Venue:             West Cork Arts Centre, North St., Skibbereen, Co. Cork.

Dates:           1- 30 August 2008.

As part of the RHA’s touring exhibition programme whilst closed for redevelopment, Ashford gallery co-ordinator Mark St. John Ellis has curated an exciting exhibition of contemporary painting that has toured 5 venues in 2008.

Entitled The Plinian Sponge, maybe? this exhibition reflects the eclecticism of contemporary painting in Ireland. The 16 exhibiting artists (7 women and 9 men) show an artistic knowledge and attitude that is in step with international practice. The artists are Anne Hendrick, Ann Quinn, Cara Thorpe, Claire Kerr, Colin Martin, Eoin O'Connor, Graham Chorlton, Graham Crowley, John Beattie, Jonathan Hunter, Kate Warner, Laura Brennan, Leda Scully, Phillipa Sutherland, Ross McDonnell and Thomas Brezing.

The title of the exhibition The Plinian Sponge, maybe? was inspired by a quote from De Disciplinis by Juan Luis Vives, referring to the ancient Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder: ‘Those things that happen at random or by chance are not done by art – as, for example, the picture of a horse foaming at the mouth, which was the result of the painters’ having thrown a sponge at the picture in a fit of anger.’

Curator Mark St. John Ellis explores the old Academic perception of painting as an arduous and lengthy process versus the spontaneity of the modern painting movement. Artist and viewer are now dealing with the randomness and chance of the drip, the splash, the smudge, the sanding back and paring back of the paint, the different textures and finishes, the use of too little or too much oil in one painting, the lack of paint stability and conformity on one canvas.

‘The painting is dead’ debate has raged from the discovery of the first camera obscura. This exhibition illustrates that today’s painters use techniques that reference the whole history of painting. Also included in the exhibition are 2 DVD and 1 slide projection works by John Beattie exploring the process of painting.

For more infomration please contact RHA at (01) 6612558 or the West Cork Arts Centre, North St., Skibbereen, Co. Cork Tel: (028) 22090