May 16th - June 1st 2014
Images: Collette Egan – “Poll Salach” , Mollie Douthit – “Fail Me”
126 is delighted to present work by Collette Egan and Mollie Douthit, Burren College of Art MFA Graduates 2014.
Egan’s practice is founded on the act of drawing, in its instinctive and immediate nature, which serves to capture the essence of being-in-the-world. She investigates how this process might act to facilitate a search for a sense of belonging, and reveal connections between time, place and memory.
Through a process of experimental drawing she endeavours to trace journeys through life, paying particular attention to the material encountered along the way. The dynamics of specific environments become the drawing material, for example, the chalk from the sea bed describes the wave movement of the sea; a seagull feather found on specific wanderings, becomes a tool for drawing; wind, rain and frost leave their mark on paper stretched and loaded with ink. Traces of journey’s are witnessed through the use of archival footage, which enables an otherwise absent connection with family history and memory. The impermanence of the journey is reflected through the use of these transient materials which is employed in immersive installations and then erased, so that the viewer is only able to experience the work for a limited time. All of these experiments offering a very specific insight on the otherwise invisible traces of being-in-the-world.
Douthit’s practice is grounded in an exploration of objects, which exist in physical reality, engaging in the genre of still life painting. The subject of each painting floats in a field of non-representational space, remaining in a state of tension that questions its gravitational ground. This use of space alludes to the emotional resonance that certain objects hold. The images are initially sparse, and the subjects are simple, yet maintain an arresting position, requesting closer investigation of their surfaces. The paintings become complex, as subtle layers of application are revealed.
Traditional still life objects such as food and vernacular items become her subjects. Painting permits her to remove any practical utility they provide and explore their forms, creating a new aesthetic within a painting, while transcending paint itself. The paintings become offerings of contemplation once an object of their own.
Egan received her MFA from Burren College of Art in 2014 and her BFA in Painting from Wimbledon School of Art in 2008. She was recently selected for inclusion in the RHA Annual Exhibition and ‘Something Recalled' at Glór, Ennis, curated by Helen Carey, Director of Limerick City Gallery.
Douthit received her BFA from the University of North Dakota in 2009, and a Post Bac Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2011. Her work has been featured in the 2013 MFA edition of New American Paintings, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Medal Award Auction, Royal Dublin Society Student Art Awards, and the Saatchi Gallery in London. Douthit exhibited in the 2013 Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition and received the Hennessy Craig Award. In 2014 Douthit was long listed for the John Moores Painting Prize.
Burren College of Art is an internationally recognised not-for-profit independent college specialising in undergraduate and graduate fine art education. It offers artists and art students from around the world time, space and inspiration within the unique environment of the Burren. Their graduate PhG, MFA, MA and PG Diploma programmes are accredited by the National University of Ireland , Galway and are operated in association with the Royal College of Art, London and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. To date, the core of the Burren experience has been the education of artists, with ecology, law, archaeology, business, leadership and other subjects as background elements.
www.burrencollege.ie