Marking his first Dublin exhibition in seven years, Belfast-born artist Colin Davidson unveils Stranger, an innovative collection of three-dimensional works that redefine the possibilities of paint as a sculptural medium.

Stranger, the new exhibition by Belfast-born artist Colin Davidson (and his first in Dublin for seven years), comprises six 3-dimensional artworks and is the culmination of five year’s research and studio work by the artist. Davidson has always considered paint as a tactile, viscous, sculptural medium and in these six works, we see him stretch the boundaries of what the medium can do as he takes paint into the realm of sculpture. He refers to these monumental figures as ‘3D paintings’, or ‘paintings you can walk around’, for, not merely sculptures with painted surfaces, they appear as sculptures crafted, not from clay or wax, but from paint. Through a complex process of armature and maquette building (using thickened oil paint), scanning, 3D printing and painting, these oversized figures can be interpreted as unfamiliar, they are indeed ‘strangers’ to the viewer and to the artist.

Colin Davidson is a contemporary artist, living and working near Belfast. Since graduating in 1991 from the UU Belfast School of Art with a first-class honours degree, he has structured his practice in themes. World-renowned for his grand scale portraits, which have won widespread recognition and many international awards, Davidson’s many sitters have included HM Queen Elizabeth II, Brad Pitt, Ed Sheeran, Bono, Liam Neeson, Brian Friel, Christy Moore, Lady Mary Peters, President Bill Clinton, Edna O’Brien, Glen Hansard, Mark Knopfler and Seamus Heaney.

His work is held in many public and corporate collections worldwide, including Queen’s University Belfast, the Ulster Museum (Belfast), Standard Life (London), the National Gallery of Ireland (Dublin), the Standard Chartered Bank of Asia, the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (Washington DC) and the National Portrait Gallery (London). In December 2015 he was commissioned by TIME Magazine to paint the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, for the cover of its ‘Person of the Year’ issue.

Most recently, Davidson’s practice has been directed towards making sculptures and 3-dimensional artworks often crafted from paint. In 2023, to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Davidson was commissioned to make a bronze bust of Senator George Mitchell for Queen’s University Belfast. Davidson, the recipient of Honorary Doctorates from Queen’s University and Ulster University, was installed as the 6th Chancellor of Ulster University in 2021.