Presented by Alternative Entertainments

Irish Encounters is an exhibition by American artist Jim Collins, best known for his large-scale public art sculptures. These small pieces – mixed media with assemblage frames – are challenging in that the art is not finalized until the viewer completes it. Because the work is made of many parts on different layers each viewer will see different parts one at a time, and in turn will assign a value to each part of the work as it relates to the whole.

Collins carefully constructs evocative box collages from found objects and recycled materials to suggest arresting, delightful, unexpected narratives. A passionate collector, Collins draws from an ever-evolving stockpile of vintage resources to create his works. Some pay tribute to mythology, others comment on societal ills and many become pure flights of fancy. All deliver a cornucopia of visual delights that suggest open-ended imagination of theatre as well as the rich tradition of storytelling in the American South.

Jim Collins is primarily a sculptor working in a figurative manner, best exemplified by his long running series THE WATCHER. His sculpture style has been characterized by the use of silhouette figures constructed of stainless steel, aluminum and other metals.

Jim has completed two major sculpture commissions in Ireland in recent years in Limerick and Louth. This current exhibition is a continuation of an Irish tour that has visited Kilkenny, Dundalk and Limerick since June 2010.

Part of the AltEnts Children’s Arts Festival 2011