New solo exhibition ‘Emerging Forms’ opens at Fort Dunree's Artlink

A new solo exhibition entitled 'Emerging Forms' by Donegal based artist and poet Aódan McCardle is currently being showcased in Fort Dunree's, Artlink Saldanha Gallery.

In his new solo exhibition Aódan explores the process of drawing and offers the viewer an insight into his creative process.

There is a sense of stepping into the artist’s studio, of witnessing a work in progress. Indeed the artist will be creating some of the drawings in the gallery during the course of the exhibition.

The exhibition includes the drawn objects as well as the drawings which range in size from small notebook sketches to drawings as large as the walls.

Moving from small pen sketch to charcoal drawing, the artist allows the abstracted form to emerge.

The objects are all familiar, humble even. Simple plastic takeaway containers, found rope, discarded firewood bags.

Each of the objects has a usefulness and yet also represent the throwaway. They are in a temporary state between uses. The artist is making observational drawings of these objects to really see and understand something much deeper than what they are on the surface.

The resulting drawings are outcomes of this mindful process, not an end in themselves.

The gallery space is also a place that the viewer can experience as it changes from one state to another. It is a space in transition from studio/production space to presentation space, where we see drawings in production and objects being observed.

The viewer is invited to move around the space and discover the objects and drawings, seeing them from different perspectives, observing the effects of light and shadow cast by natural light.

Aodan said: ”For ten years my work has involved drawing and writing in a live setting often during improvised performance.

“The exhibition at Artlink has afforded my the freedom and time and space to work.

“Over the past few years I’ve worked out of my domestic space, snatching small portions of time, working on a small scale, dictated by financial constraints and family life. So I’ve been working on small, quickly rendered sketches.

“Over the past few years I write that way too. I put a line down and it’s done, I don’t re-write it. I make a sketch and it’s done.

“So this experience of working in the Saldanha Gallery, and having the time to work and resources to buy large sheets of paper and other materials has been very rewarding and has led me in new directions.”

'Emerging Forms' is open to the public in the Saldanha Gallery, Artlink Fort Dunree – with free admission daily from 10.30am-4.30pm until Monday, November 7.

For further information on the new solo exhibition email info@artlink.ie or telephone 0838696513 / 0864532428.