Cliona Harmey, Seán Molloy, David Quinn
Solstice Arts Centre, Railway Street, Navan, Co Meath. Until October 13th. solsticeartscentre.ie
I like the way they say at Solstice that there's nothing particular to link these three simultaneous solo shows: except, I'd add, for the fact that they're all, in their own ways, very interesting artists. Molloy puts together marvellous paintings that echo art history, with bits of bright colour to drag them into the now; Quinn's darker, delicate abstracts keep calling you back till you wonder why you're falling in love; and Harmey goes back into her archive to see what she did with wind and rain in the days when the internet was but a baby. Gemma Tipton
Thinking, Living, Dwelling
The Dock, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim. Until October 15th. thedock.ie
There's a great deal of talk about making our cities more liveable, but for the past three years the Green Door Festival (inspirationalhomes.ie) have been shining a light on what's going on in the countryside. The festival itself takes place from September 29th to October 1st, but the Dock's accompanying exhibition is up ahead of time to get you thinking about how we can bring the ideas of building and dwelling back together again. Includes work by Dominic Stevens, Leo Scarff, Elaine Reynolds and David Lunny – and more. GT
Museum of Modern Comedy in Art
Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar. Until October 21st projectartscentre.ie
For all those who think that contemporary art is no laughing matter, a trip to Project might change your mind. German-American artist Olav Westphalen has got together with new(ish) Project curator Livia Paldi to put together films for a selection of international artists, as well as some cute clay figures showing some key moments from art history, with a view to showing the "underlying comedic mechanisms" of art. So, while they're not exactly promising a rib-tickler, it could raise a smile. GT
Hammer|Anvil|Stirrup
Wexford Arts Centre, Cornmarket, Wexford. Opens September 2nd until October 7th. wexfordartscentre.ie
Sound art is often some of the hardest art to love, although anyone who heard Janet Cardiff's Forty Part Motet at the Galway Festival, and in Visual Carlow in 2013/14 will be converted to its frequencies. Still, the opening line of the Wexford exhibition announcement "…listening as a motile bond of entanglement…" is a cause for concern. Overlook the language as Edgardo Rudnitzky's machines are fun, David Beattie does interesting things on the aural level; as does Richard Carr, who put the whole thing together. As for John Wynne – who couldn't love an artist whose back catalogue includes an Installation for 300 speakers, pianola and vacuum cleaner? GT
Gerard Smyth & Seán McSweeney
The Yellow River Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street, Cork. Opens September 7th until October 28th. triskelartscentre.ie
When art and poetry get into conversation it can make for some beautiful music. McSweeny's paintings, based on the area around the Yellow River, Co Meath, are gently lovely; while Smyth's poems open up layers of the land so you can feel trees "like trees in a Russian novel…" as well as see them in the accompanying painting. GT
