Real and The Unreal

Cahir Arts brings together contemporary Irish artists, Robert Ryan and Paul D’Arcy from 18th of October to 19th of November. Opening night 21th of October.

Robert Ryan is based in Lough Gur, County Limerick.  “It's a place of huge archaeological significance - a place where the past feels ever present that has deeply informed my creative vision”.  Robert Ryan 's work could possibly be described as leaning towards the very loose (and often misunderstood genre of art) "Magic Realism" He creates a visionary haunting evocative world where the real and the unreal merge into one. Landscapes inhabited by hybrid dog-like creatures.

His allegorical paintings borrow qualities from the great European old master tradition. Yet the universal concepts he explores such as solitude, vulnerability, fragility and the infinity of space and time seem to reflect the current concerns about the world and the other species we co-exist with. "My images are of a universal landscape where generic creatures wander like lost souls"  Robert Ryan 2023

Robert Ryan’s work is also currently on show in the Wexford Arts Festival. He features in New Surrealism the uncanny in contemporary painting by Robert Zeller which includes 35 international artists. Available Internationally in December. 

Paul D’Arcy is an Irish painter and sculptor based in the seaside town of Skerries, Ireland.

His current work deals with a sensitivity to the environment through the image of the giant white egret in his paintings; which has been a reoccurring symbol in his work for the past 15 years. Other works in the show include works from the Icebergs series and a bronze sculpture on limestone base entitled  In touch with Nature

Born in Dublin, Ireland and spent his childhood in South Africa and Namibia. Paul has been working as a full-­­time artist for the past thirty years. He has travelled extensively throughout Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand. As an artist he briefly attended NCAD & DCAD art colleges in Dublin studying fine arts but is primarily self-taught. He also spent time in the National Gallery of Ireland during the 1980’s copying artwork from its collection.  

Both artist’s work can be found in public collections, corporate collections and private collections in Ireland and further afield.

“Real and The Unreal”

Through this selection of work, both artists explore the area where real and unreal merge into one, the "familiar" becomes "unfamiliar.  D’Arcy  through eerie almost surreal crisp strokes, Ryan employs a more nebulous, symbolic style.

Both artists have exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions. Their works are in public, corporate and private collections in Ireland and abroad. 

CONTACT FOR FULL BIO MORE INFORMATION AND PRICE LIST cahirarts@gmail.com