Artist’s Talk and Exhibition Opening: Friday 20 January at 6.15pm, and 7.00pm • To be opened by Medb Ruane, Writer and psychotherapist, UCD

The Coercion of Substance is a new body work by the artist Samuel Walsh who describes his practice as one that emerges “from endless dualities: drawing and painting, line and colour, art and audience, seeing and drawing and poetry and prose.”

For this exhibition at Highlanes Gallery the work of Samuel Walsh will fill the main Lower Gallery space with a spectacle of dualities. Meeting the challenge of this unique gallery space, a former Franciscan Church, the artist has created a considered environment of canvases which will play with a further polarity: intimacy and exposure.

The title of this exhibition is taken from Seamus Heaney’s poem The Artist. Multitudinous square canvases will fill the gallery; vivid colours are criss-crossed with the heavy black lines. These paintings, made between 2008 and 2011, are influenced by places, experiences and colour memory.

Each work has its’ own pattern of line interspersed with pockets of colour suggesting aerial field patterns, stained glass windows or sun shining through branches. This exhibition will be a merging of painting and drawing through which Samuel articulates memory and experience.

Samuel Walsh studied Art at the Limerick School of Art; Philosophy at Mary Immaculate College of Education, Limerick, and holds an MFA from the National College of Art & Design, Dublin. In 1997, he was elected a member of Aosdána, a body set up by the Irish Government through the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon to recognise outstanding contributions by individuals to the arts in Ireland. He is currently a Fellow of the Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, Co. Mayo and has been selected for numerous international artists’ residencies.

The exhibition is accompanied by a full colour catalogue with a text by Gemma Tipton.

This solo exhibition has been co-ordinated in association with VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art, Carlow, where it was first exhibited in autumn, and Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny where it will tour to following its viewing at Highlanes Gallery. This exhibition has been gratefully supported by Arts Council of Ireland Touring Grant.

Highlanes Public Programme:

Samuel Walsh will give a Public Tour and discuss his work on Friday 20 January at 6.15pm.

The artist will also facilitate a drawing Master Class for young people and adults on Saturday 21 January from 11.30am- 1.00pm at €5.00 per person. Booking is advised for both as space is limited, please contact the gallery’s main reception.