Contemporary video installation created by Irish artist James Coleman on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.
A new acquisition Still Life, 2013-2016 (yellow version) by James Coleman is now on display in the Sir Hugh Lane Room of the National Gallery of Ireland. This is the first display of this large-scale video installation at the Gallery and the work’s first appearance in Ireland. Audiences can see it at the Gallery until 8 October 2023.
The digital video installation features a projection of a yellow flowering plant in bloom, presented against a black background. Produced using digital video and computer generated imagery (CGI), movement in the seemingly motionless image is perceptible over time. The large-scale projection offers a space for open contemplation and interpretation, inviting us to reflect on our own experience of perception and time as the work slowly unfolds. The title suggests a history of the still life image and its representation in art and art history. This exhibition provides an excellent opportunity for the Gallery and its audience to engage in the development of video and postmodern art through the work of a significant international practitioner, who is also an Irish artist.
Donal Maguire, Curator of the ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art said “Over the last six decades, the contribution of James Coleman’s work to the development of postmodern art has been immense and is acclaimed internationally. The influence of his innovative art practice, and its investigation of the image and representation in contemporary culture, is visible in the work of generations of artists. His work is an essential addition to the Gallery’s collection of contemporary art.”
Artist James Coleman was born in Roscommon, Ireland in 1941 and works primarily in film, slide and video. A pioneer of time-based media and installation art, his work is recognised internationally for its investigation of various aesthetic, historical, and social issues around the image and representation in contemporary culture. A graduate of the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Coleman completed his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan. Over the past number of decades, his work has evolved from discreet, perceptual installations to complex cinematic works that highlight the role of the viewer in the formation of their meaning.
Media contacts:
Emma Pearson / Ciara Mooney, Communications, National Gallery of Ireland [email protected] / [email protected] / 087 9187941
Notes to Editor:
Image can be downloaded from WeTransfer - https://we.tl/t-YBX3WjzOsh - or email [email protected]
Exhibition curator is available for interview, email [email protected] or [email protected] / 087 918 7941
Exhibition listing:
James Coleman: Still Life, 2013-2016
Opens: 21 January 2023
Closes: 8 October 2023
Sir Hugh Lane Room, National Gallery of Ireland | Free admission
Curator: Donal Maguire
Visitor information at the National Gallery of Ireland:
No booking required – the permanent collection and many temporary exhibitions are free for all to enjoy. Tickets are required for some temporary exhibitions. For tickets and opening hours, see nationalgallery.ie.
About the National Gallery of Ireland:
The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions housing the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive Library & Archive. Entry to the collection is free for all to enjoy, learn and be inspired.