eyed

Dermot Seymour

14 September 2007 - 20 October 2007

Kevin Kavanagh is pleased to present eyed, an exhibition of new paintings by Dermot Seymour.

Dermot Seymour has consistently tested the terrain of what can be usefully represented in pictures. His painting idiom has pushed about ideas of visual realism and questioned the readability of images in an insistent way that asks for deliberate engagement from his viewers. In eyed, as in earlier work, Seymour draws from his previous and current locations as an artist, Northern Ireland and Ireland, respectively and continues through painterly play to reference contemporary life.

In the midst of eyed, we are asked to address a series of serious gazes from those we have looked at. A melancholic atmosphere pervades this set of images, as these portraits are uncomfortable. Close-up and awkwardly cropped, restricted by stiff shirt collars, their faces loom unnervingly near and our viewpoint remains invasive. While it may seem to be the raison d’être for some, many others squirm when they are being watched. Seymour’s animals remind us of a natural incentive to guard, keep watch and hold a steady eye over all that surrounds us. A sheep and a hare are alert and wary, with their heads turned and raised attentively. As each has one eye regarding the landscape, they are also listening with care. All of Seymour’s figures share this intensity of anticipation: waiting for a question, hearing a demand, resilient under judgment.

A catalogue with essay by Niamh Ann Kelly has been published to accompany the exhibition.
For further information please contact the gallery.
Title: Dermot Seymour: eyed
ISBN: 978-0-9555164-4-3

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