Out Now | January February 2024 issue of The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

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.