Sculpture In Context

OFF GUARD BY AOIFE BAMBURY

September 9, 2023 by Infomatique

SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2023

Aoife Bambury is a Kildare based contemporary visual artist and sculptor, whose current practice is focused on modernist sculpture, using bronze as the core material. Through her process, and working of the bronze, her work can take on the appearance of different materials, and at first glance could be manufactured from vinyl or another plastic.

Utilising her interest in human-made, utilitarian objects and the climate action movements, Aoife’s work includes abstracted elements from the natural and animal world. She is concerned with documenting human interventions and interference in the natural world and in the contrast and chaos that results. The images taken during this process of documentation are incorporated by Aoife into her photographic prints. The stark contrast of nature with objects left behind through human interference also inform the shapes and undulations of her recent sculptures. Her work is intended to convey reactionary responses connected to our inability to co-exist peacefully with the planet that sustains us. Her work is an abstracted reflection of how she perceives and attempts to make personal sense of changing cultural habit

ICARUS THOUGHTS ON FLIGHT AND DAEDALUS THOUGHTS ON FLIGHT

September 9, 2023 by Infomatique

BY CATHERINE GREENE

There are two items and both combined are my favourite installation at Sculpture In Context 2023.

Icarus ignored Daedalus’s instructions not to fly too close to the sun, causing the beeswax in his wings to melt. Icarus fell from the sky, plunged into the sea, and drowned. The myth gave rise to the idiom, “fly too close to the sun.”

Catherine E Greene is an established figurative sculptor working in bronze and mixed media. Her versatile output ranges from large scale civic, to private commission and large exhibition pieces to smaller sculptures which explore the figure in the context of the sensual and often surreal world which they inhabit. Major commissions include the equestrian memorial of the patriot Thomas Francis Meagher in Waterford, the Memorial to the much loved comedian Dermot Morgan, Merrion Square Dublin; and the central Alterpiece sculpture of the crucified Christ in the new basilica Fatima Portugal.

CLASH TITAN BY ALAN CLARKE

September 8, 2023 by Infomatique

SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2023 CATALOGUE No 27

Wicklow artist Alan Clarke has become the only Irish person to be accepted as a member of the internationally acclaimed Society of Portrait Sculptors.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) is host to Sculpture in Context at the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. Showcasing sculpture for over 35 years, this annual event is the longest-running, largest and most important sculpture exhibition in the country, attracting a large public and critical audience. This cultural highlight in the National Botanic Gardens’ calendar runs from 7 September until 13 October, is free of charge and open daily.

The artworks in this year’s exhibition receive a spectacular presentation throughout the 50 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, allowing visitors to discover sculpture in the most unexpected and surprising places. Smaller sculptures will be exhibited throughout the glasshouses and in the Gallery upstairs in the Visitor Centre.

Bringing together the work of more than 140 artists – including Alan Clarke, Eileen MacDonagh, Róisín de Buitléar, Shane Holland and Sara Cunningham-Bell – using an incredible range of media, these works of art represent the richly diverse character of Irish and international contemporary sculpture.

Artists have been inspired by themes such as wildlife, ecology, climate change and homelessness. From the smallest, most intricate ceramic works to stone sculptures of a monumental scale, visitors to the exhibition will be enriched by the experience of viewing such inspiring works in one location. The artistic integrity and technical skill involved in creating the works is evident throughout and highlights the breadth and depth of artistic talent and skill in Ireland today.

This year’s programme will include a suite of lectures on Saturday, the 9th and Sunday, the 10th of September from 3-4:30pm, by artists Eileen MacDonagh and Conall O’Caoimh and renowned plantsman, Jimi Blake, as well as guided tours of the outdoor sculptures on Saturdays at 11am.

PHOENIX RISING BY MICHAEL CHARLES KEANE

September 7, 2023 by Infomatique

2-7 SEPTEMBER 2023 SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT CATALOGUE No 95

SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 2023

Michael Charles Keane is a Dublin based, self-taught sculptor. Michael works mostly with Bronze and he is very much at home with representational work ie Figurative and Animal sculpture.

He is based in Dublin Ireland and for the most part of his Sculptural Career he works alone however Michael has collaborated with other like minded sculptors on many large scale projects over the years with great success.

With a Certificate in Fine Art and an Advanced Diploma in Fine Art Sculpture from DIT Dublin Michael has also accumulated vast experience in Bronze Casting, Ceramics, Portraiture and Mould Making.

Influenced by the Classical Sculptors and more modern Sculptors such as Rodin, Alberto Giacometti and Animal Sculptor Anna Hyatt-Huntington, Michael is always evolving his art form.