#OffYellowSummer Coverage in Spanish Press
PIGSY in #OffYellowSummer Art Exhibition in Malaga
I am very proud to be part of the #OffYellowSummer public art show as part of the Estival Art Festival in Malaga. Along with 28 other artists, my art was presented on a plinth in front of the Alcazaba Roman ruins in Malaga City. It was a crowning moment to the end of my year in Malaga as a resident artist in La Casa Amarilla Studios. The #OffYellowSummer exhibition was presented by La Casa Amarilla Gallery (curated by David Burbano and Roy Laguna) with sponsorship by San Miguel Cervezas.
#OffYellowSummer Malaga Press Coverage
Here are some of the #OffYellowSummer art articles that were printed in Spanish press.
Sur
Así es la exposición 'Off Yellow Summer' en la calle Alcazabilla en Málaga
La Opinión de Málaga
Arte en la calle Alcazabilla: Los artistas de aquí de mañana se ven hoy
20 Minutos
La calle alcazabilla de malaga acoge una exposicion con 30 obras de artistas de proximidad
"Estival" Contemporary Art Festival Malaga 2021
“Estival”
4th Contemporary Art Festival, Malaga
3 - 30 July 2021
#OffYellow Summer as part of Estival presented by La Casa Amarilla
“I’ve Given Enough” by PIGSY
See "PIGSY art in #OffYellowSummer presented by La Casa Amarilla
PIGSY’s art work “I’ve Given Enough” will be on view in a public art presentation in front of the Roman theatre ruins in Malaga City at the Alcazaba, from 7th to 19th of July 2021.
Prints of “I’ve Given Enough” will be available to purchase through a scannable QR code on the art work, or contact La Casa Amarilla for further information.
The PIGSY piece featured in this exhibition is “I’ve Given Enough”
28 artists are part of Off Yellow Summer
Ania Sáenz de Buruaga
Carmen Campos
Claudia Frau
Christina Peralta
Cristina Savage
David Burbano
David Campaner
Eryk Pall
Irene Cruz
Ismael Kachtihi del Moral
Javier Roz
Juanjo Fuentes
La Rulla
Le Petit Kaiser
Lydia Fernández
Maite Vroom
Manu Guayre
Maria Maqueira
Marta O Nilson
Mister Kaikus
Pablo Caro Revidiego
Paco Aquilar
Philip McQueen
PIGSY
Raúl Navas
Rocío Texeira
Silvia J. Esteban
Yolanda Dorda
Supported by the City Council of Malaga through the Cultural Area
Presented by La Casa Amarilla with sponsorship by San Miguel Cervezas
PIGSY Art Abroad
PIGSY Art on the Move!
This has been a busy week with lots of art packing and arranging of shipping. I’m sending some oversize artworks to Ireland for my next show which is in a very large venue. Due to Brexit, it has proved challenging arranging the movement of these pieces. Deliveries to Ireland can no longer go through the UK as they are now classed as a third country. Along with Brexit, Covid has also caused further challenges. Normally there would be lots of trucks going between Ireland and Spain (or other mainland European countries) and so finding a spot on a van would be no trouble at all. However due to Covid there is very little movement between countries so there has been difficulties - I even found it hard to get my boxes booked on to a flight as freight due to flights being cancelled and consolidated. BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel and things are getting better - finally last week I got confirmation from a transporter that they would be able to schedule in the art for movement. So it is all good, and all go! I’ll be packing art all this week after an art photo session with a local photographer on Tuesday - all of my art created in the last few months is now being photographed and documented.
Artlife
It’s a busy time for sure and I seem to be constantly on the phone or answering emails but this suits me as I like to be constantly occupied with something…….quiet and calm doesn’t interest me.
One of the things that has kept me busy is art sales and deliveries, see below for a wrap up of some recent sales and details of new homes and locations for PIGSY art.
PIGSY in Prague
PIGSY in Prague has a nice ring to it! I can ship art anywhere in the world and was pleased when someone contacted me through instagram to arrange the transport of a PIGSY art work to them in Prague, Czech Republic. It arrived promptly to them in a few short weeks and they then dropped me a line to let me know how happy they were with their new art piece.
Pictured below is the piece when it was hanging in La Casa Amarilla above a series of skulls that are framed on a linen backing. The flower paper study that is now in Prague is a floated A4 sheet in a custom timber frame that is a bespoke frame that was fabricated here in Malaga to my specifications.
Singapore Art Sales
I was proud to take part in the Artxplor Event in Singapore for The Ireland funds. This event consisted of a group of Irish Artists and Asian Artists and one of the art pieces I submitted was auctioned with the full price being donated to The Ireland Funds in Singapore. The other two pieces were sold in the Artxplor event with a gallery showing running in Tanglin Shopping Centre for a few months. It’s exciting to know that PIGSY artworks are now gracing the walls of homes in Singapore.
Hangman Sculpture heads to a new home in Malaga
Talk about International art! Recently I sold a PIGSY sculpture that had been featured in my recent “I Went to Mass” art exhibition in La Casa Amarilla in Malaga and although it will be staying here in Malaga where it will be placed pride of place in a new home that will be occupied in September, it was actually bought by a German art collector. The stories around the collectors of my art are always interesting and it was great to meet these collectors when they visited La Casa Amarilla to collect their new piece. After they collected their artwork they went to the cafe across the street for refreshment and luckily I was passing the gallery at the same time and popped in to say hello to the Gallery Director. He immediately directed me to the cafe and I was pleased to get to chat to the collectors. Meeting new people, fans and collectors of my art is definitely one of the positives of being an artist!
Here’s pics of the “Hangman 2” sculpture that has left the gallery and gone to a its new home.
Skull bound for Torremolinos for a book publication
The final piece that is gone to it’s new home in recent times is this small skull paper study. This piece is titled “Skull: 3 Wounds” and the three wounds represent the Social, Emotional and Behavioral states. It is semi-autobiographical and represents psychological scars embedded in my brain. This piece is now gracing a wall of a home in Torremolinos and will also be published in a book by an author who is a now collector of PIGSY art works. The author intends to crop down the artwork to feature the skull in the book as a chapter heading.
I always like to hear a follow up about my artworks that sell and go to private collections. It is fun to receive photos from collectors showing where they hung my artworks. I am really looking forward to seeing the published book in the future with this skull artwork featured as an illustration on one of the pages. It’s things like this that make me feel happy to be an artist, creating work and collaborating with others. It adds to the human experience as human connection is so very important to us all, and never more so than this time as we come out of a period where we have had to deliberately stay physically away from each other. We need to rebuild the disconnections that have been imposed upon us in order to stop the spread of the Covid. But I truly believe that we are on the turn with the rollout and take up of vaccines - we will prevail!
Contact me if you are interested in a PIGSY piece for your home and we can discuss your interests, area it will be hung and the size of your walls. I can then recommend some pieces or of course you can choose a specific piece. With shipping available from Marbella to Missouri I can make sure you can get a delivery of art to add to your collection and fill your life with neo-expressionist color!
See details on my website of the framed Paper Studies which are very accessible and affordable - and due to their size they ship easily to worldwide destinations.
Art with a Capital A
Art - the perfect Zoom background
The past year or so has certainly been the year of virtual meetings on Zoom. It’s been hugely beneficial to us all and it has kept things going in the business world. For many adapting to a work from home situation, small routines have helped to keep things professional while working in this new environment. Sticking to regular office hours and routines are a good plan and also wearing smart office clothes serve to delineate between work and home life.
Zoom calls have been a savior for many but there is downfalls to them too. Some people consider that Zoom calls are invasive and they don’t want to display their home setting to work colleagues. This is understandable, but it may lead to colleagues leaving their camera off which possibly diminishes the effectiveness of virtual meetings. Another alternative to this is to use a fake background or a fabricated background with the company logo and branding.
Best Zoom Background - Showstopper Art
However, in my opinion, the best background for Zoom calls is a showstopper piece of art. This allows you to both show off your personal style and taste in art and also show a bit of your personality too.
Art in the office, as well as being great for Zoom meetings, will not only make you happy and give a sense of well being, but it should also give you inspiration and ideas. When you are working on something really mundane and need to take a break, you can simply make yourself a nice cup of coffee and then take a break from the computer screen and loose yourself in your artwork. A little mini art adventure just for you in your office. Imagine how wonderful and uplifting that will feel. In fact, when you go back in to the office you will be making suggestions to management that they should put art in every office for staff.
Check out this piece of PIGSY art in an office setting - it may be the background to conference calls, but it is no shrinking violet. It’s Art with a capital A!
Library Life - Art in the Office
My wife Enid used to work in a public library that loaned out framed art prints for 3 months at a time (how great is this concept?! - see here for more of the great work that is done by Libraries in Ireland). When she was managing a small library a few years ago she worked from a lovely office with a window out on to the library floor (luckily she had a blind on the window as it faced out on to the children’s area - I think she might have found it distracting to work with children looking in on her!) and so she borrowed one of the pieces of art and then rotated in every 3 months. The first pic for her was a vintage poster advertising travel to Miami with her favorite one being a large print of a sketch of “Falling Water” by Frank Lloyd Wright - she renewed this one a few times!
PIGSY Art on Walls
I always enjoy seeing pictures of my art on walls and it was a nice surprise to hear from an art collector a few years after he acquired one of my artworks. The painting had been storage for a few years and was now hanging in pride of place in this CEO’s new office in his refurbished office building. This painting is an indicator of what type of art should be hung in the office and it is truly the best place for it. It’s a big, bold, vibrant, statement piece of art and it makes a great juxtaposition between the industrial office setting with it’s exposed ducting and rustic wood surfaces. The space for the art could not be any more perfect!
Art in your life
I’ve written before about art and interior design on my blog, and I truly believe that art adds a massive dimension to peoples lives. But in this instance as a background on conference calls, it not only enhances the life of the art collector but also enhances the life of all the attendees on the conference call!
Contact me today if you want a PIGSY painting added to your art collection for your office or home.
MAF - Malaga
MAF - Malaga Arts Festival
The Festival de Malaga opened with a bang on the 13th of May and it made for a weekend of art for myself and Enid.It started on Thursday evening where we headed to Calle Santos to see the staging of an art intervention by David Burbano and Roy Laguna of La Casa Amarilla. Friday night brought us to the opening of Eryk Pall’s artwork in the Pompidou Centre and then we were in the Russian Museum on Saturday for another exciting MAF Event.
Cuidado Arte en la Ciudad
La Casa Amarilla makes a bold statement about the need to be attentive to the arts in these times. This was a really striking installation which featured artists Laguna and Burbano position a large scale “wet floor sign” in the center of the street and they then added their message to it. With lots of people stopping to look, it definitely got it’s message out!
Eryk Pall - “El sentido del viento / Le sens du vent”
After collecting tickets earlier in the day we we went to the Pompidou Centre in Malaga for the inauguration of the Eryk Pall intervention on the stair case of the Pompidou. Titled “The Sense of the Wind” it is an awesome black and white installation. It is a staged piece of art that will be added to over the next few months. Eryk is one of the artists in La Casa Amarilla so I was very happy for him to have his art exhibited in such a prestigious venue. He is a French man so it is very apt too!
David Burbano & Eryk Pall at Museo Ruso Malaga for MAF Festival in Malaga
1% Intervencion aristica de Eryk Pall y David Burbano en la coleccion del Museo Ruso - MAF 2021
The main thrust of this artistic work is to bring visibility to the precariousness faced by artists in the face of the social measures due to the current crisis. The artwork consists of over 100 canvas with an artist’s name subtly printed on to it - you need to get up close to see the names. The 1% intervention puts forward the question that when artists are not visible what is the relevance of them and their work.
It was an honor to hear that my name was one of the artists featured within the art work and I was privileged to attend the opening.
Muchas Gracias David y Eryk!
Original Framed Art by PIGSY - special range of paper studies
Framed Paper Studies - now available
As part of my recent exhibition in La Casa Amarilla, I created an “Altar of Art”. This was made up of wall of paper studies with a large painting hung proud of this display.
It was a seriously instagrammable (is that a word?!) piece of work and was great seeing images of it on Social Media during the month long exhibition.
Original Art
All of these paper studies are now available and give you an opportunity to add one to your art collection. You can select a paper art study and I will then organize to have it framed in a bespoke frame, custom designed by me and then mailed to you anywhere in the world!
The latest one of these unique artworks that sold is now heading off to an art collector in the Czech Republic.
Pictured is me with Author Tony Bryant in front of the “altar of art” at my “I Went to Mass” exhibition in La Casa Amarilla.
Select your artwork!
This range of paper studies allows you to select an artwork that appeals to you most. Or for something a bit fun you can ask PIGSY to make the selection for you! The above pictured framed paper study is now in it’s new home with an art collector in County Cork, Ireland.
The pieces are very affordable and are a neat size for any home. Contact me today and I will send you some images of just some of the pieces that are available. Pictured below are a few of them which when you select they will be framed here in Malaga and then shipped to you anywhere in the world.
Art Shipping Available
The latest piece to sell from this special offering is now in the mail to the Czech Republic. See details of it below. It’s an interesting piece and I know it will be loved by it’s new owner and look forward to seeing it on their wall. Pictured is my assistant Enid, taking the boxed art work to the courier’s office for shipping.
Contact me
Contact me for further details if you are interested in acquiring one of these original artworks for your art collection today! What’s app +353 87 6623246 or email pigsy.art@gmail.com
Further information contact me or you can read about how art enhances interior design on my blog.
House Beautiful - Let there be light!
Let there be light!
House Beautiful feature - July 2013: The Ranelagh home of Artist and former Architect Ciaran McCoy and his wife Enid Bebbington
Check out this feature in House Beautiful Magazine about the renovation of my home, where I live with my wife Enid Bebbington and our dog Dr Bones McCoy
Designed by Ciaran McCoy (ODKM Architects)
Constructed by: MSVI Building Construction
Kitchen Designer: Dean Cooper
Home Profile
A two bed, mid-terrace Victorian House that was in a state of disrepair. It was rebuilt completely with a concrete floor, glass staircase and indoor/outdoor courtyard was added.
Living Area to the front of the house
Influenced by my favorite architect Frank Lloyd Wright, I built a sunken conversation pit style seating area with pull out storage drawers built in under the seating area. The television is housed in a wooden unit that was handmade by Dean Cooper
Lighting
I worked with Patrick Kerr of Shadowlight to design lighting schemes controlled by Lutron switches with dimming functions by Bang & Olufson.
Living Room (to the rear)
To define the different parts of the living area, the chimney breast was painted a Dulex Dark Grey with a paler shase of Dulex Grey used in the rest of the house.
A colored concrete floor runs throughout the rest of the living areas and kitchen. Underfloor heating with thermostatic controls keeps the space cosy as does the bright Jan Kath rug.
Dining Area
The floating oak bench was designed by me and it seats 10 people. It was constructed on site by MSVI Construction.
Behind the bench is a seamless angled glass window which is a nod to John Lautner’s Chemosphere House (another of my favourite arcchitects).. My concept was to use the frameless glass in order to create a picture of the stone boundary wall. This window proved to be one of the most challenging elements of the build as access to the site was limited with the use of a crane being out of the question. It took 12 men, 8 hours, to install the half-ton panel panel of glass.
Home Art Studio
A floating glass stairs lead to my home art studio which has a glass roof and glass floor (a lot of light!). The internal walls are clad in birch plywoof and the external walls open in to the room to let light and air throughout the house.
Bathroom
Mini steel i-beams support the bathroom’s glass ceiling. The industrial feel is emphasised by the coloured concrete floor and Subway Tiles from Caesar Tiles. The glass ceiling “borrows” light from the studio’s glass roof above, while opaque white film between the sheets of toughened glass provides privacy
House Beautiful UK Renovation of the Year
It was an honour for me to have my house selected as a finalist for the House Beautiful UK Renovation of the Year Awards 2013, and thanks also to House Beautiful for the excellent showcase of my home. It was great to share photos of my home along with design and architecture tips. Thank you!
That's a wrap! PIGSY Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla, Malaga
PIGSY Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla
PIGSY’s Spanish Art Exhibition is “cerrado”
What a roller-coaster ride it’s been over the past few weeks since my exhibition opened in La Casa Amarilla on 27th of March. From the opening day until closing on Tuesday 20th of April it has been Go Go Go! The high of the incredible opening day just kept going and I was busy all month with callers to the exhibition and giving tours and talks to visitors and groups. If I was in the gallery when visitors called in I had a great time chatting with them and answering their questions. And if I wasn’t in the gallery it was fantastic to see reactions of visitors on social media as most tagged the PIGSY instagram and twitter. - as pictured, there were even some visitors of the four legged variety!
Art sponsored by San Miguel
My exhibitions in the past in Ireland have been sponsored by beer makers. O’Brother Brewing sponsored my first show in The Kemp Gallery while Hope Beer sponsored my exhibition in Fumbally Exchange. It was apt then to again be sponsored by a beer company for my latest art exhibition. But what a beer company!
“I Went to Mass” in La Casa Amarilla was sponsored by none other than the famous Spanish Cerveza “San Miguel”. As I raised a San Miguel beer at the art exhibition, I gave both the Irish toast of “Sláinte” and Spanish “Salud”. Both of these toasts mean Health….but I think they brought me good luck too!
Sold! Yellow is the new red dot!
The translation of “La Casa Amarilla” is “The Yellow House”. So of course it makes sense for the gallery to use yellow dots in place of the traditional red dot when art sells. It was a great moment to see Gallery Director David Burbano place the first yellow dot on to a sold PIGSY art work. The first sale is always exciting and having seen lots of red dots in the past, I enjoyed seeing the unique La Casa Amarilla yellow dot go up on the wall.
The art work in the photograph with David placing the yellow dot on it is a framed paper study. You can read more about the process of creating this artwork at the bottom of this blog. It has been framed by a local craftsman in a way that I specified in order to highlight the art and to show it to it’s best potential. They are a very accessible piece and can be easily shipped any where in the world. One of these art works was recently posted in the mail to County Cork in Ireland and the new collector was delighted to receive it promptly and get it up on the wall of their home.
It excites me to think that there will now be a number of PIGSY art works gracing the walls of homes in Spain and I know one piece is destined for Marbella to be included in a collector’s contemporary art collection. As an Irish artist it is always awesome when you see your art travelling beyond the shores of Ireland - in recent times one of my pieces was shipped to a home in Canada and knowing that they are now hanging on walls in Spain is a great thing too! See below for some of the artworks that have now sold as part of the Malaga exhibition “I Went to Mass” and also some photos of visitors to the exhibition.
An Altar of Art
I created a large feature wall of art studies, as part of the exhibition, of which the concept is that it becomes an “Altar of Art”. These studies are now available for sale and you can choose your favorite one which I will then frame in a bespoke custom frame specified by me. As a fun alternative, you can ask me to select one for you and I will then frame it without showing you which one I have chosen for you. The framed piece of artwork will then be posted to you and will make for a surprise when you open it as it is at this point that you will see which art work you are now the proud owner of!
See below for the “Altar of Art” of which you can choose a study to be framed and mailed to you…..or I can mail to someone else of your choosing if you know an art lover who would enjoy receiving it as a special gift from you.
Browse my website under works for further information about this unique range of artworks and what the finished concept looks like. They will make a nice addition to any home and are great for anyone starting their contemporary art collection.
“I Went to Mass” artworks
Contact David Burbano in La Casa Amarilla for further information, availability and pricing, etc..
District Magazine Article about PIGSY
District Magazine features PIGSY
Edition no. April 2019, Published: 4th April 2019
Irish Artist Spotlight: PIGSY
Ciaran McCoy is Pigsy. As Ciarán, he works as a partner in renowned architectural practise ODKM in Dublin City Centre, As Pigsy, he releases himself from the disciplined nature of architecture to create free flowing expressionist art. Pigsy paints in an attempt to assuage internal conflicts, his canvas being the battleground and the media. He uses the tools of resolution and understanding.
His media icludes acrylics, spray paint, chalk and anything else that feels right in the moment. Most figures that he creates in his works are of himself and this self portraiture sets him up as both the protagonist on canvas but also the antagonist as the creator and puppet master of the piece.
I can still remember reading this article over brunch in The Pot Bellied Pig in Rathmines. This fantastic restaurant is now closed down but I have great memories of it serving amazing rasher sandwiches and being a dog friendly spot in Dublin 6. It is missed by many.
Limited Edition PIGSY Prints
Art always helps
Be kind to yourself and surround yourself with nice things
At this time, it has never been more important (particularly if you are on lockdown or working from home) to surround ourselves with things of beauty and visual items that can bring us a simple joy or pleasure in our lives. Art is one of the things that can help take our mind off issues and concerns and can draw us in to a world outside of our reality. Art improves our surroundings at home and encourages us to relax, turn on music, make a warm drink (or a cold one!) and sit, chill out and enjoy ourselves in the moment. Art is calming and it can centre us. Art always helps.
Art for Families
Bringing art in to the family home brings an air of creativity, tranquility and positivity in to the house. It opens up the potential for anything to happen in the future and it is inspirational for all who live with it. One PIGSY art collector said that they have even hung a print in their children’s bedrooms at the request of the child. With bright, vibrant and striking impressions it is easy to see how these artworks appeal to all members of the family, both young and old! They have then gone on to tell how, at times in place of a bedtime story, they have talked with their child about what is going on in the painting. That’s certainly taking things to a new level and is exposing a child to something far beyond the traditional and which will help their cognitive development and give them a lifetime appreciation for art which will in turn enhance their life.
PIGSY Prints with bespoke frames
A curated collection of PIGSY artworks are offered as limited edition prints from the Designyard. Gallery. These included in these works are the popular “I Find You Fascinating” of which the original is massive so the print is in a more accessible size along with “Mo Laoch” which features James Joyce as the central protagonist.
Limited edition prints are available through Designyard in Dublin City, in various sizes with prices starting at €790. Designyard offers convenient shipping worldwide. Contact Ronan Campbell with enquiries.
Custom Frames
All PIGSY Limited Edition prints have a bespoke frame which is custom designed by PIGSY. The frames have an architectural aexthetic and are complemented with a perfectly proportioned shadow gap. Limited edition PIGSY prints are a unique wedding gift and are also the perfect housewarming gift to congratulate a new home owner.
“Limited edition PIGSY prints offer an accessible entry point to becoming a collector of my work” - PIGSY
Kemp writes about PIGSY
Kemp writes about PIGSY
Kemp: the art of PIGSY
Pigsy is an artist hailing from Dublin's inner city, in Ireland. He paints in an attempt to assuage the conflicts in his mind, with his canvas being the battleground and the media he uses the tools of resolution and understanding. His media include acrylics, spray paint, chalk and anything else that feels right in the moment. Most figures that he creates in his work are of himself and this self portraiture sets him up as both the protagonist on canvas but also the antagonist as the creator and puppet master of the piece.
Religion
Although claiming to be agnostic, there is a strong religious undercurrent to a lot of his work, with angels, crosses and crowns of thorns featuring in many of his pieces. This may be as a result of the strict Catholic schooling of his youth. ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
Free Style - freedom in self expression and storytelling
His technique normally involves a free flowing start to each piece as he sets the scene for the broader context of the work, followed by a slower, drawn out finish as he immerses himself into the painting and endeavours to elicit an answer to the conundrums that he faces and to dig himself out of the holes he creates for himself in his mind.
He deals with dichotomous matters as a general rule : loneliness and the need to be alone, fame and the need for privacy, straying from the norm and the need to fit in etc. ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ In his latest tranche of work, he explores the existence of extraordinary people, their psyche, the effect that they have on society at large and vice versa.
Exhibitions
He has held solo shows in the urban art gallery The KEMP Gallery and had a hugely successful self funded pop-up exhibition in Dublin along with plans to show in Berlin in 2022. Look out for the documentary "Pigsy'' directed by film maker Mike Andrews, which did the rounds of the film festivals in Britain and Ireland and was then screened in the prestigious Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin, Ireland.
By Kemp
Why are parts of the text blacked out? Redaction explained.
PIGSY is much more comfortable painting than speaking about his work and the inspiration behind it. His work is a stream of consciousness and he goes into dark places of his psyche in order to create his art. As a result, he struggles to return to those places and explain verbally what the piece is about. PIGSY along with his curator Steve Kemp came up with a solution to this whereby Kemp would interview PIGSY once about each body of work and write up his interpretations of each piece. This is an exhausting and disturbing process for the artist but one that is necessary and once completed it releases him from the burden of speaking of the work again. Kemp’s text then acts as a buffer for the artist as he finds it much easier to convey Kemp’s words even though it is describing his work.
Redaction and personal passages
The redaction idea came about after the pair argued over the content of the interpretations. Pigsy felt some passages were too personal and didn’t want to share them with the world whereas Kemp felt every word was necessary to allow the viewer into the piece. The compromise was to leave all text in but redact the parts Pigsy wasn’t at ease with. The reader can see the legible parts but also knows that there is a little more to the art that’s left unexplained.
Gallery Tour and Artist Talk
CLIC Language School Excursion
Gallery Tour and Visit to La Casa Amarilla Galerie
I was really pleased to welcome staff and students from CLIC Language School Malaga to my exhibition “I Went to Mass” in La Casa Amarilla Galerie yesterday. As well as speaking about the exhibition and explaining the art work they also were invited in to my studio to see what I am currently working on. Gallery Director David Burbano also spoke to the visitors and discussed my art and my process.
Neo-Expressionist Artist Talk
It was a dismal rainy day yesterday so what better thing to do then go on an excursion to a city art gallery and listen to the artist talk about his neo-expressionist artwork!
Molscéal - Irish Language Interview
PIGSY ag caint as gaeilge
Molscéal - Irish Language Interview
Ealaíontóir PIGSY interviewed by Muireann Ní Chíobháin for Molscéal
Having attended an all-Irish school while growing up, I am fluent in the Irish language and can easily converse as gaeilge. I am always happy to take any opportunity to say a “cupla focail as gaeilge”. Check out this Irish language interview with me on Molscéal on Irish language station TG4. Click here to see the full interview.
Language Learning
I am re-watching this interview of me speaking Irish while I am here in Malaga, Spain - having just attended a Spanish language class this morning with my tutor Clara. It’s a little bit surreal to be looking at myself speaking what would have been my primary language at one point, but no longer is, while currently attempting to learn a third language. Life sure takes you on journeys that you don’t anticipate but it is a journey worth taking……it’s particularly gratifying in this time of covid to hopefully come out of it all with a new skill and language under my belt. It takes time and for me it is definitely “poco a poco”……..but I will get there and while doing so, I’ll enjoy the journey!
I’m hopeful that after spending an hour a day working on my Spanish language learning for the past 9 months that very soon I will be able to talk about my artwork in Spanish. It’s definitely something to aim for.
What this interview, as gaeilge, shows me is that it is very easy to loose fluency if you don’t keep practising speaking languages. Coupled with how difficult it is to gain fluency in the first case, it is indicative of how hard learning a language actually is. Add to this the fact, that I am a lot older than when I was learning languages as a kid in school. How much easier was it then!
But I’m committed and I’ve put massive effort in, so I do think the fluency in Spanish speaking will come. It’s just been unfortunate given the whole covid thing that there has been limited opportunity for socialising and Spanish speaking. Intercambios and language exchanges are no longer being run in person here in Malaga and from time to time as the city closed down for periods, due to Covid numbers, my language classes went online and these virtual lessons proved way more challenging than physical meet up lessons.
Spanish Language Learning in Malaga
I’ve done a batch of lessons here in Malaga and along with attending an intensive 20 hr week course for a few weeks, I’ve found that what I enjoy most is my own self instructed learning (with resources like Duolingo) and also a weekly meet up with a Spanish tutor in a local cafe for conversational Spanish. The classroom setting for the intensive classes was particularly tough - I’m not sure this type of structured learning setting suits me!
It’s definitely a case of “watch this space” and I will follow this blog up in about a year with an update of how it is all going. Until then, hasta luego!
Custom PIGSY Nikes
Air Jordan Flights custom painted by PIGSY
Commissioned pieces of art sure can be interesting!
I feel very lucky to have received some interesting commissions in my art career - one being the recent painted dinosaur head which I blogged about recently.
However, my latest commission is probably of the most interest to me - a customized pair of Nike trainers for a young break dancer. Very cool!
White Air Jordan Flights
Here’s the before pic of the Air Jordan Flights before they were custom painted.
Angelus Leather Paint
As a starting point, I needed to order Angelus Leather paint to customize the Nike shoes. I looked on Amazon initially but then I founded a company in Madrid who sold Angelus leather paint online. The paint arrived promptly considering I made the order over the Easter holiday.
Custom painted Nikes
And most importantly, what you’ve been waiting for, the finished custom Nikes by PIGSY!
The artwork is very connected to the client who commissioned custom paint job on these Nike trainers. Do you read binary code?! You may be able to figure out some of the messages!
However, the painted star is fairly easy to read on the front of the runners - it symbolises the stardom of the owner of the Air Jordans!
Personalized Nike Trainers by PIGSY
"I Went to Mass" - PIGSY Solo Exhibition in La Casa Amarilla, Spain
“I Went to Mass” by PIGSY
PIGSY Solo Art Exhibition
La Casa Amarilla Galerie, Calle Santos, Malaga
Date: 27 March until 20 April
Sponsored by San Miguel Beer
PIGSY Spanish Art Exhibition Opening
Photos below are of the opening of the PIGSY solo art show “I Went to Mass” in La Casa Amarilla Gallery on Santos Street in Malaga, Spain, on Saturday 27th of March. The exhibition is running until an extended date of April 20th.
For opening hours and contact details for the LCA gallery, see here.
For more great pics, see here on Facebook
Room to improve - wishlists
Room to improve? Dermot Bannon and others on their renovation wishlist
By Arlene Harris
To read the full article in the Irish Times, click here
SUR in English "Seeking calm and solitude within artistic chaos" by Tony Bryant
Seeking calm and solitude within artistic chaos
Tony Bryant writes about the latest PIGSY exhibition opening in La Casa Amarilla, Malaga on March 27th with an extended run until April 20th, 2021.
La Casa Amarilla Galerie
Calle Santos 7
Nice to open the paper and see a PIGSY painting while enjoying a morning coffee in the sun here in Spain!
Exhibition Preview
“I Went to Mass” by PIGSY
Special preview for all of those who can’t travel at the moment. Check my website on Friday 26th March at 8pm for pics!
Or log on to the PIGSY instagram to watch some live videos from the gallery during opening day.
To read the article online on the SUR in English website, click here.
For further information, if in Malaga, the exhibition is open until April 20th including during Santa Semana.
The Gloss Magazine - Artistic Licence: Ciarán McCoy, By Penny McCormick
Penny McCormick interviews Ciaran McCoy aka PIGSY in The Gloss Magazine
A big thank you to Penny McCormick for her Artistic Licence feature of me and my “I Went to Mass” solo art exhibition opening in Malaga this weekend.
"I went to mass #02”
By PIGSY
Not to pray or to find a religious way
But to be with my chaotic soul
in peace and calm to listen
Listen
Listen
Listen
To a loud, uneasy, mind,
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three,
of what the world has presented to me and to deny the temptations that society condemns
Condemn the chaos and transcend into a peaceful mind,
I went to mass to pray my way.
I went to mass #02
Not to pray or to find a religious way
But to be with my chaotic soul
in peace and calm to listen
Listen
Listen
Listen
To a loud, uneasy, mind,
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three
One, Two, Three,
of what the world has presented to me and to deny the temptations that society condemns
Condemn the chaos and transcend into a peaceful mind,
I went to mass to pray my way.
“I’ve given enough” by PIGSY
PIGSY’s show is sponsored by Cervezas San Miguel
Qué: "I Went to Mass" Exposición by PIGSY
Dónde: La Casa Amarilla, Calle Santos 7, Malaga
Cuando: 27 marzo - 20 abril 2021 (apertura 12pm Sábado)
Patrocinado: Cervezas San Miguel
Sculptures
Found Objects
There has been an evolution of PIGSY’s work in both style and media over the past few years where he has moved from working purely on pre-fabricated canvas to creating his own canvas and frames to then going past this and moving in to sculpture using found objects. With the found objects he has been creating mainly figurative pieces that can be viewed as 3D representations of his work on canvas. PIGSY acknowledges the freedom that working with found objects gives him and states that “working off canvas means less boundaries so there are no limits on my creativity”
Hangman by PIGSY
A sculpture created here in Malaga, Spain using found objects and detritus in my studio. Newly arrived from Ireland, I was inspired by the sculptural work of Pablo Picasso to create this expressionist artwork "Hangman" in the hometown of Picasso. It is expressionist in form and in the style of Hawkins Bolden.
I’m fascinated by discarded objects that have been thrown away in the trash can. I decided awhile ago not to throw away any objects from my studio in order to re-piece them together to create art from the unwanted, and what is considered ugly.
For the pictured “Hangman” piece I mainly fabricated it using old paint and tin cans.
The drilled holes in the paint cans do four things
The action of the drilling of them create a sense of peace and comfort in my mind, I like the feeling and sound when creating the the holes
They represent a seeing into the inner working and thoughts of the mind
They act as a release valve that expel the inner pressures of the mind both physically and as a metaphor
The allow the inner mind to see out
The hang man and skull is something that I have been obsessing about for awhile now. There is a sense of torment within and the hang mans noose shows how delicate and fragile life can be. I explore a life now where one seeks hope and salvation in organised religion or something similar that will lead us to the promised land, when in truth the answers to our questions are within us in the drilled holes.
Pallet Art
Fabricated from a wooden pallet and used bolts and pieces of metal hardware to form the eyes, nose and mouth.
Discarded pieces of wood that come together in a jigsaw puzzle to mean “something”: What does it mean?
Obsolescence becomes obsolete
A pallet intended to carry objects to their destination now finds itself attached to a piece of chipboard that has been deemed not worthy to be part of its previously intended use. Steel angles and spray can tops now have a new purpose having previously being deemed obsolete. Their new joint purpose in this world is to be part of a creative movement that shows the inner torment of a broken mind. A shiny skull fits into an outer carcass that smiles to hide what is within........oneself.
Art in Lockdown
Pictured is a sculpture that I created during the first Covid19 lockdown in Ireland in March 2020. I sought out items to create an artwork from discarded items (Found Objects) in my living environment within the 2km government restricted exercise zone. The “Found Objects” piece is a sculptural collage of street and household items which mirrored the situation, that we as a collective society battled during this pandemic war. The piece is an emotional expression of feelings and observations on how a society deals with the physical and psychological effects of a natural enemy that made the government enforce a lockdown (or imprisonment) of it’s people for the greater good of a nation and the wellbeing of all who live within it.
Hope
In essence, my artwork is a response to a moment when society’s psyche was at its most vulnerable. But beyond this time there is hope, there will be the moment when our collective people are victorious in the battle with the “virus” or war. The weapons to defeat the “virus” or enemy will be us, as we responded to the lockdown and stayed away from each other and ultimately stopped the virus from spreading.
Resilience
The concept for the execution of the piece – using “Found objects” was to adapt, manipulate, distort and amend these objects in order to create an art work that was a direct comparison to how I see us, the citizens of Ireland and the world, emerging from the pandemic as a stronger, more resilient, more aware and ultimately a new and more beautiful humanity. My art mirrors life as we become a literal “Phoenix from the Flames” when we emerge victorious from our war on this viral pandemic, a little shook, a tad broken - but still in one piece.
This artwork was created in conjunction with the large pandemic piece “Phoenix Rising”
A focus on 3 works by PIGSY
“Non-Serviam”
Size: 1500mm W x 1500mm H Mixed Media on Canvas
This piece deals with the contradiction between the refusal to adhere to society’s rules and the loneliness and helplessness that are a result of this refusal. “Non-Serviam” (I Will Not Serve) is a bold statement of non-compliance and self sufficiency but looking deeper into the piece there is a call for help and the need for a guardian angel to save the artist. With the knowledge that almost every main character in Pigsy’s art is a self-portrait, there is the suggestion that the guardian angel required is his art and there exists a hope of self-salvation through it. Another clear indicator of the confusion caused by this paradox is the use of the word Malaika (an Islamic word for angel) on the angel’s chest, spelled wrong as Malaka (a Greek term for wanker).
“Mo Laoch” (My Hero)
Size: 1500mm W x 1500mm H Mixed Media on Canvas
It is a rarity that a character in a Pigsy piece is not a version of the artist himself but in this piece the figure is that of famous Irish writer James Joyce. The inspiration for this painting came after watching a documentary on Joyce and the realised connection between him and the artist's uncle, also James, whom he never met but who's house he now owns. Was Joyce talking about people like James in his celebrated novel Dubliners.
Could he have been a role model and mentor for Pigsy for he was also a poet and artist. The title "Mo Laoch" is Irish for "My Hero", a reference to the actual feeling for Joyce and the potentially stronger feeling for his uncle that, alas, never existed. Note that Joyce holds the red spelling book, Pigsy's nemesis, an item depicted in many of his works to signify his struggle with dyslexia.
“Cyberpunks”
Size: 1500mm W x 1500mm H Mixed Media on Canvas
“Cyberpunks” is Pigsy’s take on the movement formed in 1990, the beginning of the deep web and a decentralising power of the banks. The crossed out 72 is both a cry for admittance and a confusion that the artist’s year of birth predates the aforementioned formation- “I was a cyberpunk before it even started, let me in”. Note the signature in the painting in the top right is Pigsy in binary.