Paul Hallahan is an Irish artist whose work is primarily based in painting, but he also works in sculpture and video. Interests within his work commonly focus on how we interact with nature, taking art as a form or by-product of nature and our civilisation. Using various methods and techniques Paul’s paintings are built up of thin layers on mostly raw canvases which allow light to move through the works and allow the works change within the locations they are positioned. This has always been of interest to Hallahan as he wanted the works to be active to the viewer and transcend the composition and initial image of the work.
“The themes in my exhibition ‘Words as colour not language’, look at organic matter within our landscape, our relationship to the dense woodlands and crevices, especially woodlands near the west coast of Ireland, South Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo. Previous interests in my works have looked to ideas of the larger landscape such as horizons in urban settings and our relationship to the rising and setting sun within the built up environment. This new exhibition will encircle a work titled “Lotus”, a large dense painting made with organic matter and magnetic fields in mind. The exhibition will present works that I have worked on throughout 2020 and 2021, most never seen before but all made during my transition from urban to country living. Since moving to south Donegal I have been able to explore the landscape like I never could while based in a city and this has allowed me to investigate ideas within the grime and ever changing undergrowth seen throughout the countryside and especially the coastal woods and valleys where I am currently based.”
Hallahan was the overall winner of the Hang Tough Contemporary Open Call Instagram Competition 2021.
Runs until March 20
Launch event tickets for Thursday March 3 here
Artist talk with Cristín Leach on Tuesday March 8, tickets here
