EVA International, Fringe Events and L.S.A.D Graduate Show, June 2012

have the appearance of chromatic studies, crumpled paper, tinfoil, spray paint, wax art or rainbow

tye-dyed cloth; infact anything other than paint on canvas . Maybe that was the point. Potentially,

these works are in danger of losing the meaning behind their making, and this must be clarified or

made more visible either within the methodology or end product. The small drawings displayed in

a folder in the space conveyed an intimacy and freedom that was not as visible in the paintings.

Megan Collins, Painting

As an exploration of the ‘realities and illusions’ of the artist’s ‘inner and outer wonderlands’,

Collins’ paintings attest to some admirable and honest self-reflection.  Bright, brave and surreal,

the large-scale works in particular show massive potential. More work in the formal and technical

aspects of painting  would further enhance her already exceptional eye for composition. As a

young artist, she might soon find that in shedding ‘Alice’, and even Freud, and moving into more

Frida Kahlo-esque terrain, her personal uniqueness may be further revealed and consolidated.

Please keep painting.

Ramona O Halloran, Painting

As an study of social affiliation observed through the lens of street culture, O’Halloran’s

body of work is exemplary in the formal elements of painting, and cohesive in style. Graphically

striking and competently composed, the paintings deliver a pertinent reflection on group identity,

alluding to tribalism, social mobility and contemporary branding.

The hooded, track-suited figures feature as isolated individuals and also as repetitious images in

group formations, while tender moments portray vulnerability in socially ostracised peripheries.

The strength of this work will be consolidated in the artist’s future choices, regarding subject

matter, display contexts and potential political orientation.

Joan Stack, Painting

This body of work, for me, amounted to a dichotomy between a very strong sense of

experimental materiality and a residual desire to uphold traditional pre-conceptions of painting.

The inventive box installation (which could have boldly existed alone in the space)

conveyed a sense of freedom and intimacy that was lacking in the

paintings, and the ‘serendipity’ title detracted from the impact of the found-objects,

making associations with ‘hobby art’.  The box, the frame, as conceptual vessels, could provide

worthwhile points of departure for a life-time of exploration around the canon of painting, while

a little more focused editing could be transformative.

LIT Artists – Printmaking Course

Imelda Donohoe, Printmaking

Although not particularly familiar with the process of sand animation, I can certainly appreciate

the tremendous amount of work that Donohoe has invested in her film, with every frame having

seemingly been composed individually. Haunting Irish music suitably conveys the melancholy

content of the film, as a tale of isolation, depression and emerging community support unfolds on

the screen.  The artist could be ambitious with the commercial direction of this work, as it strikes

me that it could potentially align well with one of the established or emerging campaigns for

understanding depression or suicide prevention in the current Irish context.

Mike Heffernan, Printmaking

A melodrama-style film and a narrated slide-show each documented scenarios involving

a fictitious Mr Warr, his descent into madness, and his attempts to seek solace.

The slide-show best showcased the artist’s ingenuity and talent in this regard,

demonstrating a cool capacity for literary and symbolic association, executed with

meticulous aesthetic and technical proficiency.

Divided into ‘acts’, with fairy-tale symbolism, the unfolding plot was graphically illustrated with still

compositions.  The work would benefit from a slower-paced, less dense voice-over narration, but

overall this is an innovative and theatrical model of narrative construction that the artist should

definitely pursue and further make his own.

Jacob Stack, Printmaking

Portraying an eye for detail and a technical proficiency in draftsmanship, Stack’s drawings and

small models provided a modest showcase of some intricate work.  Attempts to incorporate

found-objects into the work attest to a potential area for growth, although the display of such

elements could be given more consideration. The subject matter and focus of the work seemed

unresolved, however the divergence between large and small scale worked well, with the larger

drawing still retaining a capacity to draw the viewer in close. Most intriguing was his nonchalant

artist’s statement, which almost conveyed a different persona than was evident in the work itself.

LIT Artists – Sculpture Course

Lotte Bender, Sculpture

Quietly occupying the bottom corner of a square room, the artist’s photographic print was

displayed, featuring a woman sitting in a chair, gesturing with her hands, perhaps as if to shout

(inaudibly) at the viewer.  A pale shadow of the seated figure was cast on the floor below and on

the adjacent wall, but on closer inspection the viewer sees that the shadow has in fact been

painted in a suitable shade of grey. From this ‘drawn in’ perspective, the viewer realises that

sometimes it is the inobtrusive, less ‘monumental’ works have the loudest and most robust

tales to tell.

Declan Casey, Sculpture

The protagonist of Casey’s film-work and performance art is his alter ego Moby Streets.

An unlikely figure in a Magritte-esque black trench coat and bowler hat,  Streets is steadfast

against the elements as he embarks on surreal ‘counter-conduct’, scaling walls and walking up

river, against the flow. His deadpan demeanour exudes comedy and absurdity, yet his relentless

efforts are heart-wrenching, almost tragic in what they reveal about the human condition.

It would be interesting to observe some sort of commentary from this pseudo-businessman given

the current socio-economic crisis, which could anchor Moby Streets more purposefully in the

immediate terrain, like Patrick Ireland before him.

Meadbh Fitzgibbon Moore, Sculpture

This is an exciting time and context for emerging performance artists, with an upsurge in recent

years not only in the art-form, but also in the apparatus surrounding its distribution and critical reception.

I would suggest that emerging practitioners attend the many live performances and symposiums currently

occurring in mainstream institutions and artist led spaces, to familiarise themselves with the opportunities

for real world applications within their field.  Occasionally established performance artists require

assistants or participants for particular projects , and this would be an advantageous opportunity for a

recent graduate.

Fiona Scally, Sculpture

Created as responses to architectural diagrams, these minimalist structural studies are concerned with

reflecting on how man-made space is occupied.  This seems a worthwhile endeavour, given the recent collapse of

the property market, the excess of depreciating vacant property and the devastation caused when homes

become commodities.  However I am placing my own interpretations onto the work in the absence of

anything more definitive to go on. If the formal qualities of minimalist sculpture constitute the desired

outcome then the fabrication needs to be more meticulous and seamless.

Elizabeth Twomey, Sculpture

‘Tea Talk’ is very literally the ‘Visual Tales of Tea’, and how this simple ritual is engrained

within daily Irish life. The most engaging aspect of this work, for me, was not the glossy

close-ups of hands holding tea-cups, or the video of an old kettle boiling on a turf fire, but a small,

unassuming notebook containing a fascinating compilation of primary research. Interviews conducted

in people’s homes over tea (in the discussion of tea) retain a far more sophisticated series of

propositions. Could these conversations be the art itself? (as in Duchamp’s ‘extended definition of Art’

-Social Sculpture).