First solo show for Eimear
DUNDALK artist Eimear Murphy is the recipient of the inaugural First Solo Award which gives recent graduates from the north east region the opportunity to have their first solo exhibition in the Droichead Arts Centre Gallery, Stockwell Street, Drogheda.
‘Shape, Heap, thing’ is the title of Eimear’s exhibition which sees the NCAD graduate asking ‘When does material become an object?’
The exhibition, which opens on Thursday night, looks again at familiar materials and shapes, questioning what an object is and how human or natural forces have influenced the design.
Although she graduated with a degree in fine art painting from NCAD, Eimear is drawn to sculpture, which sees her combining found industrial materials (usually timber and glass) with concrete through a complex mould-making process.
This solo exhibition sees her exhibiting both sculpture and drawings.
‘ These artworks are created from or inspired by textures and forms which may be found in your home and your environments,’ she explains. ‘ Through manipulating and colliding these materials (which have definite functions) you are invited to consider their origin and potential.’
The Dromiskin native is a past pupil of St Vincent’s Secondary School and pays tributes to her teachers Declan Honan and Leanne Mullen for encouraging her to study art.
Her talent was recognised at an early stage and she won the Bank of Ireland Student of the Year for Art 2010 and the JP MacManus All Ireland Scholarship 2011 which allowed her to study at NCAD.
During her time at college, she took part in an exchange at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp
Eimear has previously taken part in a number of group shows including ‘In Search of Place’ with in The Basement Gallery, The Fumbally Exchange Dublin, Molesworth Gallery, Dublin, The Taylor Galleries, Dublin, and ‘Industry’ Solstice Arts Centre, Navan.
She was recently awarded an Arts Council next generation artist bursary 2018 which is awarded to promising and innovative artists at an early stage in their career.
This is the latest award which the young artist has received as she awarded the 2015 Firestation Artists’ Studios Sculpture Workshop and was commissioned to create a large scale public sculpture for Dublin Port Company in 2016.
The piece, entitled ‘ The Drop’ is now on permanent display in Dublin Port Company’s Sculpture Garden alongside John Behan’s sculpture.
‘Shape, Heap,thing’ will be officially opened by Collette Farrell, director, Droichead Arts Centre, and Vivienne Byrne, artist and chairperson, Droichead Arts Centre.
It will run until November 17.