DRAWING ON DON QUIXOTE curated and presented by the Olivier Cornet Gallery in response to Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. This exhibition was first presented at National Opera House, Wexford by kind invitation of Wexford Festival Opera (18 October to 3 November 2019); and later showcased at VUE Art Fair, RHA Dublin (7 -10 November).
Acrylic, wood and nylon thread; 25 x 25 cm
I exhibited two paintings (featured) for this themed exhibition titled, Fools Gold: Pride and Glory, and Illusions of Grandeur both painted with acrylic and nylon thread on wood and board.
While embarking on some of the main themes of Don Quixote, a delusional and naive man; I have drawn from the psychoanalytical, the fragility of the brain, insanity, and the nuances of the erratic and unhinged.
Influenced by landscape after a recent visit to the Spanish desert in Andaluscia, as well as the practices of Joan Miró and Wassily Kandinsky, the emphasis is on the painting process which involves improvisation, chance, playing with colour, form and composition.
Through the processes of layering, scraping, scuffing and free association, I attempt to simulate the duality and coexistence of illusion and reality, the inside and outside environment; and the dark black eclipses of the mind which can often reveal the more surreal aspects of the human subconscious.
Acrylic, wood and nylon thread; 25 x 25 cm
The exhibition also featured new work by the artists represented by the Olivier Cornet Gallery and members of the gallery’s AGA group: Annika Berglund, Aisling Conroy, Hugh Cummins, John Fitzsimons, Jordi Forniés, Conrad Frankel, David Fox, Claire Halpin, Nickie Hayden, Eoin Mac Lochlainn, Miriam McConnon, Sheila Naughton, Yanny Petters, Kelly Ratchford, Vicky Smith and Susanne Wawra.
For more information about the show and the artists, visit
https://www.oliviercornetgallery.com/drawing-on-don-quixote