TOP TEN EMERGING IRISH ARTISTS :: SELECTED BY ARTFTECH

It’s St. Patrick’s Day! So what better way to celebrate then with a TOP TEN list of contemporary emerging Irish or Irish based artists as selected by our friends Artfetch in Dublin. Below are their picks with links to each artist and an example of his or her work. Some of the choices are stronger then others but there is an overall spirit and particular aesthetic in each although the works might not necessarily feel “Irish”. What does that mean/look like anyway?  Artists cannot be defined by their nationality but the benefit of Top Ten lists is exposure and the opportunity to see an artist with whom you may already be familiar, or to discover someone new. The most internationally and globally exposed artist of the picks is Sarah Tynan whose work was part of Jeremy Deller’s large, site-specific installation at the British Pavilion in Venice for the Biennale.

Artfetch also has work available for sale and to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day they’re offering a 10% discount on a selection of pieces with the colour green, the colour of Ireland and Spring!  Check them out here.

Tracy Fitzgerald, Sitting Room, 2012
(Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Tracy Fitzgerald Paints deceptively simple interiors and landscapes that clutch at the edges of memory. Definitely going places. – “For me being Irish means opportunity. I had the opportunity to return to art education and now enjoy an art practice supported by my peers.”

Jennifer Brady, Wow and Flutter, Video still
(Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Jenny Brady was a hit at the Royal Hibernian Academy’s Futures 2013 show. Her video work Wow and Flutter wowed us completely.

Darek Fortas, Interior I (Miners’ Changing Room), 2011. Photograph
(Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Darek Fortas is on the list for his brilliant Coal Series of photographs that stun, and haunt the imagination. – “Ireland is a place of character, and its thriving arts scene reflects that. It’s a symbol for the nation that always goes the extra mile to excel despite difficult times.”  

Sarah Tynan, Mural of Hen Harrier, ‘A Good Day for Cyclists’, acrylic on wall, British Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2013
(Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Sarah Tynan based in London, with a Master’s from the Royal College of Art, she contributed an incredible wall mural of a hen harrier carrying a Range Rover to Jeremy Deller’s installation for the British Pavilion at last year’s Venice Biennale.

Helen Mac Mahon, Revelators,
Installation view
(Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Helen MacMahon is a DIT Fine Art Graduate from 2013, she makes beautiful and often ethereal light installations. See also this lovely one.  – “I feel it’s significant to be part of a culture that, regardless of difficulties, has never ceased to produce a rich array of creatives, whether they be artists, writers, thinkers, musicians or poets.”

Andrew Brown, Collapse, 2012. Mixed Media
(Image courtesy of Artfetch)

Andrew Brown makes line drawings that call to mind the Romantic’s love of ruins. But these are ruins for today’s world, and elegantly evocative with it. – “I have a peculiar fondness for grey, rainy weather. Perhaps this has contributed to the used of graphite and ink in my artistic practice with minimal use of colour.”

Genieve Figgis, Sisters, Painting on canvas
(Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Genieve Figgis graduated from NCAD, Dublin in 2012. She paints dramatic portraits drawing from history, to create powerful, grotesque yet beautiful paintings. – “The history and the romance of the stories we learned in school had a profound effect on me. It is what inspires the work that I make.”

David O’Kane, The Circle, 2013. Oil on linen. (Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

David O’Kane was born in County Donegal, and works from Ireland and Germany. With many exhibitions and awards to his name, he’s presently in a group show Multiple Times, at the Campoi Gallery, Munich, until April 2014. Definitely one to watch.

Rachel Tynan, Cut Throat
Installation view
(Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Rachel Tynan blurs the disciplines of art and design, and the results are hugely impressive. Her work also investigates art and illness, to profound and beautiful effect. – “For me being Irish is about recognising people’s faces, even when you don’t know them. It means that you’re never lost.”

Paola Catzione, Mixed media, Installation view (Image courtesy of Artfetch, Dublin)

Paola Catzione is still completing her studies in Dublin, but her work is exciting and fresh, and we love it. Can’t wait to see what she does next. – “I have a sense of hybridity, and that is becoming a more accepted type of identity. Ireland has allowed me to do the things I love; to learn and practice both as an embodiment practitioner and as an artist.”

More soon

xo