Panel Discussion
On Tuesday, May 2 at 6pm, Isobel Harbison will lead a discussion on aspects of contemporary Irish sculptural practice with Niamh O’Malley, Aleana Egan, Caoimhe Kilfeather, and Isabel Nolan. All are welcome and there is no need to book a place.
NIAMH O'MALLEY
Gallery 2
April 21 - May 27, 2017
The Douglas Hyde Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new video, sculpture and drawing by Niamh O'Malley.
'shape' is a video work in which O’Malley feigns the role of choreographer. Flat abstract shapes enter the frame and move calmly across a grey plane. Occasionally lines and curves settle into what appear to be deliberate arrangements. These allusive compositions shift onwards, inevitably swallowed by some barely discernible rhythmic drift. This transient image-making is possible due to surface tension in the molecular space where sky meets water.
Surface tensions recur in O'Malley's sculpture and drawings, evident through a haptic, agitated quality to edges and appearances. She is drawn to materials that display traces of their own making, labouring the surfaces of polished wood and graphite to the point of distraction. Glass is a favoured material, which is sometimes tinted and encountered as slivers of translucent solidness, directing us to observe, re-observe and filter our gaze.
Niamh O’Malley previously held a solo show in Gallery 1 of the Douglas Hyde Gallery in 2014. She has also held exhibitions in the Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver; Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool; and Project Arts Centre, Dublin, amongst many others. The Douglas Hyde Gallery would like to thank the artist for her commitment and enthusiasm; and John Hutchinson for initiating the project.
Panel Discussion
On Tuesday, May 2 at 6pm, Isobel Harbison will lead a discussion on aspects of contemporary Irish sculptural practice with Niamh O’Malley, Aleana Egan, Caoimhe Kilfeather, and Isabel Nolan. All are welcome and there is no need to book a place.