CLARE HARTIGAN - IONAD

For this show my focus has been on creating simple black and white images. By focusing on the shadows, the light has almost created itself. The aim has been to examine shapes and strip them back to a minimum. The very nature of black and white images is both bare and naked, there is no colour to hide behind. As the human form is my primary focus, this exhibition has allowed me to examine the human condition and try to strip it back to a more primitive understanding.

The way I work is a reac on to what is going on around me. This show is about removing yourself from the chaos of life and the speed it travels. To strip it back to the essence of who we are and the things we feel.

For me the pain ng Time, is about the inevitably of me passing and our inability to control it. As they say: when it is your me... it is your me.

Moment is about seizing that me. About grasping it and consciously revelling in the moment that is now.

I Feel is the human condi on - our connec on to religious icons, organised religion and the power they hold over us. Underneath it all, as individuals we feel, and are capable of feeling what is right and wrong. We cannot be told to follow a set of rules and expect happiness to follow. I believe happiness comes from not only following logic but also from following your heart.

Now is about being in the now, making peace with your past and being able to focus on the present moment.

I have put a strong emphasis on nature and animals in this exhibition. Only through what is instinctively natural can we see through the chaos and confusion of our self imposed society. Nature and the wild take us back to the most basic human condition. Like the sound of a waterfall or catching a glimpse of a fox passing in the night. These moments are a reminder of a world that we increasingly remove ourselves from.

I like when the viewer takes their own meaning from my pain ngs. Personally I see art as a doorway to an inner world. I tend not to explain my work too much, as I prefer the viewer to make it their own journey. I feel there is a primi ve desire in us to see, examine and create marks and images. When it is done well art can transcend the language, culture and gender barriers that exist between us. I personally like when the pain ngs speak for themselves.



For me this show is about being in the Now...

 Connected

Rooted 

CENTERED