back on the beach in the freezing sand ​is the third iteration of Paul Hallahan and Lee Welch’s two-person exhibition of recent paintings that look to Utopia and the end of perceived history, following on from and​ the tide was way out​ at dlr Lexicon, then and it was raining out of a low sky​ at Sternview Gallery, Cork. With both artists adopting very different approaches to the theme, the exhibition is made up predominantly of paintings alongside a sculpture by Hallahan. The works pose questions as to how we see the world and includes a combination of abstracted landscapes and figurative based paintings. The exhibition also includes a unique collaborative painting by Hallahan and Welch made for the exhibition.

Hallahan uses a variety of methods of making work and is interested in themes that explore perception and interaction with environment both on micro- and macro-scale. Hallahan’s work opens up questions of how we see the basics – colour, form, depth. The primal mind is of interest to him as well as the way in which we read and interact with art both now and in the past.

In an age dominated by the digital image, Welch cherishes the physicality of the human touch. His paintings are a flattening of forms, a simplification of detail, choosing to reveal sections of canvas and making careful use of them generally with only one-layer of paint and completed in one sitting. He never paints directly from life, yet life in all its complexity is right there on the canvas.

Paul Hallahan (IRL) is a Dublin-based artist. Working with water-based paintings, installation and video, he uses pattern, repetition and chance to look at themes that explore perception and interaction with the environment on a micro and macro scale. In 2018 Hallahan won the prestigious Golden Fleece Award and also had solo exhibitions in the Royal Hibernian Academy and The Lab Gallery. Hallahan has exhibited widely in Ireland and internationally and his works feature in the IDA Collection, Waterford City Collection, OPW – State Art Collection and Trinity College Art Collection. (www.paulhallahan.com) 

Lee Welch (IRL/USA) lives and works in Cork and Dublin. He recently began making figurative paintings that aim to explore and negotiate the relationship between artist, subject and viewer. Welch has been shortlisted for the inaugural Merrion Plinth Award. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions including Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork, Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, Michigan and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dubin. His paintings feature in public collections such as Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane and the OPW – State Art Collection. (www.leewelch.com)