BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

‘We were all asked to stay at home,’ says artist Leanne Mullen whose series of drawing ‘ This time, these days’ made during lockdown are now on display in the windows of a number of vacant shop premises in Clanbrassil Street.

As she stayed at home in her Gyles Quay home, Leanne felt drawn to making a record of this unprecedented time when the COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves of fear and terror around the world.

Taking refuge in her studio, she decided she would document the impact the pandemic had on our lives.

‘ This has affected us all and I wanted to make an observation of how our days have changed us in some way,’ she says.

Portraiture is a big part of her practice - she was Highly Commended in the finals of the 2017 Hennessy Portrait Prize and reached the semi-finals of Sky Arts Portrait Artist in 2018.

‘I asked people to send in images of how they spent their days, some at their homes working, some cocooning, front-line health and essential workers,’ she explains.

From the photographs they sent and also from photos she took of people at their doors or through windows, she completed twelve large size drawings which she worked on during April, May and part of June.

‘I had to filter it down and choose the images which represent the community and shines a light on how we lived during this time.’

‘ The image had to reflect what has become the norm these days,’ she continues. The resulting portraits tell stories of