Covered Girl: Steve Kemp

The time we have all been waiting for has finally arrived and the Dublin City Soul Festivities kicked off today at 5.30pm at the Eye Candy Art Gallery on Exchange Street in Temple Bar with Rising Star artist Keith O’Brien entertaining guests with some of his own songs.  Keith has been playing acoustic guitar for ten years and has recently signed with Ricardo Records.  His performance was seamless and created a warm and friendly atmosphere in the gallery.

Numerous windows box the large room and light pours through, enhancing the visibility of the art work.  Inside viewers are warmly welcomed by the Dublin City Soul Festival team who are at hand to answer any questions and to take bids for the auction.  The gallery’s walls are lined with creative photography and art work from artists located all over Ireland.  Colourful images beam from every corner of the room with a wide variety of artistic expression, ranging from contemporary symbolism to suburban street art.

Among these wonders is Sasfi Hope Ross’ photograph named ‘Field’.  The image’s vibrant yellow jumps out from the wall and grabs your attention as you pass by.  It is an intriguing picture of a mustard field and the wide open space captured in the photograph immediately gives a feeling of tranquillity.  The contrast between the bright yellow and the rich blue of the sky is exquisite and certainly worth a bid, if not a gander.

There are an assortment of photographs, some which show the beauty of the Irish landscape and others which capture the subtleties of human nature.  Terry Mc Donagh’s photograph ‘Red Lady Awaits Green Man’ is an excellent representation of the coincidental charm of everything which appears around us.  The perfect place at the perfect time and Terry Mc Donagh shot a winner.  No description can properly describe the humour conveyed by this photograph.

Chasing the Pink: Derek Cully

Those of you who are Andy Warhol fans will not be disappointed.  There are a number of original and interesting stencil pieces and Steve Kemp is definitely up there at the top of the must see list.  His print ‘Covered Girl’ is absolutely beautiful.  Made through a process of stencils and Giclée print the piece looks like something you would find in the Museum of Modern Art.

Kemp’s passion originates in his love for street art and the underground suburban culture.  He uses a process of layers and shading which give the minimalistic image great depth.  You can’t miss it and you won’t be disappointed.

I don't know where I am: Adrian&Shane

Adrian and Shane might ring a bell for some of you graffiti art connoisseurs.  These two artists have been working as one since 1998.  Their work has appeared in the Irish Times and the Irish Independent, also the MILK Festival and the Antics Rogue Show.  Their futuristic creations are quite unique as they are produced with a variety of things like aerosols, paints, collages, stencils and video.

‘Chasing the Pink’ by Derek Cully ticks all the boxes when it comes to modern art in its rawest form.  Cully’s abstract expressionism blasts out from the canvas in a mad array of psychedelic candy-cane colours. It’s one of my favourites and worthy of a view.

Deirdre Geraghty’s work is also a vibrant mix of all the colours in the rainbow.  ‘Urban Soul’ is an oil on canvas painting and presents a vivid representation of a city during nightfall.  The bright colours are bold against the deep blue of the night sky and work extremely well.

The list goes on but I would give the best away if I were to tell you anymore.  All in all the exhibition is definitely worth a visit.  It will continue all weekend so there is plenty of time for a stroll over to Temple Bar to check it out.  And if you want to add some colour to your walls there is a great deal to choose from at very affordable prices.

http://www.dublincitysoulfestival.ie/events/visual/eye-candy