Art Group 7 ‘Barriers’ Wandesford Quay Gallery

Collective Statement

Art Group 7 are united by a shared background as art educators and an aspiration to explore issues informed by life experiences and the world around us. The connecting thread for this their third exhibition together, is the theme ‘Barriers’. Using painting, drawing, digital and mixed media, each artist has interpreted this theme in different ways – but all investigate how personal and social barriers can alter an individual’s outlook on life and the ability to communicate with the self and others.

The central topics which run throughout the work for this exhibition range from the imposition of technology, stresses of a busy lifestyle and mental health issues; social exclusion, nostalgia of the present and questioning structures and conventions in everyday life. Each artist aims to open up a conversation with the viewer - that on an intrinsic level - may have bearing on how we all strive to overcome barriers, no matter what they may be.

Individual Artist Statements and Biographies

Tracy Sexton

My artwork is in response to the barriers to social inclusion that can exist within areas of disadvantage. The youths represented serve as vehicles to convey human experiences, representing emotional tension and the psychological drama of life’s turning points. I hope to communicate awareness and empathy for those who face injustices or challenges in their lives. The work investigates the barriers between illusion and reality and the vulnerability that lingers therein.

Educated in the Crawford College of Art and Design Tracy achieved an Honours Degree in Fine Art painting, Higher Diploma and Masters in Art and Design Education, and was awarded ‘The Marshall Hudson Award’ for excellence in education in 2008. Tracy currently teachers in Youthreach Knocknaheeny, Foroige Corcaí and the College of Commerce in Cork. Tracy has exhibited throughout Ireland and her work encompasses painting, installation and mixed media work.

Declan O’Meara

My artwork for this show is an observation on how we are all-consumed by the world of technology and thus increasingly are detaching ourselves from our physical surroundings and physical interactions. The work looks at how many people are married to their electronic devices - iPhones, iPods etc. - and how this online connectivity can ironically cause a ‘disconnect’ from everything else.

Declan O’ Meara is an art teacher and artist based between Cork and San Francisco. He has taught both in the UK and Ireland. His practice is diverse, ranging from Painting, Illustration, Photography and Sculpture.

Zara McDaid

Western society tends to be ruled by time - be it the fear of not having enough of it, or the daily rush and chaos it can bring to our lives. This can cause feelings of anxiety, pressure and stress and the fear of losing out on precious moments. Through my work, I aim to convey a narrative by providing visual elements for the viewer to piece together and apply to his or her own story. While conveying the emotions that time can stir within us, I kept my palette light so as to not make the paintings dark or formidable. I have used urban landscapes as the backdrop to my paintings as in my opinion, the city is a place that nurtures chaos and is the epitome of a hectic lifestyle. The city is a place that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, isolated and disillusioned. Anxiety, stress, living life by the clock, the rat race lifestyle, and aging – we are all running out of time, so we better make the most of it.

Zara Mc Daid completed a BA (Hons) in fine Art painting at University of Ulster, Belfast, and a Higher Diploma in Art Education at the CIT Crawford college of Art and Design Cork. She works as an Art teacher in Magh Ene College, Bundoran Co. Donegal. Zara currently lives in Co.Sligo where her artist studio is based. Zara’s work was selected for an exhibition display on the billboards of Times Square, New York in 2013. Her work has also recently been featured in nationwide magazines including ‘Ooh La La’ and ‘Image magazine’. Zara is an art columnist for the Donegal Newspaper and Sligo magazine.

Mark Ewart

We all carry with us ingrained memories that help define who we are as individuals. These manifest as images or words that are often buried in our sub-conscious mind and emerge at the most unexpected of times, mingling with a continuum of ever-evolving new experiences.

Nostalgia acts like an invisible, permeable barrier that cloaks these new experiences as they vie for their own place amongst the indelible memories already stored away. The sparse settings and anonymity of the figures that populate these artworks, are universal enough for the viewer to consider their own personal histories and perhaps supplant their own, unique images in their place.

Mark Ewart is a lecturer at CIT Crawford College of Art & Design and is also a teacher in Ashton School, Cork. He has written reviews and articles for several publications including the Irish Examiner, The Irish Times, Circa Art Magazine and Irish Arts Review; as well writing catalogue essays and exhibition texts for a number of well known local and national artists.

Sandra Norris

In this series of paintings I tackle the stigma that surrounds the subject of mental health and how many people can find it a difficult subject to openly confront. In exploring the darkness and hopefulness in mental health in modern society, my research tapped into the inherent knowledge possessed by those who experience mental ill health first hand. My work is based around the barriers people with this illness confront on a daily basis, showing the thin line between the conscious and subconscious. It is hoped that through this work, people may learn to communicate and embrace the subject, using the tool of conversation to break down the stigma attached with mental health.

Sandra studied Fine Art in Crawford College of Art and Design, followed by a Higher Diploma in Arts for Art and Design teaching. Sandra has taught in many environments from schools in East London, Cork and Waterford. Sandra is currently teaching in the CBS Dungarvan,Co.Waterford.

Daniel Sexton

My approach to the theme ‘Barriers’ has come from direct experience of teaching within a prison environment - which has provided an insight into the prisoners’ and victims stories which I've gathered while there. This process may help remove some of the barriers to prisoner re-entry into society. This statement is in no way a defence of the prisoners’ crimes and actions. All paintings are an interpretation of these events, and revolve around isolation, or a lack of freedom in some way. For both victims and prisoners, personalities and individualities have been wiped away.

Daniel Sexton currently teaches in the Art Education unit in Cork City Prison. Educated in the Crawford College of Art and Design where he achieved a BA Hons Fine Art, H-Dip and Masters in Art and Design Education. Daniel has exhibited his work throughout Ireland and has curated local and national prisoner art exhibitions.

Geariod Hally

Life is made up of barriers; big and small, significant and insignificant. Life's path is ultimately defined by how you respond to these barriers. If walls and structures departed and suddenly your life was uprooted - how would you cope?