WORDS Jennifer Duffy

The Copper House Gallery, opened in September 2011, houses an exhibition space and a fine art printing press. Their current show is Encore! described as the “greatest hits” of exhibitions held during the past year. It features an exciting mix of fine art, illustration and photography, spanning a range of styles. The exhibition is an enjoyable and eclectic selection of works, most of which can be bought as prints. Wandering through the rooms is an exciting experience, as contrasting works hung side by side create interesting juxtapositions. Chinatown, Tokyo, 1958, which has been used on the publicity material for the exhibition, is one of two works on show by recently deceased Japanese-American artist, animator and director Jimmy Murakami whose credits include The Snowman, and a Kate Bush music video. Chinatown, Tokyo, 1958 is a beautiful watercolour piece in a style reminiscent of book illustration. The slanting roofs lead the viewer into the work, and the figures on the bustling street give a sense of the atmosphere of the city.

Beside Murakami’s works is Inside Looking Out, Blackrock Baths, an edgy and striking work by landscape photographer Edna Cavanagh. The panoramic format, typical of Cavanagh’s work, adds greatly to the impact of the photograph. Nature and urbanity are contrasted in this image, as the sky and sea are framed by a wall covered in colourful graffiti.

Two works from the Illustrated Beatles exhibition by Illustrators Ireland are also on display. The first is Twist and Shout by picturebook maker and current Laureate na nÓg Niamh Sharkey. The Beatles are represented as cartoonish figures in black and white with stylised features and stick legs. The simplistic expressions give plenty of character to the piece. Jennifer Farlay’s Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite! is a colourful circus-themed work, in which a moustachioed acrobat forms a strong diagonal in the foreground, while The Beatles perform in the circus ring below sporting brightly coloured suits.

 

Dave Walsh, environmental activist and landscape photographer, has travelled to the Alps and Antarctica with his work. The Climate Question has a very dramatic composition — with a dark crack zigzagging back through the sheer white ice plane that dominates the image. Indeed, the curving chasm in the ice can be seen as echoing the shape of a question mark.

Easter Morn by Kevin McSherry is a memorable image. The background is painted in a traditional fine art style, but a zany touch is added by the fish on a bicycle in the centre of the foreground. These surreal details give his work a quirky and distinctive aspect.

 

Phil McDarby’s style is highly distinctive, he works digitally creating fantastical scenes with a mysterious and magical atmosphere. His art is highly imaginative and full of texture. These incredibly detailed images have many hidden elements that will only be spotted upon close examination. There are some edgy and provocative works in the exhibition, but these mysterious scenes featuring dragons and faces in trees have a family appeal and are sure to enchant younger viewers.

 

Tiane Doan na Champassak’s work was featured in the Dublin Pride exhibition held in The Copper House Gallery last year. The Spleen series focuses on ambiguously gendered figures and the fluidity of sexual identity. The beauty of the forms and the tonal effects used in the artwork take precedence over the gender of the subjects.

 

Wicklow artist Ellen McDermott’s haunting image Girl with Balloon is completely different. It seems a very straightforward image with a pretty pastel palette, but the accentuation of the young girl’s eyes gives the image and unsettling, even haunting air.

 

Michael Flatherty’s Rooster has strong colouristic effects – flecks of bright orange, and blues and greens liven the rooster’s dark plumage. The texture of the paintwork is also retained in the print, giving a rich finish.

Encore! is an entertaining show that aims to showcase the variety of works that have been exhibited in The Copper House Gallery recently, while also having a commercial function. The pieces featured in this review are just a selection of those on view, there are many more to be seen in the gallery. Print and illustration are often neglected in art exhibitions, but this venue offers many interesting displays of the varied works in these media.

Encore! runs until 21st February in The Copper House Gallery, Synge Street, Dublin.