38th EVA International – Ireland's Biennial
Limerick City Gallery of Art and other venues Until July 8th eva.ie
Curator Inti Guerrero takes the long view, linking the early years of the Irish Free State nearly 100 years ago with Ireland now, facing up to a referendum on the Eighth and the problems entailed in Brexit, north and south of the border. Seán Keating and Mainie Jellett rub shoulders with John Gerrard and Isabel Nolan. Irish artists Francis Matthews, Sam Keogh, Julie Merriman, Rita Duffy and Ian Wieczorek are also among 56 exhibitors.
Tir na nÓg – Michael Cullen
Taylor Galleries, Kildare St, Dublin Until May 5 taylorgalleries.ie
Michael Cullen turns his attention to Celtic myths and legends, offering a good-humoured take on some tall tales, from The Children of Lir to The Cattle Raid of Cooley and Tir na nÓg, the land of eternal youth. Ireland of the present day makes its presence felt and art history also gets a look in, with references to the styles of several prominent painters.
The Dublin Painting and Sketching Club 140th Annual Exhibition
CHQ, Custom House Quay, North Wall, Dublin Until April 29th
Now that its erstwhile location – Dún Laoghaire's County Hall – is no longer available, the club has returned to its roots in the centre of Dublin with an appropriate theme, The River Liffey, with works by over 100 artists catering to just about all tastes and pockets. Among the regular exhibitors are Margo Banks, Bridget Flinn, Michael Gemmell, Vincent Lambe, Pamela Leonard, Tom Ryan PPRHA and Club president Aidan Hickey.
Softly Spoken – Agnieszka Polska
Project Arts Centre, 39 East Essex St, Dublin Until June 16th projectartscentre.ie
Two chapters, each of three looped video works, by Berlin-Based Polish artist Agnieszka Polska. Chapter one concerns “the ways in which social norms are established and implemented”; the second focuses on the civic responsibilities of the artist. “Found and digitally manipulated material and images” are deployed in immersive installations lulled by “anaesthetised voice-overs”.
Here it Comes – Kiaran Crowley
Solomon Fine Art, Balfe St (Next to Westbury Hotel), Dublin Until May 5th solomonfineart.ie
Meticulously attentive realism with a surreal edge in paintings and works on paper that draw on fictional treatments of conflict between human and natural worlds, as in the case of The Day of the Triffids and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
