Slow Lane Gallery presents “LARBI”

“LARBI” is now open in Gallery X and brings together a fantastically cohesive collection of contemporary art works by a diverse group of artists selected by Curator Dino Notaro of Slow Lane Gallery. The offical launch of these works of art took place on Thursday, 11th of August at 6pm in Gallery X on Hume Street, steps awy from Dublin’s Stephen’s Green.

Dino describes the concept of the “LARBI” art show as:

“Larbi Group Show is a coming home of sorts. A re-emergence after two years of lockdown.

The artists chosen for LARBI are those that ?I have collaborated with during the lockdown, and now the opportunity has come to showcase their works within the space of a gallery setting and celebrate contemporary art in Dublin.

Each artist has their own distinctive style and commands an audience. Breaking down barriers. Creating art that challenges you to think and jump into stories”

Featured artists include PIGSY, Zane Sutra, Veronica Buchanan, Sofia Swatek, Niamh O’Connor, Sheila Hamilton and Silvio Severino.

“LARBI” is open until 26th of August.

Gallery X

Visit Gallery X on Hume Street, Dublin City to see this outstanding showing of contemporary Irish artists.

See a short video here about the creation of the “LARBI” art show here.

Below is a selection of photos from the launch of the show but hopefully you can get in to see the art in the flesh over the next while to see it in person!

An interview with PIGSY

As part of the “LARBI” show I was interviewed by Dominick O’Cruadhliocht of Gallery X. See below for a short exerpt from the Q&A session

Q: When did you know you were an artist PIGSY?

A: I don’t think there was a realization. It was something I have always done. The time I knew that I wanted to be a full-time artist was about 2012 when my mental state changed and creatively being an artist was the only thing that would fulfil my creative appetite. I am an architect and will always be an architect. Architecture had become a business with many external voices and no real ownership of the creative process. I found art a very honest calming process that, I could just run with. Art quietens the chaos within my mind and has an endless flow of energetic creativity. I have never had an Epiphany. It has always been in me. I feel real in the process.

Q: Your work has a tribal and anarchic feel. Do you feel this is an expression of yourself as a person?

A: I never thought of my art as tribal but maybe it is a bit anarchic and neo-punk. I do call my artwork “punk poetry in paint”, which is a bit of a wink to John Keats and Cy Twombly. I just see my work as biographical and geographical. A lot of what I paint is about the location I am in and the things happening at that moment and what they emotionally mean to me. I connect to local stories, characters and everyday happenings.

Q: Tell me about your journey as an artist.

A: Well, it started with drawing with chalk on the ground of the school yard. I would steal chalk from the classroom to do my art in isolation. Sometimes, I would go on the mitch just to draw and be alone. I have Dyslexia and my main motivation from an early age was to prove everyone, that told me I couldn’t do something, wrong. This resonated in an expressive way, and it all started on the ground of those school

yards. When I learned, at an older age, creative techniques, and disciplines in college, I became more confident to let myself go and be freer.

Q: Of all your works is there a piece you love compared to a piece others love or is there a piece that is private? Your Portrait of Dorian Grey.

A: A piece that is private and that I love, is a painting of my mother in the kitchen, sitting in her chair.

Q: Is art to you a vocation or job?

A: A vocation. The urge to create art is an overwhelming feeling within me which I need to explore constantly. When this feeling manifests itself in me, I must allow it out. It’s not a choice.

Q: Without review, interview or critique what do you want to say as an artist?

A: A major purpose of my artistic endeavors is to use my successes as an artist to inspire others who have dyslexia, as I do, to pursue their own dreams despite the challenges they face. It is my calling.

PIGSY pieces presented @ “LARBI” in Gallery X, Dublin as a Slow Lane Gallery presentation

“Cloigeann an Diabhal” 60cm h x 60cm w mixed media on canvas €1,500

“I Make My Own Importance” 160cm h x 80cm w mixed media on canvas €1,500

“I’m Social, I Swear” 60cm h x 60cm w x 10 cm d mixed media on Pallet €800

“Insight” 75cm h x 75cm w x 75cm d Found Studio Objects on Found Board €1,250

“The extra-ordinary crucified for you” 145cm h x 190cm w mixed media on canvas €18,000

For more about PIGSY as a dyslexic artist, see the PIGSY film here.