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Curator's Notes

This Lughnasadh, Carrickahowley Gallery is proud to present two artists who have greatly contributed to the visual arts in Ireland and to the link between art and activism. Paul Kelly and John O’Donnell use very different methods for very different aesthetics—from conventional to global modernist—and yet both have found ways to extend the audience for such work into a broad viewership connecting not only various geographies, but also communities from the US to South Africa. More, both have created art that has been put at the service of community building and ethical considerations, from Paul’s support of the Ireland American Fund and his inclusion in the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts exhibition in 2000 to John O’Donnell’s extensive organizational work for the Dublin Simon Community auction in an exhibition and auction last year (2023) that featured a staggering array of visual artists (upwards of 140 artists participated) and that also featured an amazing lineup of musicians performing from Imelda May and Glen Hansard to Hozier and Bono. Such engagement with a global stage and spectatorship marks both artists’ work as well, from John O’Donnell’s South African connections to Paul’s rather remarkable travels and intersections with global art in Brittany, Italy, and many other cultures and communities.

Such extensions and connections, and such a focus upon an art that moves beyond the mere marketing of the art object, is what we at Carrickahowley Gallery celebrate in both artists this Lughnasadh 2024. I had the wonderful experience of participating in the Dublin Simon Community exhibit and auction last year and am gladly doing so again this year. It was an amazing exhibit, yet even more thrilling was the marshalling of all of these cultural forces for social and political change, for a cause that enacts, perhaps, the greatest power of visual art: changing the ways we see as a global community. As such, the contributions of both of these artists become far greater than the typical individual art “stars,” promoting only the myth of genius or of solitary vision for an inflated “art world.” Instead, they become part of the global modernist movement, one that stresses intersections, collaborations, shared histories, hybridity and engagement. In this way, the economics of the art market become challenged by economies of care, the private enclosures of art become the public commons, and the focus of the artwork becomes freed from the shackles of an individualist ethos.

We urge you to participate with these artworks by both of these artists, but we also urge you to begin to see art as the product of various histories, of multiple communities that can contest and change our senses of division and difference. To do so, read carefully the artist statements of Paul Kelly and John O’Donnell: they chronicle the shift in contemporary Irish art from mere decoration in the castles of the few to the prophetic signs of the radical space of openness that is the promise of the new commons. And, like the atmosphere of Kelly’s more conventional painting or the “bricks in the wall” of O’Donnell’s DORCHADAS, they presage a composite identity that envelopes us all.

Lughnasadh is the Celtic celebration of sharing the “first fruits” or the harvest. In Maine and other Northeastern US states, this takes the form of the Blueberry Festivals and such events. It is in this spirit of community and cooperation that we at Carrickahowley Gallery offer our artists’ contributions. Share them widely and wildly! Slainte!

Robin Savage, Curator

Paul Kelly

KELLY | ARTIST BIO

Born in Dublin, Paul Kelly started drawing and painting at an early age. His first exhibition was in his local town of Rush in north county Dublin when he was 14 years old. That summer he was asked to paint cartoon characters on rides at the local fun fair. His first commission. He would later go on and work in the animation industry working on over 10 feature length films in 12 years, at the same time gaining a reputation as a 'fine art' painter in Ireland.

He started submitting work to the annual 'Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin' (RHA) annual summer exhibitions and in 1991 was awarded the 'James Kennedy Memorial Award' for portraiture. Nine years later he won 'Artist of the year' from the 'Ireland fund of Great Britain' a prestigious honour in the UK/Ireland fine arts world. At the same time he was enjoying commercial success with sell out exhibitions at 'The Gorry Gallery' in Dublin. In 2000 his painting 'The Liffey Rowers' (Brian P. Burns collection) was exhibited in the Irish Cultural Exhibition at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. Paul was also involved in supporting the "Ireland American Fund" by donating art works. In 2002 he made the first of several visits to Lambay island, building up a diverse portfolio of works which were exhibited in 2004 to great critical acclaim. In addition to solo exhibitions he has shown at a variety of select group shows around the country, maintaining his reputation as one of the most talented landscape and figurative artists working in Ireland in recent times. His work remains highly sought after by collector's and he is represented in numerous public and private collections both here in Ireland and abroad.

Self taught, Paul paints in a conventional pre-impressionist style in both oils and watercolours. Known for his paintings of north county Dublin with its busy fields, market gardens and small harbours he is always traveling in search of new inspiration with painting trips to Morocco, Prague, Budapest, Spain, France and Italy. 'Paul Kelly in Brittany' 2010 seen his undertakings from a long expedition to this region in France which included visits to Concarneau, Pont-Aven, Benodet, Quimperle and Raz. The annual pardons with their native costumes and medieval backdrops were his subjects for this exhibition. In December 2012 Paul exhibited 'Carnival of Venice' with its sumptuous costumes, wigs and masks against the magnificent back ground of Venice.

In recent years his work has started to appear in important art auctions in Dublin (Adam's, Whyte's and deVere's ) and in London (Sotheby's).

John O'Donnell

O'DONNELL | ARTIST BIO

I was born in Dublin in 1963. My passion for art grew from a young age and where I would eventually go on to study Art. I have always held a strong connection to Ireland, having roots in Monaree - a small part of the Dingle Peninsula. Throughout my life, I have lived in both Ireland and South Africa and travelled globally for my work. A few of my significant exhibitions include Sanctuary (New York 2000), Ireland Revisited (Ireland and Johannesburg 1997), Africa (New York 2001), Going to Church (Cape Town 1995), Woven (LA and Paris 2023)

I spent 30 years living in South Africa. During the early years in South Africa, I owned a small art gallery in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, Kwazulu Natal; travelling home to Ireland yearly. In the 1990s, I began to sponsor art tuition fees in response to the difficulties young people faced in the post-Apartheid South Africa. While it was all well and good to establish broader inclusivity and access to education in the ‘New South Africa’, there weren’t enough mechanisms in place yet for students to actually fund their studies during that time. I sponsored this for as long as was there, and this was well documented during that time.

Trinity Access Programme: The Essence of Student Life

This is a 30-year old charity that has a similar ethos and values to those that inspired me over 25 years ago in South Africa; values that I still hold firmly today. I approached Trinity with the view to hold an exhibition on the campus grounds, celebrating the Essence and Spirit of Student life over the last 30 years. The idea was to have a fundraiser with 50% of proceeds towards the access program. I approached many artists, but as this is the first exhibition of its kind, I selected a few artists that I felt brought a diverse selection of artwork independent of the more conventional approaches to art. My priority was to keep the focus on the art itself, with no additional expenses wasted on over-engineered display spaces. The art as the voice, always. The artists I brought together represent all walks of life and have a diverse range of backgrounds and stories to tell. The objective was to raise awareness for the programme, funds for more students to hone their talents and pursue art as their future, and curate a fun and vibrant exhibition space of exceptional contemporary art.

Dublin Simon Community

On returning home after 30 years in South Africa, I was shocked by the number of people living on the streets of Dublin and wanted to do something to help. Using the Christmas ve Busk at the Gaiety as launch point , I collected and curated 200 pieces from musicians photographers, sculptors and artists .

After living in Africa for so long, I borne witness to more than my fair share of poverty. I returned to live in my native Dublin with my family back in 2018, and was immediately struck by what I saw on the streets of my hometown. I’ve seen homelessness and tragedy like you’d never believe in Africa and when I came back, I came back with such pride, bringing my family over,but I would be walking around Pearse Street, and I started to get to know every single one of these homeless people, what box they sit on, what they do. It really bothered me.

Moved by what he saw, I got in touch with musician’s to great response. I floated the idea of creating an auction of artworks and raising funds for the Simon Community. Flipping open my address book, I began to contact artists I had known in my younger years, before my move to South Africa. From there, the event snowballed into a 200-lot online auction, which will be showing at Gormleys on Frederick Street , together with an online event hosted by Adams.

This was the inaugural exhibition and it raised over E50000,00. It was one of their biggest and most publicised fundraisers to date and I am now actively involved in putting this together again this year and as an Annual event thereafter.

Art is a vocation for me.