Opening Night
Brian Maguire: Nature morte

« We need to honour the fact that men and women die just trying to get work ». These are the words of renowned painter Brian Maguire who has committed the last forty years to revealing the impact of war, corruption and oppression on the human condition. In order to escape endemic narco-trafficking and poverty, thousands travel every year from Central and South America to often end up in the soup kitchens of major North American cities. On the way, hundreds lose their lives making the perilous journey across the Arizona-Sonoran desert in a desperate attempt to cross illegally from Mexico to the USA.

Working in this case from photographs of their unidentified remains taken between 2017 and 2019, the artist compares the act of painting to a furious cry of love and remembrance. In stark yet beautiful terms, Maguire renders visible the fate of forgotten individuals. Two short documentaries in the exhibition further contextualise his deeply invested approach.


Programme for the opening night on Tuesday 29 April :

At 5.30pm, Brian Maguire is in conversation with human rights activist Bill Shipsey (admission free - in English - book here).
Our artists in residence Cecilia Bullo and Wendy Judge open their studios all evening, and Dylan Quinn performs a short dance piece created in response to the exhibition.
Towards the end of the evening, pianist Daniel Luke, accompanied on cello, fills the courtyard with his enchanting neo-classical compositions.

The Médiathèque will be open all evening.

In partnership with Culture Ireland :