Enveloped in themes of colonialism, heritage, resistance and change, McNevin presents an intriguing collection of 14 paintings culminating in an impressive visual display.

Utilising a palette of sumptuous earthy tones, McNevin uses linear patterns and horizontal lines to reference the Irish landscape and its tumultuous past. Imagery of land, line and harp combine in this guttural response to McNevin’s themes of invasion and corresponding cultural casualty.

Of his work, McNevin states:

‘While making this series, I immersed myself in traditional Harp music. I researched the decline of this musical form, which resulted from the fall of the Gaelic order. This, I saw as a metaphor for the fragility of culture. I then used the paint in a visceral way to explore these tensions.

This work refers to both actual and imagined landscapes. I believe that reality is both constructed by oneself and revealed through life experiences. Similarly, my approach to painting is both additive and subtractive; I physically worked the paint to construct and reveal the finished pieces.’

The Fragility of Culture by Dermot McNevin presents emotive, tactile works which lament lost art and reference political themes of land division which; in the context of contemporary Ireland and a looming Brexit deal, are once again considered relevant.

The Fragility of Culture will be open to the public from Monday 21st January 2019 and will continue until 29th March 2019.  The exhibition will be bolstered by an education programme throughout the run, details of which are available through Meath County Arts Office. Group exhibition tours are available upon request and further information can be obtained by contacting Aedín McGinn, Assistant Arts Officer on artsoffice@meathcoco.ie or 0469097411

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