as well as some polyvinyl and pigment pieces.

Q: You have recently moved towards a layering of the paint and building up form with this new body of work, what instigated this move?

I think it was more of a natural progression within my practice really. Previously, I had rolled, cast and smoothed out flat plains of paint, however as my work develops so too do my ideas. It had become my intention to introduce new dimensions and elements to the work, building up and developing innovative forms and structures.

As an example, paint is mixed, thickened or thinned, poured and is left to dry. The paint forms a thin film of skin which is then used as a base to layer fresh paint, this process is repeated numerous times to build up form. As this is being done the different strengths of material are forced to interact with each other, constructing and deconstructing the painting in the process, creating new forms, textures, layers and shades.

Q: You used to work with a florescent colour pallet, what made you move towards the more muted tones you’re now using?

The decision to move into more muted tones, (blacks, whites and varying shades of grey), was one that I have been contemplating for a while now. Florescent colours had been present within my practice for a long time and I felt as though it had come to a point where deeper, more muted colours would allow the work to progress, shifting the focus and tone somewhat.

The darker, more muted colours simplify the aesthetic of the work, allowing the viewer to see more clearly the workings of the material itself. Occasional flashes of florescent colour are still present within some of the new work.

Q: Your work is quite ambiguous yet stages of artistic processes can be seen, are you interested in representing the artists process through your work or is this something that happens naturally because of the nature of your work? Do you feel that your work is prescriptive or does it mostly allow the viewer to bring their own meanings to it?

When people view work, they will make of it what they will. Whether they read the information that goes along with it or not, everyone will have their own perceptions and ideas about what the work is, what it does or what it means. This is something that I have to recognise and be aware of as an artist.

As my work is centred upon the materiality and physicality of the artist’s materials, there is an underpinning element present that deals with the artists processes. This came about originally as I became interested in investigating the artists relationship with their practice, the materials they use, their concepts and their processes of creating art.

Within my practice I explore different methods of creating work and manipulating materials. The processes that occur are essential to the outcome of the work. I find that the aesthetic nature of my work lends itself to ambiguity and I rather enjoy that element.

Q: You’ve said that your work deals with “historical and conceptual meanings of painting and sculpture within a contemporary context.” Can you expand on this with reference to a specific work?

Generally when people think about painting, they think about traditional methods such as representational, religious or classic motifs, oil on canvas etc. As too with sculpture, it can be more concerned with traditional materials such as wood, marble, bronze etc. and not really associated with painting. By freeing the paint from the traditional constraints of the canvas and placing it on the floor, I am allowing it to interact with its surroundings, thus the work takes on a three dimensional persona.

As the paint is being used in a three dimensional way, it takes on a sculptural form. As mentioned in the curatorial statement for the exhibition, with this blurring between the boundaries of painting and sculpture, “what the viewer felt they knew about these materials becomes a little less certain but the fundamental qualities of the materials are still apparent. These known and familiar materials have been manipulated in such a way as to render them initially unknown.”

I am interested in allowing the audience to see the workings of paint, not just as a flat material used to paint pictures, but as a material and artwork in itself. My practice plays with ideas of presenting these materials and unconventional artistic processes as the focal point of the work in a contemporary context.

To see more of Lisa's work visit her website:

http://www.shocksie.com/

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By Draíocht. Tags: Artist Interview, Visual Arts, Lisa Shaughnessy

Ailve McCormack talks to artist Sally-Anne Kelly

In the lead up to the opening of Amharc Fhine Gall VIII - Unknown Knowns, curator Ailve McCormack talks to artist Sally Anne Kelly about the work she is exhibiting.

Next Ailve will be talking to Lisa Shaughnessy.

Sally-Anne Kelly

Q: Can you tell me about the work you have made for this exhibition?

 
For this exhibition I am showing a selection of photographs from two new projects, ‘The Hunted Self’ and ‘The Detached Other’. Although they ended up in very different places both works are focused around the same ideas and themes.

One can see the inner hidden self as a double, capable of being projected through various media and platforms for constructing ones own identity, and perhaps splitting off from the subject and becoming its own being. The work in this exhibition explores these hidden selves. I am interested in the instability and inter-changeability of the self and the interior power struggle between these various selves.

 
Q: “Ideas about the uncanny” are something you refer to in your work, can you expand on this?

I have long been interested in unsettling, frightening ideas and a specific branch of these which Freud refers to as ‘the uncanny’, that which disturbs identity, system and order. I am interested in the uncanny as a sensory feeling with a physical reaction. The uncanny is related to what is frightening, a feeling of dread and uncertainty and is often seen as something familiar that has been altered somehow, made strange through the process of repression.

For me some of the most frightening aspects of the uncanny involve ideas concerning the double.

Q: You work a lot with identity and the ‘double’. Can you tell me a bit about this and where this came from?

I am currently preoccupied with exploring ideas about who we are, who we think we are, who we become, who others think we are, and who we present ourselves as being. These projected versions and the various representations of the self through the multiplication of identity and the double. I looked at the double and the other as a psychoanalytical subject. Before it is possible to discuss the double or the other, one must understand what this double is a reflection of. If I am talking about the other, then what is ‘the own’?

For me the double can refer to a representation of the ego that can assume various forms such as a shadow, reflection, a doppelganger or a distorted representation of the subject. I also think of the double as a version of the self, leading me to interests around multiple versions of the self and how we project these various selves around us through our actions and various media.

I think a lot about the instability and inter-changeability of the subject and all these alternating versions of the subject. The work in this exhibition looks at ideas around the possibilities of these interior selves coming out as alter egos and as an interior power struggle with this distorted version of the subject that can take off and being its own uncontrollable being or the idea of being controlled by another being within yourself.


Q: You talk about the “interior power struggle between these various selves”. How is this represented in your work?

When thinking about these various inner and projected selves I became interested in the power struggle between them. I’m interested in the idea of hidden selves fighting back against the ‘original’ and if it’s possible to even know the difference between them.

Dual consciousness and the splitting of the personality can be seen as an extreme form of the double. One thinks about the splitting of consciousness, the possibility of the darker parts of the consciousness breaking off from the subject in the unconscious but eventually reappearing as an evil double who wants to kill the original.

I’m interested in seeing this from the viewpoint of the ‘other’ or the double or whatever you want to see it as. Stories told from the viewpoint of this character are very interesting to me. I like setting up scenarios where these ignored characters come forward in different ways, sometimes aggressively, or just making their presence known.


Q: You work across various different media - film, photography, sculpture and theatre and performance art - can you talk a bit about how each of these media relate to and facilitate your work?

I find working collaboratively and in a wide variety of media an interesting way of pushing my practice forward. Seeing the various possibilities open to me and working with a wide variety of people gives an amazing influx of new ideas and things to try. My practice moves between photography, film, performance and theatre. I find that this helps me to avoid getting stuck in a rut with my work. If something’s not working it’s easy to let it go and move on with another project. Exploring my ideas through a variety of mediums forces me to look at them through new eyes, different constraints and possibilities.

 

More of Sally-Anne's work can be seen on her website

www.sallyannekelly.com

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By Draíocht. Tags: Artist Interview, Visual Arts, Sally-Anne Kelly

Ailve McCormack talks to artist Andrew Carson

In the lead up to the opening of Amharc Fhine Gall VIII - Unknown Knowns, curator Ailve McCormack talks to artist Andrew Carson about the work he is exhibiting.

Next week Ailve will be talking to Sally-Anne Kelly and Lisa Shaughnessy.

Andrew Carson

Q: Can you tell me about the work you are exhibiting in this exhibition?

The work in this show stems from my research into the ways in which we engage with each other and our surroundings through digital environments and text-based communications, and the effects these have on social paradigms and our perceptions of reality. There will be two new works in this show, one small video piece, and a larger installation. It’s a bit of a new departure for me aesthetics wise, and one of the first times I won’t be working with text itself.

Q: Your most recent work is inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead – what drew you to this book?

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved Ancient Egypt, and have been dipping in and out of reading the Book for years, but never really found a way I could in anyway link it to my art practice. About this time last year however, I just happened upon one chapter from it, “The Chapter of not dying a second time in Khert-Neter” and the spark was born. It’s been a lot of fun to make this work, as it finally combines two of my biggest passions in a way that is, for me, quite natural.

Q: Your current series of work is inspired by a chapter from this book that is concerned with the survival of the soul through the afterlife, how do you interpret this through your work?

The book itself was intended as a guide for surviving the passage through the underworld, and this particular chapter was designed to give the deceased the tools to ensure their soul lives on, through the dispersement of elements of the self amongst the cosmos. I began to see links between this concept, and our contemporary uses of social media sites, particularly Facebook’s decision in October 2009 to allow for the retrieval and download of a user’s entire account. For me, that opened up a world of unseen links between Egyptian afterlife beliefs, and the parts of ourselves we present online in public forums.

Q: You use a quote from the book within this series of work; "I have hidden myself amongst you, oh imperishable stars", which relates to “exploring online realities and virtual immortality”, can you explain this in more detail?

That quote comes from the afore-mentioned chapter that was the catalyst for the work. I really liked the poetic phrasing of one particular translation, and thought it best summed up my research and outputs from the series. I was looking at Facebooks memorialisation policy at the time, and found it really interesting that even after a user has passed on, the data and memories they uploaded to the site, lived on as a sort of shadow-self. This, coupled with other media sites generally used, such as Twitter, Google+ etc, allowed for a semblance of immortality, one that was not dependent on the continued existence of the physical self. The Egyptian concept of death did not only consist of the physical act of one’s body dying, but death in the Egyptian sense was also a separation from one’s social context, so for example, a person ostracised from the community, or left bereft of loved ones, was for all intents and purposes considered dead themselves. In contemporary terms, these perpetual online effigies circumvent death-by-social-exclusion.

Q: You have said that your work is inspired by a combination of “Eastern spiritual and philosophical thought, Structural and post-structural linguistic theories, folk and pop music, and 1960's psychedelic culture.” How do each of these influences manifest themselves in your work and can you expand a little on one or two?

I like tying different strands of inquiry together in my work, most of which stem from my own personal interests. Spiritualism holds a big attraction for me, especially Eastern forms, where the emphasis seems to be more based around personal enlightenment and betterment. The likes of Buddhism and Hinduism for example are appealing not only for their thoughts, but also for their rich visual history. There’s a sense of community, or greater belonging in a lot of religious identities, and that’s something that really attracts me to them. Similarly, I find music an almost infinite source of inspiration, in its use of language and poetry, alongside melody to create a lovely dynamic between being both intensely personal and emotive, and somewhat universal. In terms of manifesting these in my work, I often use particular songs, or lyric snippets to spark off a certain collective consciousness in the work, or to make immediately relatable to the viewer, whilst also utilising it to create an insight or frame of reference for the work and ideas I want to put forward.

You can see more of Andrews work on his website

http://www.andrew-carson.com/

Further Detail about Amharc Fhine Gall VIII can be found here

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By Draíocht. Tags: Artist Interview, Visual Arts, Andrew Carson

A Fond Farewell to Garvan Gallagher

Artist Interview with Garvan Gallagher – 31 May 2011

Draíocht says goodbye today to its longest ever resident artist Garvan Gallagher, who has been working with the Centre since 01 March 2010. We chatted to him as he tidied out the Studio …

Q: So can you remember your first day here, back in March 2010? It seems like a long time ago in one way, and yet it’s flown by in another way!
Yes, it seems like only a few months ago, but actually when I was clearing my things, nuggets from the 15 months resurfaced and it puts it into context. My first day was like the new boy in a big space with open windows. It was exciting, new things always are, and I knew what I was going to be working on, so I got down to some research after a quick blog update with my new empty studio.


Q: So how important has this time been for you in Draíocht’s Artists Studio?
I think it’s fantastic to offer this to an artist. The physical space is one thing, and as a photographer, I probably didn’t need such a huge space, but the emotional space (if you can call it that) is really as important. That space where I could base myself to work in the community, a community where I’m a total blow in. Draíocht having such a prominent place in Dublin 15 allowed me to immediately begin having conversations with people without them wondering if I was an axe murderer or just slightly crazy.


Q: You’ve been working hard on some big projects during your time here, including the Intergenerational Photography Project & Exhibition. Can you tell us a little bit more about this project and the people involved?
The Intergenerational project was a fantastic success in so many ways. Other than the fact that the end exhibition looked fantastic, the entire process was really interesting, exciting and allowed me to do something completely new, something I’d never done before. Facilitating a group of people was daunting to begin with but the participants gave 100% and they were all so amazing to work with. Sarah Beirne with her little box of tricks, fantastic attitude and unending supply of props was vital to the whole thing. The intergenerational element to the project was something all the participants picked up on in the feedback; it was the one element all the participants really enjoyed. Whatever about the project, this little social experiment was the biggest success for me. It was a truly enjoyable, rewarding and incredibly valuable experience.


Q: What would you say is the thing you most enjoyed about your time in Draíocht?
Probably the Intergenerational project and working with the lovely Sarah Bierne. We were a good team. That and eating cake and being able to bring Fred (my dog) to work every day. Fred wasn’t allowed any cake though.


Q: Have you any funny memories of the last year in Draíocht that really stand out in your mind?
Erm, the Christmas party ...


Q: How did you keep motivated if you were having a bad day?
Working on a residency so long allowed me to work on other things too that had to pay the bills. I set up a photography workshop/school in town, which took a lot of my summer last year. If I was really having a bad day, I’d treat myself to some coffee, donuts and head home to watch some West Wing by the fire.


Q: Could you tell us a little more about your forthcoming exhibition in Draíocht’s Ground Floor Gallery later in 2011?
Normally when I work on something I have a pretty good idea what I will exhibit. Right now, and this is a good thing, I’m not 100% sure. I know there will be some recreated fashion photographs using the older body as opposed to the youthful skinny superhuman one; there will be lots of personal stories confined to a publication as well as being told by the people themselves in a video piece; there will be photos of the ‘real’ people in their own fashion and what they have to say about it and also a piece on reflections – that last piece I’ve no idea what it will be yet. So it will be an interesting mixed bag but with a very human element, and all from people around Dublin 15. I think it’ll be really nice.


Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Ever since I was in my teens, the moving image was something that always drew me in. Photography was what I done in college and it’s something I’m passionate about and maybe I’ll stay with it. I don’t want to confine myself to one thing though but be open to lots of other stuff. So in 10 years time, I really have absolutely no clue. I’ll probably be in London, hopefully able to pay the mortgage!


Q: What are your interests and hobbies outside of photography?
Are box-set marathons a hobby? Cooking is a big thing for me, I have a library of cookbooks and make a great beef bourguignon. I love to travel. Every five years or so, myself and my partner aim to make massive 4-month trips. Last time was South America, next India. Have plans to head across Europe with Fred on a campervan. 


Q: You weren’t always a professional artist; can you tell us a little about your journey from full time 9-5’er to where you are today?
I did an OK leaving Cert, actually it was kind of crap. I wanted to do Communications in DCU but never got the points so I got my 7th CAO choice (that’s 3 from the bottom!), which was computer science in UL. I had to double check how far down exactly Limerick was from Donegal. It was good to me though, it allowed me to travel and live in places like Istanbul and Rome. I just didn’t want to wake up when I was 50 behind a desk working for a big company, and I could never see myself starting up my own IT company. So I went and did a full-time photography degree in IADT, working a 3-day week in my old company for the most of it, which was great. The company were really flexible and really good to me. I picked up a lot of really valuable things from working in a professional IT position – work ethics, deadlines, writing documents, communication skills etc. 


Q: In general, do you have any advice you could give to an artist following the same path as you?
Being an artist is hard and you definitely don’t get anything handed to you on a plate to you. You have to do all the digging, all the looking, phone calls and selling yourself; something I’m not very keen on or good at myself, but who is? But the best advise would be to follow what’s in your heart, it’s generally telling you the right thing. 


Q: Most of your work concentrates on portraits of older people. What draws you to taking photographs of this particular group?
I don’t think it’s something I’ll do forever, it’s something I got interested in while doing my thesis for my final year in college. Doing portraits was the last thing I thought I’d end up doing, and it’s all I do now. I was making portraits with a social element to them, e.g migrant workers, the male body that wasn’t the covers of Men’s Health magazine. Doing research for these, the older body would inevitably come up, and I made a note to do a project around this. I’m interested in how we adapt to what society thinks we should do. There are very few representations of older people used in advertising. Products are sold with young and beautiful bodies. There is a myth that is being sold to us, and something we are lapping up, that we can stay young forever. This has a huge impact on how society views our older population. I was brought up to respect older people, and I had huge respect for my own Grandparents, who have had a huge part to play in who I am today. We are losing that, and by doing projects like these, I hope in some small way it will make people think. If it changes the attitudes of a few, then it has worked. We are all going to grow old, and changing attitudes starts in schools, in homes and in projects like this. There is also a great sense of freedom in working with a lot of older people. They have so much life experience and juicy gossip, and they don’t really give a crap what you think of them. I love that.


Q: Has working with older people made you think a lot about getting older yourself?
It certainly draws attention to it. I’m 37 so I’ve a bit to go, but time does shift on quickly. I think it’s made me less self-conscious about what other people think, and that’s refreshing. In Japan, older people were celebrated (now also unfortunately changing). That’s the way our society should be. The thing to achieve I suppose is to have no regrets by the time I get there.

You can find more information about Garvan’s work on his website:
http://www.garvangallagher.com/


Would you have a few minutes to answer Garvan's Survey about growing older and Fashion?
click here ... 

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By Draíocht. Tags: Artist Interview, Visual Arts, Garvan Gallagher

Artist Interview – Michael Wann

Website interview with Michael Wann – 14 April 2011



Brief Intro:

Wann’s work is specifically drawing-based, and juxtaposes arbitrary or transient images of cleared landscape, with more thought provoking depictions of the dereliction of habitation. The work is as much about a process of mark-making as it is about representing a seemingly neglected landscape.

Born in Dublin in 1969, Wann lives and works in Co. Sligo. He has held solo exhibitions at the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar (2005), the Ashford Gallery at the RHA (2009), and Sligo Art Gallery (1999, 2002, 2005, 2009), where he won an Iontas Drawing Award in 2000. He has been awarded residencies at the Cill Riallaig Project, Co. Kerry (2001, 2004, 2008, 2010), and fellowships at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in North Mayo (2007, 2008). He has been selected for the RHA’s Annual Exhibition since 2004, where in 2006 he was awarded the AXA Insurance Drawing Prize. In 2010 Hughie O’Donoghue selected Michael’s work for both the Tom Caldwell Drawing Prize and the Rowel Friers Perpetual Trophy at the Royal Ulster Academy’s 129th Annual show.

“Michael Wann’s fragile ephemeral images of derelict buildings depict a rare transient quality which is both harrowing and beautiful, evoking themes of memory, neglect and loss. Despite, or because of his expert skill as a draughtsman, it is within the versatility of the medium (charcoal and water on fine grain canvas) that there exists a delicate balance, between an imperfection of process and an exacting act of observation, adding a poignant vulnerability to this new body of work.”

Clea van der Grijn

Q: Tell us a little about yourself, your background, where you’re from and where you live?

I’m from Dublin originally. I came to Sligo in 1987 to do a one-year cert. in art and design, and pretty much never left. Sligo’s dramatic landscape caught hold of me straight away, and thoughts of returning to city life dwindled. I completed a Diploma in Fine Art at the then Sligo RTC’s art department. Sean McSweeney was our painting lecturer, and in retrospect I realise it was he who introduced me to the notion of the importance of a ‘sense of place’. He spoke of the landscape in a way I hadn’t heard before. I live in north Sligo, on the edge of Lissadell estate. It’s a place I miss when I’m away from it, and coming home is almost always a relief.

Q: When you were small, what did you want to be when you grew up? Were there any clues in your childhood that you would follow an artistic path later?

I’m told I always scribbled and drew as a child, though I have little recollection of it. As a teenager at school art was an automatic choice and I don’t remember ever wanting to do anything else.

Q: How long have you been an artist and why choose an arty profession over a more conventional career, like being an accountant, or working in an office for instance?

When I left college in 1992 I had no notion of what to do and knew little about being a professional working artist. The diploma I did was great for making you love the smell of oil paint or teaching you how to make a stretcher, but in terms of information or support in how to be an artist it was pretty crap. I didn’t want to study further as that would have meant city life somewhere. I worked on a shellfish farm for ten years and made drawings on the kitchen table by night. I’ve always felt that ‘drawing’ chose me, rather than me it.

Q: When did you create your first work and what was your subject matter?

My first work?!? Jeepers…I made a series of paintings for my diploma which were loosely concerned with the relatively murky issues surrounding my being adopted. I suppose I’d consider that as my first venture into making ‘real’ work, though needless to say it was studenty and indulgent…

Q: Has your style changed over the years and what might have influenced this change if yes?

I’ve been working in black and white for twenty years now, with occasional forays into colour. But I’m always drawn back to monochrome. As an artist you cant help but be influenced by other work that you see, and these influences can be subtle or direct, but also can be very slow to emerge in your own work. I remember seeing Leonardo’s Virgin and Child in the National Gallery in London as a teenager and being blown away by it. And strangely enough it remains a must see on occasional trips there. Some days in the studio I’m working on very detailed things, spending hours or days getting detail right, then the next day I might be hopelessly pushing charcoal around a massive piece of paper, and generally making a big grey mess. It depends

Michael Wann, No Ghosts 1, charcoal & wash on canvas, 70 x 70cm


Q: Have you ever tried other art forms like photography, sculpting, making music, or dancing for instance?

I take an awful lot of photos for my work, but always regard this as a backup to the main event of drawing. I sometimes think I’d like to do some sculpture, and certainly printmaking holds a fascination.

Q: What other artists or people have influenced or inspired you, and in what ways?

There’s too many to mention really. Let’s see…when you see work in the flesh it makes a huge difference, so seeing Picasso’s ‘Gurnica’ in Madrid was an unforgettable experience. I never really ‘got’ Matisse while in college, but seeing some of them in New York changed that. I love the work of Jean Baptiste Corot, but really, there are too many artists both long dead and contemporary that I admire... In terms of contemporary Irish work, I remember being blown away by Diarmuid Delargy’s prints, so influenced by Rembrandt’s etching, Picasso’s too, but so very much their own. I’m also as influenced by poetry and fiction, Cormac McCarthy being a major influence on my thinking about landscape and the representation of it.

Michael Wann, No Ghosts 3, charcoal & wash on canvas, 70 x 70cm

 
Q: What is the thing you most enjoy about your work?

Very occasionally a piece of work will breath or sing all on its own, either during the making of it, or rarer again, long after completion. Often when you’re right in the middle of it it’s the most rewarding time, lost to all the flotsam of daily life and absorbed fully in the mark-making process. That place where everything tastes of charcoal and your arm and brain buzz from the repeated discovery of all the types of marks you can make, rational and intentional, or spontaneous, accidental and random. Stopping, knowing when a thing is done is as important as anything; I’m guilty continually of over-working a drawing and watching it die right there before me.

Q: How do you keep motivated if you’re having a bad day?

Just keep working generally. Work through the frustration or failure. Or just go home, focus on life’s other surprises; there’s nothing like daily life to make you realise your work isn’t half as special as you sometimes think, and going back into the studio next day I often feel this; which of course just makes you push harder towards making it better…

Q: How have you handled the business side of being an artist, promoting yourself and getting exposure, selling your work etc? How has the recession impacted on your livelihood?

It’s gotten easier as my work has become a little better known. And I’ve become more confident about talking about my work, which is an essential part of being an artist but also an understandably difficult thing for many artists. The recession has impacted on the arts across the board and in terrible ways. I made a living from my work for many years. That’s gone now; I’ve seen my entire salary wiped out almost overnight. It’s a hard hard time for all. Somehow though, being in the studio and working hard has never really been about money. It’s always rewarding to sell work of course, but in the making of it, the notion of sale mustn’t be a feature. If it does, in my experience, there’s more chance that the work is failing, or isn’t as true as it might be.

Q: Could you tell us a little more about your exhibition in Draíocht’s Ground Floor Gallery ‘Derelict’? Do you go looking for specific derelict buildings, and if yes, how do you choose which ones to draw?

Most of my work is about the notion of neglect or abandonment, within a landscape-based context. There are personal themes underlying the work of course. ‘Derelict’ as a body of work, evolved from time spent on residency at the Ballinglen Foundation in Ballycastle Co. Mayo and at the Cill Rialig artists’ retreat in Ballinskelligs Co. Kerry a number of years ago. I had been aware for a number of years that my birth father had died in Kerry, and having never met him, felt an odd kind of draw to the county. And so choosing abandoned dwellings as a reference point seemed like a way of somehow striving to make a vague connection, or to articulate a sense of loss or regret for things past…



Michael Wann, The Past is Stone, charcoal on canvas, 70 x 70cm



Q: When I look at your work, I’m immediately drawn towards the houses that remind me of my grandparent’s house. Do people often tell you about their memories of certain buildings, jolted perhaps by looking at your work?

People react differently to some of my work. There is a natural nostalgia in many of us I think. I’m not necessarily that interested in nostalgia per se, not where the derelict buildings are concerned; as I said before, its more to do with articulating or understanding a sense of loss, whether it be deeply personal, or just about changing times and the natural cycle of the crumble and decay of habitation.

Q: You have two more exhibitions coming up this year, can you tell us a little bit about them?

I’m showing at the Cross Gallery in Dublin in July of this year, with an exhibition called ‘we seek another place to rest’. It’s a show of small and large-scale drawings of piles of sticks and other features of neglect. In some ways it’s a much more personal show than ‘Derelict’, at least that’s how it feels, as it charts in an indirect way more profound issues of trauma and loss. But of course folk can just see it as drawings of sticks if they want… Then I’ve a show with Droichead Arts Centre in August entitled ‘Sticks and Stones’. Can you guess what that one’s about?!?

Q: Do you have any advice you could give to an artist just starting out?

Study law………only joking. Dunno really, what ever you’re making that it be the best it can be, in terms of technique or facility of medium. I was never any good when I started out at promoting myself, and it’s a vital part of the art world, to either be able to do it yourself or better again have a gallery do it for you.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Making work.

Q: What are your interests and hobbies outside of drawing?

Music, books, walking, the inexplicable ‘looking’ at landscape, boating on the Shannon, my family, all that stuff…

You can find more information about Michael’s work on his website:

http://www.michaelwann.com/

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By Draíocht. Tags: Artist Interview, Michael Wann