Niamh McGuinne
Niamh McGuinne lives and works in Dublin and is a member of the Graphic Studio Dublin since 2010. Her work practice involves traditional printmaking as well as adapted methods of transfer printing and stencil resist techniques. She primarily prints on paper, metal and film. Niamh has a MA in Conservation of Fine Art and has worked in a number of museums and galleries in the USA, UK and Ireland. She is currently a paper conservator in the National Gallery of Ireland. This background has influenced Niamh’s approach to ideas of permanence, timelessness and the notion of perfection and has helped develop a deep appreciation for paper and printmaking.
Shadows and reflections, night scenes, childhood and the traditional iconography of fairytales are all themes that she draws upon. These have morphed into a fascination with the interpretation of dereliction and regeneration.
In ShadowLight themes of watching and being watched are presented to the spectator through a non-narrative sequence which hints at the private ethereal existence of spaces independent of us. How does the feeling or knowledge of being watched distort how we behave? Light and shadow play, pattern and effects on glass create an additional visual plane for the viewer sometimes at harmony with the images in the shots and at other times in conflict. The intent is to blur the lines between apparent reality and created fantasy, to look further into what appears straightforward at first glance.
Exhibitions include Graphic Studio Dublin Golden Anniversary Exhibition, Farmleigh (2010); Home, Draíocht (2010); Matrix, GSD (2011); 181st RHA Annual Exhibition RHA (2011); 182nd RHA Annual Exhibition, RHA (2012); Impressions 2012, Galway Arts Centre (2012); Surreal Estate, Niamh McGuinne and Michael Timmins, GSD (2013).