Gormleys is delighted to present Peter Monaghan’s latest exhibition, Perspectives.

Renowned for his three-dimensional kinetic work, the exhibition promises to take viewers on a visual and sensory journey through Monaghan’s artistic vision.

Influenced by the optical and kinetic artists Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarely and Jesús Rafael Soto, Monaghan uses simple forms, colour and shapes in repetition to engage and create dialogue with the viewer. The use of movement, illusion and optical effects enable this. Each viewpoint offers a different perspective.

Born in 1955, Monaghan studied at NCAD in the mid-1970s before starting his own successful design company. In 2000, he gave up design work to concentrate full-time on his artistic practice. Monaghan has enjoyed a successful artistic trajectory since changing career, having exhibited in Ireland, the UK, across Europe, Asia and the United States. Monaghan has also worked on large-scale site-specific installations in Ireland, Europe and the Middle East.

“My work is the result of a disciplined research into the experience of looking – the experience of pure visual sensation and aesthetic pleasure. Simple forms and colours are used in repetition to engage the viewer. It is a dialogue about light, colour, movement and illusion; exploring the relationships and contrasts between painted flat surfaces, protruding spheres, cubes or geometric shapes.” “I would like my audience to have a visceral connection with my work. I hope that the joy which I experience in creating the paintings is evident and that the enjoyment is passed on to the viewer.”

Monaghan’s artwork has won national recognition including the Jim McNaughton Bursary for Commissioned Artists as part of the Business to Arts Awards. His large-scale installations can be seen in prestigious locations such as the V.I.P. Presidential Suite in Dublin Airport, One Grand Parade, Crown Plaza Paris, the Marker, Gibson and Leinster Hotels, the Beacon Clinic and University College Dublin’s scientific centre.