
Former boxer opens exhibit of paintings in Wicklow
Wicklow People
Today at 03:00
Artist Joe Farrell, who started painting back in 1978 after giving up amateur boxing, has launched his latest exhibition at the Courthouse Art Centre, Tinahely, which remains open to the public until Saturday, July 5.
His These Memories Can't Wait exhibition opened in the Courthouse Arts Centre on Sunday, June 15.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the works, he said: 'I have always been interested in the potential for paint and lens to observe, describe and understand the world in different ways. My paintings address the fragile, fugitive qualities of memory by recapturing and distilling my experiences in more than twenty countries over almost five decades.
'The paintings rely solely on memories of people, places and events. The images are built up from multiple layers or frames of memory. As each frame is attenuated by time and distance, the paintings become enigmatic and abstract. Shifting timescales, viewpoints and perspectives coalesce until a precise image emerges from colour, gesture, surface and line.'
A painter, photographer and documentary director, Joe's works feature in the Irish State art collection, as well as in private and institutional collections in Ireland, Canada and UK. He has also directed broadcast documentaries and factual programmes in more than 20 countries including Ethiopia, DR Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Korea and Jamaica.
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