Local galleries shake off their winter blues and give Caroline O’Leary something to look forward to
Like in nearly all areas of life, post the hustle, bustle and materialism of Christmas things the art world seems to slow down for a little rest and recuperation. This January the Irish Museum of Modern Art and the Monster Truck Gallery closed for renovations while most of the rest of Dublin’s gallery population continued the runs of their previous shows and rested a little on their laurels, taking a well earned (especially in the current economy) rest and preparing for the big long new year to come.
However since January has thankfully now come to a close, the galleries have come of their hibernation and the new series of art shows are about to begin. The National Gallery has finished its acclaimed Finnish art exhibition and the annual Turner watercolour exhibit in preparation for the opening of their new, small but distinguished exhibition, “Vermeer, Fabritius & De Hooch: Three Masterpieces from Delft,” which features 3 exceptional works, one from each artist.
The Hugh Lane Gallery has a string of new exhibitions on the way, including “The Golden Bough: Grace Weir: In my own time” from the 19th of February, “Frequency: Mark Garry, Pádraig Timoney, Hayley Tompkins” from the 26th of February, and most excitingly, a specially commissioned collection of sculpture by Yinka Shonibare MBE based on Trinity alumni Jonathan Swift’s most famous book, Gulliver’s Travels. IMMA will take a little longer after their month away but on the 3rd of March will open an extensive new exhibition of English artist Hughie O’ Donoghue, and on the 7th of March will take part in a collaboration with both the Project Arts Centre and the Royal Hibernian Academy to exhibit works by acclaimed Irish artist James Coleman.
The smaller galleries are rejuvenating too, with Lightwave returning to Trinity’s Science Gallery, 3 exhibitions at the Royal Hibernian and new shows in the Douglas Hyde, Monster Truck and the Kevin Kavanagh. Also well worth a look is the Bodies Exhibition at the Ambassador Theatre, O’Connell Street, which thought not art per say, is asthetically amazing and fascinating to see.
So when the wind blows, the sleet falls, and all you want to do is be somewhere warm that isn’t the library, then run along to one of these shows and see if they can’t inspire some spring spirit in you too.
