One of the visual similarities between the city and the country is the use of spray paint, by graffiti artists in the city to mark territory, and by sheep farmers in the country to mark ownership of their own sheep. This unique exhibition by Ronan Dillon will consist of a collection of artworks exploring the forms and meanings of these marks found in the Irish countryside, and how they draw comparisons with marks found in the host city Hamburg and its surroundings.
The works will evolve the themes and previous works Dillon has shown in Hamburg to date. Central to this concept is a parallel video work produced by Peter Martin: this bilingual video will document and tell this story as it moves from the Irish countryside to Hamburg and its surrounding countryside. The final artworks and video work take a piece of traditional and rural Irish history and present it in a vibrant, contemporary and accessible format.
More informationRonan Dillon is a Dublin born artist, designer and curator living on the west coast of Ireland. Coming from an urban upbringing and a design background, Dillon is drawn to the inconspicuous artistry of the rural. Here, he has utilised his outsider’s eyes to capture the wildness of the land through a new and daring perspective. Dillon is particularly inspired by the uninhibitedness of farmer’s marks, their unconscious and reasoned actions creating something raw and beautiful. The artist’s novel observations capture the sublime in the common, the everyday, the forgotten about – and do so simply, colourfully, and effortlessly.
Peter Martin is a cinematographer and director based in County Sligo. He works primarily in the fields of visual art, fashion, extreme sports and documentary. He shoots both digital video and analogue film. He also creates his own self-directed independent films and has recently published his first book of photography.