Diploma students from the Crawford College of Art and Design have once again shown great resourcefulness in ensuring their efforts receive recognition. The stylish extension to the Cork Opera House makes the viewing experience all the more rewarding, and is a coup for the students. But with 50 altogether, it is impossible to do full justice to all. Suffice to say, the standard is resolutely high.
Among the sculptors, Kristine Wagner employs subtle narrative contexts, her crouching female figure a powerful monument to the oppressed and weary. In contrast, Bernadette O'Regan's frogs are a charming and humorous antidote, proving kitsch is alive and well.
Abstract sculpture also has a healthy presence, with elegant amorphous forms by Jackie Dillon, Cormac Allen and Keith O'Rahilly. Alongside these are the constructivist intricacies of Sam Jones and Rebecca Babington, while Tom Tracy's surreal wall-mounted table and chairs are a sure conversation piece.
Many of the contributors working in the area of ceramics embrace fine-art concerns, with some presenting conceptual and thematic contexts. SinΘad Rice's boxes are filled with ceramic and glass items, imbued with the intangibility of some ghostly relics. Jean Martin's apples are fragile artefacts with a caustic parody of the Garden of Eden, while Mary Neeson's ceramic panels have a restrained beauty.
Well worth a visit and, perhaps, an investment.
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