What’s On | Top Visual Arts Events in June
June is here, and summer is hot on its heels! What better way to spend the long days than checking out some amazing artworks? Here’s our top pick of exhibitions and festivals happening around the country this month.
Exhibitions:
Lift Yourself | Tadhg Ó Cuirrín
Pallas Projects
31 May – 15 June
Lift Yourself is a series of small watercolour works on paper that draw inspiration from the omnipresence of plastic as a material and a symbol, conspiracy theories, the mountainous landscape of northern Vietnam, consumerism, the weather, the Crystal World and Mount Analogue, environmentalism, and Kanye West.
Niamh O’Malley
Lismore Castle Arts
2 June – 25 August
Niamh O’Malley works with drawing, sculpture, painting, video, and more recently glass. She is drawn to familiar materials that display traces of their own making, labouring the surfaces and edges of polished wood and graphite panels. Originally trained as a painter, the artist’s interest in the construction and composition of images has extended spatially through the medium of glass. Rather than treating it as an invisible barrier, O’Malley emphasises its physicality – its thickness, its surface, its opacity – giving attention to properties that might more usually be overlooked. Her sculptures are partly reminiscent of furniture; shelves, canopies, panels, and bulk. They also function as ballast, solid weights to create a space of form and attention. Through her body of work, the artist continually reminds us of the directed and mediated image – from bench, to view, to landscape.
“Foul, Filthy, Stinking Muck” | Hannah Tiernan
Project Arts Centre
4 June
Developed as part of Project’s Active Archive/Slow Institution project, Hannah Tiernan’s current research looks at the LGBT theatre of Project Arts Centre from 1967 to 2000. Having conducted extensive archival research, she will reflect on how the documented works responded to social issues of the time and how they have influenced contemporary theatre practice. Her work will also consider the role of Project Arts Centre as an artist-led organisation at the forefront of presenting and producing cutting edge work within the context of LGBTQ activism.
Master Print | James McCreary, Tom Phelan, Robert Russell and Niamh Flanagan
Graphic Studio Dublin
6 – 29 June
Master Print is a celebration of our Visiting Artist Scheme, that has been in place since 1980. The scheme has invited many of Ireland’s best known visual artists. These artists are invited to make original prints at our studio with the assistance of our Master Printers – technical experts in printmaking, and also gifted artists in their own right.
For the show, Graphic Studio Gallery selects work by four of our current and previous Master printers, James McCreary; Tom Phelan; Robert Russell; and Niamh Flanagan, and asks them to select some of their favourite prints that they helped to create by artists that they worked with.
The New Past | Bennie Reilly
Triskel Gallery Space
6 June – 30 August
Bennie Reilly’s work has always dealt with aspects of the natural world and its peculiarities. Her latest exhibition, The New Past, is a collection of paintings and sculptural objects that present a flux of both accepted and questionable historical fact. Informed by an interest in museology, it is built upon an eclectic accumulation of curios and photographic research.
Field Notes from the Border #3 | Anthony Haughey, Dragana Jurisic, Kate Nolan, Kevin Fox and Raymond B Newman
Nerve Centre
7 June
Field Notes from the Border #3 presents work by these five contemporary artists working along the border in Ireland. It is part of a series of cross-border exhibitions and engagement programmes curated by the Gallery of Photography, which respond to the anxiety raised by Brexit on both sides of the border.
Graduate Exhibition
NCAD
8 – 16 June
The NCAD Show 2019 features the work of graduates from NCAD’s Schools of Fine Art, Design and Education, together with postgraduates from the MFA in Fine Art, MFA in Digital Art and MFA Design programmes. In addition, a selection of work in progress is on display by postgraduates in Design and Education.
The exhibition presents an opportunity for the leading artists and designers of the future to showcase their creative identities as they launch their professional careers. It’s also an opportunity for potential collectors, employers and innovators to spot the latest talent, and for curious members of the public to see the newest trends in design and art.
Art In The Garden | Dali, Warhol Picasso, Banksy & More
Culloden Estate, Belfast
15 – 30 June
The largest collection of Dali’s works seen in Ireland, plus collections from Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Banksy, will form the centrepiece of Art In The Garden at the five-star Culloden Estate, Belfast, from June 15-30.
In conjunction with Gormleys Fine Art, 14 pieces from the Dali Universe in Switzerland will lead the exhibition containing more than 120 sculptures and will be exhibited both in the grounds of the 12-acre estate and in the hotel. The Culloden Estate’s idyllic private grounds overlooking Belfast Lough will be a perfect backdrop to the finest collection of sculpture to be displayed on the island of Ireland.
The Culloden Estate is offering special Art in the Garden breaks with luxurious overnight accommodation, full Irish breakfast and entry into the exhibition from only £230 per room. There will also be an Art in the Garden Afternoon Tea with a curated art tour of the exhibits for £50 per person.
Marankal | Anushiya Sundaralingam
Roe Valley Arts
15 June – 20 July
Anushiya trained as a printmaker but now works in both two and three dimensions, primarily using mixed media. Experimenting with materials, approaches and subject matter is at the core of her practice. Her work is influenced by the connected notion of a ‘self’ in transition and the challenges of identity as well as the nature of belonging, identity and place. She is interested in how natural and cultural environment shapes our sense of self and place. Her work is included in many prestigious collections. These include the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Queen’s University, The Open University Ireland and Northern Bank.
Festivals:
Carlow Arts Festival
4 – 9 June
In the 40th anniversary year of the festival we are presenting a range and depth of programming that surpasses all past iterations. We had been chasing Max Richter’s Sleep for over a year, and it is fantastic to see the sold-out response to its inclusion. It sits alongside a programme that has riches for everyone; from a brand new digital strand featuring a Virtual Reality programme, to an entirely free music programme made possible by our continued partnership with O’Hara’s Craft Beer, as well as Sugartown a celebration of Carlow featuring music, dance, stories and fireworks. We have included work this year that explores the darker underbelly of society such as Crave #2 from Denmark which sees a one on one experience occur with a sex-worker and Our Carnal Hearts which pokes at our online authenticities. Outdoor, Street-art and Spectacle as well as Family-friendly work continues to be a significant focus for us, with the culmination of a year long collaboration with the community as our Saturday night spectacle. We are particularly proud that 80% of our programme is entirely free and we continue to offer Pick your Price options for most of our ticketed events.
Carlow Fringe Arts Festival
6 – 16 June
Now in its third year, the Carlow Fringe Arts Festival is a vibrant showcase of quality local art brought to the streets, so that everyone in the community can access and experience it first hand. The festival runs over ten days. It’s full of exhibitions, live music, poetry and storytelling as well as collaborative events where budding artists can join with the professionals to produce art on the street. Visitors from all over are welcome to join in and celebrate the artistic heart of Carlow. The Carlow Fringe Arts Festival will be held June 6th to 16th, 2019.
Cork Midsummer Festival
13 – 23 June
Cork Midsummer Festival is an annual multi-disciplinary arts festival that uses the city as its backdrop and inspiration. It provides high-quality arts events, both national and international, for audiences of all ages. Its programme provides opportunities for significant public participation and engagement; supports the development of emerging artists across all artforms; and provides a unique platform for work by local and national artists.
Cruinniú na nÓg
15 June
Cruinniú na nÓg is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth plan to enable the creative potential of children and young people. The inaugural Cruinniú na nÓg took place on 23rd June 2018 with over 500 events taking place in cities, towns and villages across the country.
In partnership with the 31 Local Authorities and supported by RTÉ, thousands of parents, families and young people took part in a wide range of fun, free, creative activities; from graffiti art workshops to stop-motion animation, robot-making to shield-making workshops!
Dublin Plein Air Festival
17 – 23 June
Come join us at Ireland’s Plein Air Painting Festival in Dublin. Enjoy the beautiful surrounding landscape, it’s charming coastal villages and friendly people. Bring your art materials and paint outdoors in Ireland’s landscape with fellow artists and friends. This year’s event will be hosted in and around Dublin/Fingal. It welcomes artists from Ireland and all over the world.
Whether you have never painted out doors before; are a novice or a more experienced plein air painter the Dublin plein air festival is the one painting festival you should put in your diary for June.
