Born in Dublin in 1979, Mark Redden graduated from the Crawford College of Art, winning several awards for his work, which has been described by Aidan Dunne (Irish Times Art Critic) is an artist with “an ambitious sense of engagement. Like Francesco Clemente, he wants his all encompassing vision to have a sweeping, mystical breadth.”
He always knew he wanted to be an artist. Following school he expanded his cultural education, which was wide-ranging and largely self-taught. He worked briefly in advertising and later for a wooden boat-builder in a village in the west of Ireland. He has travelled to five continents and continues to travel in search of a broader knowledge of different places and cultures.
He has taken inspiration from poets, philosophers, scientists and writers. Although he acknowledges the influence of such artists as Anselm Kiefer, Joseph Beuys, Richard Deacon and Jimmy Durham, Redden has created his own distinctive iconography in which each element is loaded with symbolism and meaning.
The artist takes a cyclical view of time and history, and as a consequence, a handful of over-arching themes appear regularly in his work. These repeating gestures are in a way a response to the repetitive system of human history. One that is apparently constantly changing yet bound to an eternal theme of birth, growth and death. He seeks to understand our purpose here on Earth and our relationship with the celestial, spiritual and physical nature of life.
This fascination with the world and his thirst for knowledge and understanding provokes the viewer to consider these bigger questions with him. He forms a narrative that defies any definitive interpretation yet aims to inspire far-ranging thoughts in the viewer.
Runs until July 31st
