This new series of work is an investigation into the nature of death and the emotions that it reveals. Everything has its’ time, after death all that remains is documentation or the memory of the person, the place or object. But even if the imagery has dark elements, the beauty of them becomes more evident. Pencil and paper is for Magnhild Opdøl a pure and poetic way to approach new matters, allowing her to get close to the subjects that she works with. Each drawing is a finished piece, some of which get developed into objects.

Magnhild Opdøl (1980) was born in Norway, and is now living and working in Dublin. Since graduating from the National College of Art and Design, with an MFA in 2007 she has been widely exhibited both in Ireland and internationally. Recent exhibitions in 2008/2009 include: Forty Years of Norwegian Painting 40/40 at Stenersenmueet Oslo; solo exhibitions in Gallery LNM, Oslo and Beginning With the End of the Tale, the Lab, Dublin. She has been awarded residencies at both The Red Stables, DCC and Temple Bar Gallery & Studios.

Michael McSwiney portrays a world of abandoned, often threatening panoramas of land and sea. A sense of elusiveness is central to these mood-orientated images, where through alienating colours and strong atmospheric effects, these paintings portray an unnerving picture of nature. McSwiney (b. Cork 1969) began his studies at CCAD. He graduated with an Honours Degree in Fine Art from NCAD in 1991. For several years Michael traveled and worked in many countries such as Denmark, India and Egypt and from 2000-2008 was based in Oslo, Norway, where he was awarded grants from the Arts Council of Norway and the Norwegian Culture Department. His paintings are represented in both public and private collections in Denmark, Norway and Ireland. Michael and his family returned to live in Ireland in 2008.

Read more in our Blog ...

Exploring the Exhibition
This exhibition was accompanied by an artist talk in the First Floor Gallery on Saturday 17 April 2.30pm ... enjoy a snippet of Holly's talk recorded on the day ...

Featured work by almost 80 of Europe’s leading basket-makers in materials ranging from wire to willow and included both contemporary, sculptural work and traditional techniques. Curators Joe Hogan (Ire) and Mary Butcher (UK) are passionate about exposing people to these wonderful, age-old techniques. “Sadly, when the old basket makers die, so too will their traditional baskets,” says Hogan. “But as well as looking back, we are focusing on cutting edge contemporary work and that space in between, which most basket makers inhabit, creating professional, functional baskets.”
See More pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/draiochtblanchardstown/
See a short video here ...

From January to March 2010 well known artist and sculptor Cris Neumann facilitated the creation of 3D works with three classes of first and second year students from Coolmine and Hartstown Community Schools. This project explored the concepts of communication, mobility and technology, and how these concepts can work in the reduction and recycling of waste. On display will be three large sculptural pieces built by each class group, and smaller scale sculptures made by each student. This project was a fun reflection of Vodafone Ireland’s Green Agenda Policy and generated zero waste, as all materials were recycled from Vodafone. www.makeartnotrubbish.com

An exhibition by 24 Irish and international fine art printmaking artists: Norman Ackroyd RA (UK), Arno Kramer ( Netherlands), Elaine Leader ( Ireland), Mary Modeen (USA), Lars Nyberg ( Sweden), Takahiko Hayashi ( Japan), and Graphic Studio Dublin Members Grainne Cuffe, Cliona Doyle, Desmond Kenny, Brian Lalor, Stephen Lawlor, Sharon Lee, James McCreary, Niall Naessens, Ruth O'Donnell, Tom Phelan and Katherine Van Uytrecht. An artist talk and print demonstration with exhibiting artist Niamh Flanagan took place as part of 'Artist's Proof' on Saturday March 6 2010 @ 1pm in the Ground Floor Gallery.

http://www.colinmartinartist.com

“Irvine’s art has to do with the acknowledgment of strangeness. How odd other people are … How everything seems coherent, and then suddenly falls apart. Irvine … explores not only the extremes of passion … but also the mundane and the everyday… where people’s paths cross, and encounters are missed”. (Michael Newman, 2008).

Joshua Sex and Sanja Todorović
With special guest Michelle Hall
And announcing emerging critic Edel Horan

Over the last two years the artists Brian Maguire and Michael McLoughlin have facilitated weekly workshops with a core group of 30 residents of Ashleigh House, a residential centre for women in recovery from drugs and alcohol, operated by Coolmine Therapeutic Community, Dublin 15.

http://www.marynoonan.com


http://www.marieconnole.com/ 

http://www.ronanmccrea.com/

http://www.rossmcdonnell.ie/

At the Heart of Chance
Orla Whelan
28 November 2008 - 17 January 2009
Ground Floor Gallery

Caroline Byrne, Janine Davidson, Aoife Dwyer, Mary A. Fitzgerald, Mary Frazer, Jane Garland, Catriona Leahy, Colin Martin, David McGinn, Piia Rossi, Daryl Slein

Curated by Mark Garry

Amharc Fhine Gall V
Curated by Caroline Cowley

Ground & First Floor Galleries

See full interview with David in our Blog section.

Invited Artists: Anna Barham, Robert Armstrong, Bandit Style Booshaka, Ann Maree Barry, Art not Art, Terry Blake, Cyril Briscoe, Alan Butler, Ronnie Close, Alex Conway, Pat Corcoran, Anne-Marie Creame, Jim Flynn, Maurice Capalice, Edward Cunniffe, Mona Casey, Tim Elford, Niall Flatherty, Stephen Gaughan, Ben Geoghan, Vivienne Griffin, Stephen Gunning, Sticky Hough, Huexl, Austin Ivers, Lisa-Maire Johnson, Nevan Lahart, Brian Loughran, Chris Maguire, Ian Mannion, Paul McAree, Cian McConn, Mark McGreevy, Eoin McHugh, Mick McLoughlan, Seamus Nolan, Mathew Northridge, Liam O’Callaghan, Augustine O’Donoghue, Caroline Patten, Alan Phelan, Tessa Power, Francis Quinn, Thomas Markus Schumann, Sonia Shiel, Alison Tobin, Kevin Touhy, Mick Wilson

Winner: Magdalena Jelonkiewicz (Ireland) / Charlie McCartney (Scotland), Plájas Istva'n (Romania), Kerekes Istva'n (Romania), Miroslav Vajdle (Serbia), Andrea Schmidt (Hungary), Stanko Abadzic (Croatia), Goran Heckler (Sweden), Leif Rosén (Sweden), Michael Feeney (Ireland), Gábor Takács (Hungary), Anthony Scullion (Ireland), Wolfgang Ballof (Germany), Gunter Muller (Germany), Gerry Doyle (Ireland), Derek Slater (Ireland), Peter Barriscale (Ireland), Liam Haines (Ireland), Einar Tiits (Estonia), Boris Nikitin (Russia).

Curated by Eimear Martin, Outsider Fellow, Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Artists: Serge Delaunay, Alois Fischbach, Johann Garber, Madge Gill, Johann Hauser, Anthony Jadunauth, Dusan Kusmic, Albert Louden, Dwight Mackintosh, Richard Nie, Perifimou,  Oswald Tschirtner.

List of Artists selected by 5^th year students from Hartstown Community School, Hartstown, Dublin 15 ... Eddie Cahill, Elizabeth Comerford, Tony Crosbie, Mick Cullen, Des Kenny, John Kindness, Alice Maher, Bernie Masterson, Paraic McQuaid, Mary Rose O’Neill and Una Sealy.