The September / October issue of The Visual Artists’ News Sheet features a range of timely insights from artists and curators about forthcoming exhibitions and projects happening around the country and overseas in autumn.

This coverage includes: EVA International (currently showing in venues across Limerick until 29 October); MA in Creative Practice graduate exhibitions at ATU Galway and ATU Sligo (opening on 8 and 14 September respectively); Earth Rising at IMMA (21 – 24 September); Colin Martin’s forthcoming solo show at CCI Paris (16 September – 27 October); Orla Barry’s live artwork, being presented at TBG+S (5 – 7 October); Aoibheann Greenan’s exhibition at Pallas Projects/Studios (2 – 18 November); and Sonia Shiel’s forthcoming solo show at VISUAL Carlow (30 September 2023 – 7 January 2024).

For our latest ‘In Focus’ section, we hear from artist-led initiatives, Askeaton Contemporary Arts, Basic Space, Catalyst Arts, INTER_SITE, and Muine Bheag Arts. In addition, this issue features significant coverage of recent exhibitions, presented in galleries and art centres nationwide, which includes: Fiona Mulholland ‘In Search of Pearls & Future Fossils’ at Artlink (Donegal); Katherine Sankey ‘an atom bomb in each morsel of life’ at The LAB Gallery (Dublin); ‘Then I Laid the Floor’ at Triskel Arts Centre (Cork); ‘On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous’ at glór (Clare); Jialin Long, ‘Red Illuminates II’ at The Library Project (Dublin); Mark Joyce ‘Bending Light’ at Damer House Gallery (Tipperary); and a visual arts roundup from Galway International Arts Festival 2023.

On The Cover

Mark Joyce, Heliocentric 2, 2019, pigment on raw linen; photograph © and courtesy of the artist.

First Pages

6. Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months.

Columns

9. Hide and Sing. Cornelius Browne reflects on his ongoing artistic collaboration with Sara Baume.

The Anatomy of Art Making. Manal Mahamid outlines her journey as a multidisciplinary Palestinian artist.

10. ACNI Collection. Joanna Johnston outlines recent acquisitions to the ACNI Collection.

Earth Rising. Siobhán Mooney outlines the forthcoming eco art festival taking place at IMMA this September.

11. Wicklow Artists Salon. Philip St John and Joanna Kidney reflect on a year of the Wicklow Artists Salon.

The Ocean and The Forest. Frank Golden draws on European Modern Art to reflect on Timothy Emlyn Jones’s recent exhibition.

Festival

12. The Gleaners Society. Frank Wasser interviews Sebastian Cichocki about his guest programme for EVA International.

In Focus: Artist-Led

14. An Altering Rhythm. Inter_site.
15. Welcome to the Neighbourhood. Askeaton Contemporary Arts.

relocation / reaction / response. Catalyst Arts.

16. A Basic Need for Space. Basic Space.
17. Grass Roots. Muine Bheag Arts.

Critique

19. Ruby Wallis, ‘Whistling in the Dark’, installation view, Galway Arts Centre.
20. Fiona Mulholland, Artlink, Fort Dunree.
21. Katherine Sankey, The LAB Gallery.
22. ‘Then I Laid the Floor’, Triskel Arts Centre
23. ‘On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous’, glór
24. Galway International Arts Festival, Various Venues.

Exhibition Profile

26. Red Illuminates. Adam Stoneman reflects on Jialin Long’s current body of work which uses AI processes.
27. Bending Light. Catherine Marshall reflects on Mark Joyce’s recent solo exhibition at Damer House Gallery.
28. Empathy Lab. Colin Martin discusses current themes in his painting practice and forthcoming show at CCI Paris.

Postgraduate

29. Getting to the Heart of Practice. Laurence Hynes discusses his experience of the MA Creative Practice at ATU Galway.

Daughter(s) of Danu. Nina Fern outlines her artistic journey as part of the MA Creative Practice at ATU Sligo.

Project Profile

30. The Agri-Cultural Summer Show. Ciara Healy interviews Orla Barry about evolving thematic concerns in her practice.
31. The Ninth Muse. Frank Wasser interviews Aoibheann Greenan about her current body of work.
32. Supernatural Bureau. Kate Strain interviews Sonia Shiel about current and forthcoming projects.

Member Profile

34. Twilight Time. Ann Quinn, VAI Member.
35. Stacks. Mary O’Connor, VAI Member.

Give Me A Ring Tomorrow. Nerosunero, VAI Member.

36. You Begin. Margaret Fitzgibbon, VAI Member.

Visual Artists Ireland is thrilled to publish the November-December 2023 special issue of The Visual Artists’ News Sheet. As recipient of the inaugural VAN Guest Editor Award 2023, London-based art critic and editor Orit Gat has developed a themed issue on the relationship between art and literature.

As stated by Orit in her editorial for this special issue, “The relationships of art and literature is a subject I have personally been engaging with for a long time […] But this theme was particularly inspired by the growth of the literary scene in Ireland, the amount of Irish fiction I’ve been reading, and my appreciation of the work of many Irish art and literary publications.”

This VAN special issue features a roundtable on publishing, in which Orit asks editors about the historic and contemporary forms, conditions and exchanges of the Irish publishing landscape. The columns for this issue are each short personal essays about the manifold ways in which a writing practice is formed. The feature articles touch on various subjects, including writing requirements in art schools, the representation of art in film, and a filmmaker’s new book. In addition, there are artist projects that show how artists relate to language and research, two poems about art and looking, and a short story about an artist who creates a monument to the victims of austerity. The Critique section focuses on exhibitions that relate in some way to literature, opera, science fiction, poetry, or historically important writers.

On The Cover

Shilpa Gupta, Words Come From Ears, 2018, Motion flapboard, 15-minute loop, 43 x 244 x 13 cm; photograph by Par Fredin, courtesy of the artist, Uppsala Art Museum, and the Henry Moore Institute.

Columns

6. Editorial. VAN Guest Editor Orit Gat introduces this special issue on art and literature.

On Magic and Dullness. Laura McLean-Ferris considers the transformative power of writing to conjure iridescent realities.

7. When Writers Socialise. Megan Nolan offers insights into New York’s literary and socialite scenes.

Stupidities. Brian Dillon outlines his approach when engaging with artists and their work.

8. Until the Penny Drops. Wendy Erskine discusses writing, process, and makes an argument for polyphony.

Making Prosinečki. Adrian Duncan discusses his short story and subsequent fi lm which premiered earlier this year.

Writing & Art Practice

9. Writing in Art School. Frank Wasser chronicles the standardisation of academic writing within art college education.
10. On Close Scrutiny, Ritual and Reverence. Isobel Harbison interviews Sara Baume about the evolution of her writing practice.

Roundtable

12. Roundtable on Publishing. Orit Gat interviews several editors about the Irish publishing landscape.

Poetry

16. Chromatology. Mónica de la Torre assembles extracts of writing on colour in response to Donald Judd’s multicoloured works.
17. The Day After Tragedy, Lunch Beneath Whistlejacket. Aea Varfi s-van Warmelo.

Critique

19. Blaise Cendrars and Sonia Delaunay-Terk, La Prose du Trans sibérien et de la petite Jehanne de France (Paris: Éditions des hommes nouveaux, 1913)
20. ‘Human Is’ at Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin.
21. Nour Mobarak, ‘Dafne Phono’ at Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, Greece.
22. ‘Blaise Cendrars (1887–1961): Poetry Is Everything’ at The Morgan Library & Museum, New York.
23. ‘The Weight of Words’ at The Henry Moore Institute.

Extended Essay

26. Eddie Murphy Walks into a Gallery. Orlando Whitfield on how no one understands the art world.
27. Art of Relations. Quinn Latimer considers filmmaker, writer, and theorist Trinh T. Minh-ha’s latest artist book, The Twofold Commitment (Primary Information, 2023).

Artist Project

30. Ages. Steve Bishop presents found photographs from an ongoing series.
31. Score for Unlanguaging. Orit Gat introduces the work of Jesse Chun.
32. The pagination of moments lost and found. Steven Emmanuel considers an old drawing that sits on his sideboard.

Prose

34. The Monument. Juliet Jacques presents a short story about a memorial to the victims of austerity.

Comics

36. In the Gutter. Chris Fite-Wassilak considers the successes and failures of comics in the gallery space.

Happy new year to our valued readers, supporters, colleagues, and friends!

The first VAN issue of the year features a report on VAI Get Together 2023 – the annual networking event for visual artists – which took a blended approach last autumn, comprising both online and physical events. We also hear from VAI Exchange Award winner, Chinedum Muotto, who discusses recent developments in his interdisciplinary practice.

Abigail O’Brien reflects on bicentennial celebrations at the Royal Hibernian Academy last year, while Brian Mac Domhnaill outlines the 60th anniversary of Cork Arts Society, now trading as Lavit Gallery. In the Festival/Biennale section, Lucy Elvis reflects on the learning of the TULCA Festival board this year, in terms of accessibility and inclusion, and for the first in a new series of columns on KCAT artists, Kate Strain introduces the work of Sinéad Fahey.

For our latest ‘In Focus’ section, we hear from artists working in the expanded discipline of textiles, with insights from Ceadogán Rugmakers and Contemporary Tapestry Artists Ireland, as well as VAI Members Ciara O’Connor, Aine Byrne, Sinéad Kennedy, and Richard Malone.

This issue also features coverage of various exhibitions happening around the country as 2023 drew to a close. This includes: ‘Self Determination: A Global Perspective’ at IMMA, ‘Following Threads’ at Crawford Art Gallery, Karen Donnellan ‘Cosmic Wetness’ at The RHA, Kwok Tsui’s ‘Deferral | Echo’ at CCA Derry~Londonderry, Maeve Brennan ‘An Excavation’ at VISUAL Carlow, Victor Sloan ‘Beyond’ at Belfast Exposed, Diaa Lagan and Basil Al-Rawi, ‘Shahid’, and Elaine Grainger ‘Holding on Lightly’ at The LAB Gallery.  

On The Cover

Cecilia Danell, The Primeval Sunset, 2022 [detail], hand-tufted rug, 100% wool yarn, 200 x 200 cm; image courtesy of the artist, Kevin Kavanagh, and Crawford Art Gallery.

First Pages

6. Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months.
7. News. The latest developments in the arts sector.

Columns

9. The Painter’s Calendar. Cornelius Browne considers the temporal commitments of plein air painting.

Fullness of Being. For the first in a new series of columns on KCAT artists, Kate Strain introduces the work of Sinéad Fahey.

10. RHA at 200. Abigail O’Brien reflects on bicentennial celebrations at the Royal Hibernian Academy last year.

Masking / Unmasking. VAI Exchange Award winner Chinedum Muotto discusses recent developments in his interdisciplinary practice. 

In Focus: Textiles

11. True to Our Roots. Colm Kenny, Ceadogán Rugmakers

Shapeshifting. Ciara O’Connor, VAI Member

12. Loose Ends. Aine Byrne, VAI Member
13. Slow Time. Contemporary Tapestry Artists Ireland
14. Grand Land. Sinéad Kennedy, VAI Member
15. Materiality and Meaning. Richard Malone, VAI Member

Artist-Led

16. HERmetics in the Studio. Members of a new painting collective share their motivations and spaces of engagement.

Member Profile

18. Slowly but Surely (I’m so fucking tired). Belfast-based visual artist Tara McGinn reflects on concepts of home in their emerging practice.

Folded In. Aodán McCardle discusses the evolution of his work to date including various career highlights.

Critique

19. Isabel Nolan, The Light Poured Out Of You, 2017.
20. ‘Self Determination: A Global Perspective’ at IMMA
21. ‘Following Threads’ at Crawford Art Gallery
22. Diaa Lagan and Basil Al-Rawi, and Elaine Grainger at The LAB Gallery
23. Maeve Brennan at VISUAL Carlow
24. Victor Sloan at Belfast Exposed

Columns

25. Blissed. Maximilian Le Cain discusses his new film which expands the expressive palette of Irish cinema.

Artist-Centred Approach. Dorothy Smith outlines her ongoing curatorial residency at Droichead Arts Centre.

VAI Event

26. VAI Get Together 2023. Joanne Laws and Thomas Pool report on the annual networking event for visual artists.

Exhibition Profile

29. Cosmic Wetness. Day Magee speaks to Karen Donnellan about their recent exhibition at The RHA.
30. Deferral | Echo. Kevin Burns discusses Kwok Tsui’s exhibition at CCA Derry~Londonderry.

Organisation Profile

32. Art for Patronage. Brian Mac Domhnaill reflects on the 60th anniversary of Cork Arts Society, now trading as Lavit Gallery.
33. A Gaeltacht Sensibility. Andrew Duggan interviews Úna Campbell, Director of. An Gailearaí in County Donegal.

Festival / Biennale

36. Hospitality & Hidden Time. Lucy Elvis reflects on the learning of the TULCA Festival board in terms of accessibility and inclusion.

Project Profile

38. Sentient Entity. Debi Paul talks about Glandwr, her home in Chapelizod, where she hosts exhibitions and projects.

Last Pages

39. VAI Lifelong Learning. Upcoming VAI helpdesks, cafés, and webinars.

In columns for this issue, we reflect on capacity and slowness across the arts sector; Lian Bell considers the implications of slow travel, while Catherine Hemelryk shares some thoughts on delivering a meaningful programme with limited funding, staffing, and resources.

This issue also features a series of timely interviews: Joanne Laws interviews Eimear Walshe and Sara Greavu about the forthcoming representation of Ireland at the Venice Biennale; Thomas Pool interviews participants of the Freelands Artist Programme; and Sarah Long interviews Marianne Keating about her touring exhibition, ‘An Ciúnas / The Silence’, currently showing at The Model.

In Focus: Collectives is a special section for this issue, featuring six diverse groups working in the experimental field, with reflections on art historical DIY influences, and the infrastructure, networks, and supports needed to maintain a collective practice. We hear from artist collectives Mná Rógaire, The Glue Factory, and Everything But The Kitchen Sink; experimental music ensemble, Kirkos; rave architecture collective, Temporary Pleasure; and community archive, Éireann and I, who each outline their previous, current and forthcoming activities.

On The Cover

Eimear Walshe, ROMANTIC IRELAND, 2023, production still; photograph by Faolán Carey, courtesy of the artist and Ireland at Venice.

First Pages

6. Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months.
7. News. The latest developments in the arts sector.

Columns

9. Wee Windows. Cornelius Browne considers apertures and vantage points onto the past.

Greetings from the Countryside (Strong Emotions). Laura Fitzgerald presents an excerpt from her new artist’s book.

10. On Capacity. Catherine Hemelryk shares some thoughts on delivering meaningful programmes with limited resources.

Surface Tactics. For the first in a series of columns, Lian Bell considers the implications of slow travel.

11. Access Toolkits: A Living Tradition. Iarlaith Ní Fheorais outlines her recently published Access Toolkit for Artworkers.

Responding to Sound. Catherine Marshall discusses the work of KCAT Studio artist Diana Chambers.

Exhibition Profile

12. An Ciúnas. Sarah Long interviews Marianne Keating about her latest film and touring exhibition.
13. Rehearsals. Ella de Búrca reviews Yvonne McGuiness’s recent solo exhibition at Butler Gallery.

 In Focus: Collectives

15. The Material Body. Mná Rógaire, Artist Collective.

A Tapestry of Talents. Everything But The Kitchen Sink.

16. Mutual Care. Kirkos, Experimental Music Ensemble.
17. What Makes A Club? Temporary Pleasure, Rave Architecture Collective.
18. Liberatory Practices. Éireann and I, Collaborative Community Archive.

Not About Horses. The Glue Factory.

Critique

19. Olivia O’Dwyer, Author of My Days, 2023, oil on canvas.
20. Olivia O’Dwyer at Kevin Kavanagh
21. Christine Mackey at glór
22. Laura Buckley at Galway Arts Centre
23. Venus Patel at Crawford Art Gallery
24. Kate Cooper at Project Arts Centre

 Organisation Profile

26. Social Permaculture. Joanne Laws interviews Vivianna Chechia about her plans and aspirations as Director of Void Gallery in Derry.

 Festival / Biennale

28. Romantic Ireland. Joanne Laws interviews Eimear Walshe and Sara Greavu about the forthcoming representation of Ireland at the Venice Biennale.

International

30. Memory Ware. Alan Phelan reviews Mike Kelley’s recent retrospective at The Bourse de Commerce Pinault Collection in Paris.

Project Profile

32. Freelands. Thomas pool interviews the artists from the Freelands Artist Programme at PS² and The Freelands Studio Fellow.

Member Profile

35. Vanitas: New Old Paintings. Madeleine Shinnick reflects on the convergence of joy and sorrow in her painting practice.

Capturing the Lightness. Shabnam Vasisht outlines the evolution of her practice to date.

 Last Pages

36. VAI Lifelong Learning. Upcoming VAI helpdesks, cafés, and webinars.

For VAN May/June, the In Focus section features members of Print Network Ireland – an initiative led by Black Church Print Studio, Cork Printmakers, Graphic Studio Dublin, and Limerick Printmakers, which aims to represent professional printmakers and artists using print in Ireland. This section includes articles by Ria Czerniak-LeBov (Graphic Studio Dublin), Emily McGardle (Black Church Print Studio), Johnny Bugler (Cork Printmakers), and Christopher Clery (Limerick Printmakers), who each outline a specific print process.

Also focusing on printmaking, Aodán McCardle outlines the evolution of Derry Print Workshop. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Belfast Exposed, Jonathan Brennan interviews Deirdre Robb about the evolution of the organisation. This issue also features Career Development articles from artists Breda Lynch, Ella de Burca, and Rita Duffy.

In columns, Rachel Macmanus considers the impact on artists of rejected proposals, while Lian Bell reflects on the benefits of coaching to counterbalance this sense of powerlessness. For the third column in the series introducing KCAT studio artists, Dominic Thorpe reflects on the working methods of Declan Byrne. Tuqa Al-Sarraj discusses key themes within her multidisciplinary art practice for the latest Angelica Network column, established to amplify the voices of women or minority gender artists from underrepresented cultural or ethnic backgrounds.

In International Profiles for this issue, Varvara Keidan Shavrova reviews the current sculpture exhibition, ‘When Forms Come Alive’, at Hayward Gallery in London, while Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes reviews ‘Kafkaesque’, an exhibition at DOX in Prague to mark the centenary of Franz Kafka’s death. Reviewed in the Critique section are: Lorraine Tuck at Roscommon Arts Centre; Els Dietvorst at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre; Hughie O’Donoghue at The Glucksman; Eddie Cahill at Limerick City Gallery of Art; and Niamh McCann at The MAC.

As ever, the May/June issue includes the latest news, developments, and opportunities in the arts sector, as well as details of VAI’s forthcoming Lifelong Learning programme.

On The Cover

Niamh McCann, ‘someone decides, hawk or dove’, installation view, The MAC; photograph by Simon Mills, courtesy of the artist and The MAC.

First Pages

6. Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months.
7. News. The latest developments in the arts sector.

Columns

9. Wildflowers for Breakfast. Cornelius Browne reflects on the resilience of nature and the arrival of spring.

An Artist in Exile. Tuqa Al-Sarraj discusses key themes within her multidisciplinary art practice.

10. Something Found To Be Beautiful. For the third column in the series introducing KCAT studio artists, Dominic Thorpe reflects on some of the working methods of Declan Byrne.

Approx 1 Second of a Sweet Kiss. Lisa Freeman discusses her new film now showing in Temple Bar Gallery + Studios until 19 May.

11. Artists Know Best. Lian Bell reflects on the benefits of coaching to counterbalance powerlessness.

On Rejection. Rachel Macmanus considers the impact on artists of rejected proposals.

Organisation Profile

12. Belfast Exposed @ 40. Jonathan Brennan interviews Deirdre Robb about the 40^th anniversary of Belfast Exposed.
13. Surface and Inscription. Aodán McCardle outlines the evolution of Derry Print Workshop.

In Focus: Print Network Ireland

15. Etching the Digital Landscape. Ria Czerniak-LeBov, Graphic Studio Dublin
16. Screen Printing Using Analogue Positives. Emily Mc Gardle, Black Church Print Studio
17. Impressions of Place. Johnny Bugler, Cork Printmakers
18. How to Flock! Christopher Clery, Limerick Printmakers

Critique

19. Lorraine Tuck, ‘Unusual Gestures’, 2023.
20. Lorraine Tuck at Roscommon Arts Centre
21. Els Dietvorst at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre
22. Hughie O’Donoghue at The Glucksman
23. Eddie Cahill at Limerick City Gallery of Art
24. Niamh McCann at The MAC

International

26. When Forms Come Alive. Varvara Keidan Shavrova reviews the current sculpture exhibition at Hayward Gallery in London
27. Kafkaesque. Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes reviews an exhibition in Prague to mark the centenary of Franz Kafka’s death.

Career Development

29. Creator of Worlds. Brendan Maher interviews Breda Lynch about her recent exhibition at The Source Arts Centre in Thurles.
30. Holding Space. Ella de Burca outlines the evolution of her practice to date.
31. Mother Myth Memory. Sean Walsh interviews artist Rita Duffy about her current exhibition at Esker Arts in Tullamore.

Public Art

32. Art Outside of the Gallery. Public art profiles by Ruth E. Lyons and Maggie Madden.

Member Profile

34. Tokyo Jazz Joints & Beyond. Belfast-born photographer Philip Arneill discusses his research and practice.

The Power of Stillness. Adeline Gaudefroy reports on her residency at The Marina Abramović Institute.

Last Pages

35. Opportunities. Grants, awards, open calls, and commissions.
36. VAI Lifelong Learning. Upcoming VAI helpdesks, cafés, and webinars.

For The VAN July August 2024 issue, Carissa Farrell’s Public Art profile considers Comórtas – a new artwork by John Byrne, commissioned through Fingal County Council’s public art programme, Infrastructure 2018-2024. Also in this section, Valerie Byrne, Public Art Manager at Cork City Council, outlines the Island City sculpture trail in Cork city centre.

In Focus: Digital Art includes profiles by VAI members 1iing heaney, Cailean Finn, Jonah King, and Gerard Carson, who each outline their use of digital technologies, including 3D scanning and printing, digital rendering, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), and Virtual Reality (VR).

For the first in a new Irish Art History column series, Seán Kissane discusses the current retrospective at IMMA, celebrating the legacy of Irish modernist sculptor, Hilary Heron. Meanwhile, Sarah Browne outlines the use of captioning and audio description in her new film, Buttercup (2024) for the latest Access Column.

Among other Feature Articles for this issue, Barbara Knežević considers vast and intimate scales at the 60^th Venice Biennale, while Linda Shevlin reports on themes of collectivism and resistance. Séamus Nolan outlines a collaborative art project, ‘Hereditas’, exploring traveller culture and social history for Cairde Sligo Arts Festival, and Joanne Laws interviews VAI Member, Eilis O’Connell, about the evolution of her sculptural practice over five decades.

As ever, the July/Aug issue includes the latest news, developments, and opportunities in the arts sector, as well as details of VAI’s forthcoming Lifelong Learning programme. 

On The Cover

John Byrne, An Comórtas/The Contest, 2024, back-lit, digitally printed PVC, installation view, Carnegie Library, Swords. Commissioned through Fingal County Council’s public art programme, Infrastructure 2018-2024; photograph by Louis Haugh, courtesy of the artist and Fingal County Council.

First Pages

6. Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months.
8. News. The latest developments in the arts sector.

Columns
9. Beside the Ocean of Time. Cornelius Browne considers holy days, sacred observations, and a date beyond calendar time.
I Was Thinking One Night. Leah Corbett discusses the work of KCAT artist Lorna Cope Corrigan.
10. A Question of Pace. Lian Bell reflects on setting the pace of work as an arts freelancer.
Curatorial Exchange. Mark O’Gorman discusses his participation in EXPO Chicago.
11. Hilary Heron: A Retrospective. Seán Kissane discusses an exhibition at IMMA celebrating the legacy of an Irish modernist sculptor.
Buttercup: A Questioning Orientation. Sarah Browne outlines access methods for her new film including captioning and audio description.

Exhibition Profile
12. Apocalypse Anxieties. Michaële Cutaya considers the current group exhibition at Luan Gallery.

Socially Engage Practice
14. Hereditas. Séamus Nolan outlines a collaborative art project exploring traveller culture and social history for Cairde Sligo Arts Festival.

In Focus:
15. Digital Changelings. 1iing heaney, VAI Member
16. Creative Technology. Cailean Finn, VAI Member
17. Cyborg Ecologies. Jonah King, VAI Member
18. Wanderings in the Digital Soup. Gerard Carson, Digital Artist

Critique
19. Helen Hughes, ‘finding the most forgiving element’, installation view, Butler Gallery.
20. Pauline Rowan and Caline Aoun at The Dock
21. ‘HORSES’ at Mermaid Arts Centre
22. Helen Hughes at Butler Gallery
23. Martin Healy at Crawford Art Gallery
24. Martina O’Brien at Galway Arts Centre

Festival / Biennial
26. Autotheory. Barbara Knežević considers vast and intimate scales at the 60th Venice Biennale.
27. Foreigners Everywhere. Linda Shevlin reports on themes of collectivism and resistance at the 60th Venice Biennale.

Public Art
28. Island City. Valerie Byrne outlines a sculpture trail in Cork city centre.
29. Comórtas. Carissa Farrel discusses John Byrne’s new public artwork for Fingal.

Member Profile
30. Biomorphic Forms. Joanne Laws interviews Eilis O’Connell about the evolution of her sculptural practice over five decades.
32. Do It Yourself. Rachel Macmanus outlines the evolution of her art practice to date.
Change of Climate. environmental artist Evelyn Sorohan reflects on her practice and recent exhibition at glór.
33. Congruent. Sara Cunningham-Bell outlines her sculptural practice and current solo exhibition at F.E. McWilliam Gallery.
Recognisable Bodies. Clare Scott reflects on the work of VAI Member Eoin O’Malley.

Last Pages
34. Opportunities. Grants, awards, open calls, and commissions.
35. VAI News. VAI staff report on recent activities nationwide.
36. VAI Lifelong Learning. Upcoming VAI helpdesks, cafés, and webinars.

For VAN Sept/Oct issue, Joanne Laws reflects on ‘Longest Way Round, Shortest Way Home’ – offsite exhibitions by Yuri Pattison and Liliane Puthod, being presented by Temple Bar Gallery + Studios in Dublin Port.

Among other Exhibition Profiles, Denis Farrell discusses his recent show at Le Corbusier’s Le Couvent de la Tourette in Lyon, while Susan Connolly outlines themes and approaches for her forthcoming solo exhibition at F.E McWilliam Gallery.

In Columns for this issue, Cathy Fitzgerald considers the importance of bringing ecoliteracy to the creative sector, while Lian Bell reflects on walking as a practice of ritual and intention. For his latest Plein Air Column, ‘The Composers in the Garden’, Cornelius Browne traces the tender intersections of art, nature, music, and love. 

Organisation Profiles were commissioned for this issue to mark the 40th anniversaries of Queen Street Studios in Belfast and Garter Lane Arts Centre in Waterford, with each chronicling their evolution over four decades.

In Focus: Postgraduate includes profiles by current art students on MA courses nationwide, who each outline their experiences and aspirations. As ever, the Sept/Oct issue includes the latest news, developments, and opportunities in the arts sector, as well as details of VAI’s forthcoming Lifelong Learning programme.

On The Cover

Yuri Pattison, dream sequence (working title for a work in progress), 2023-ongoing, generative and mutable game engine motion picture/play and score affected by local atmospheric conditions, duration variable, dimensions variable, looping; photograph by Ros Kavanagh, courtesy of the artist and Temple Bar Gallery + Studios. 

 First Pages

6. Roundup. Exhibitions and events from the past two months.
7. News. The latest developments in the arts sector.

Columns

9. The Composers in the Garden. Cornelius Browne traces the tender intersections of art, nature, music, and love.

The Beauty of Castalia. Benjamin Stafford considers the work of KCAT Studio artist Brianna Hurley.

10. More Power to You. Logan Sisley chronicles the life and legacy of Irish artist Sarah Purser.

Salmagundi. Jijo Sebastian outlines his collaborative film project co-commissioned by the Hugh Lane Gallery and Create.

11. Ecological Imperative for Creatives. Dr Cathy Fitzgerald reflects on the importance of bringing ecoliteracy to the creative sector.

Functional Magic. Lian Bell reflects on walking as a practice of ritual and intention.

Exhibition Profile

12. Longest Way Round. Joanne Laws reviews the TBG+S offsite exhibitions in Dublin Port.
13. Androcles’ Key. Joanne Laws interviews Denis Farrell about his recent exhibition at Le Corbusier’s Le Couvent de la Tourette in Lyon.
14. GROUND (100+one). Susan Connolly outlines her themes and approaches for a new body of painting.

In Focus: Postgraduate

16. Making Kin. Eden Munroe, MA in Fine Art at TUD

Necessary Polarities. John Graham, MA ACW at NCAD

17. Experience of Engagement. James McLoughlin, MFA in Fine Art at LSAD

Reimagining Materials. Maia Hay, MA Art & Ecology at BCA

18. Dwelling Dystopia. Clara McSweeney, MA ARC at IADT

Afterwards. Tracey McCoey, MFA in Fine Art at Belfast School of Art

Critique

19. Richard Malone, Semantic Sketches, 2022-23, installation view, VISUAL.
20. Sinéad Smyth at Echo Echo Dance Theatre
21. ‘Sanctuary’ at Mermaid Arts Centre
22. Eimear King at South Tipperary Arts Centre
23. ‘Now You See It’ at Crawford Art Gallery
24. ‘Behind the Curtain’ at VISUAL

Organisation Profile

27. Creative Momentum. Sile Penkert outlines the evolution of Garter Lane Arts Centre as it celebrates 40 years in operation.
28. QSS at 40. Irene Fitzgerald chronicles the evolution of Belfast’s Queen Street Studios over four decades.

Ecologies

30. When We Cease to Understand the World. Mary Flanagan reviews the group exhibition at Interface for Galway International Arts Festival.

Career Development

31. Let Them Paint Flowers. Jennifer Trouton and Sian Costello discuss their approaches to painting.
32. In Transit. Michael Hill interviews Ella Bertilsson about the pressures of maintaining an art practice.

Member Profile

33. Retrofuturism. Hazel O’Sullivan outlines the trajectory of her emerging art practice.
34. Peace Work. Marielle MacLeman outlines recent and forthcoming projects.

Last Pages

35. VAI News. Recent VAI award winners report on their activities.
36. VAI Lifelong Learning. Upcoming VAI helpdesks, cafés, and webinars.