Austin McQuinn
Medulla
2026
Ink on giclee print on paper
66x83cm
Based on a medical drawing of the medulla oblongata - connecting the brain to the spinal cord - I wanted to make a kind of psychedelic image that connects this interior experience to the outer scape - via this antique watercolour I had reproduced. Both sources are from the late 19th century.
Delighted to be showing this new painting in 'Point of Origin' at the Source, curated by Brendan Maher, who asked a number of artists to think about :
How is a work of Art created? How does something come from nothing? How does an idea go from its original form to something else - an Artwork - in a Gallery. What even is that original form?
This curated group exhibition brings together individual artworks by:
Aideen Barry, Paul Bokslag, Eamon Colman, Gerry Davis, Sheenagh Geoghegan, Gottfried Helnwein, Mercedes Helnwein, Michael Hales, Annie Hogg, Alan Keane, Eddie Kennedy, Alice Maher, Austin McQuinn, Ale Mercado, Hannah O'Connell, PJ O'Connell, Philip Quinn, The Project Twins and Zara Sargent
and looks at the allied ideas or inspiration behind them – be it a sketch, a photograph, a text, voice-memo, doodle or something entirely different. Featuring works by some of Ireland’s leading Artists, the exhibition explores the creative process from a first spark to a finished work.
The exhibition suggests the messiness, persistence and even obsession needed - with the end-product only sometimes in line with the starting point." - curator, Brendan Maher
Ends Sat March 18th
@sourcearts
Now in PAPERBACK
Here is the link to the Animalibus pages at PSUP with details of the book .
https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08796-2.html
The Animal Studies Journal (UOW) just published a Review of Becoming Audible, reviewed by Annie Garlid, New York University.
You can read her insightful review here:
Animal Studies Journal, 10(2), 2021, 218-223.
Art Friends
I am happy to let you know my book, Becoming Audible: Sounding Animality in Performance, was, finally, officially launched at Limerick City Gallery of Art.
Published by Penn State University Press, it is part of their wonderful Animalibus series and is now available as an ebook also.
The event was also the Finnisage for Mark’s exhibition at LCGA, ‘ Songs and the Soil.'
Here is a link to the film of the Launch Conversation between artist Mark Garry and myself, hosted and introduced by Director/Curator of LCGA, Úna McCarthy.
We talked abpout acoustics, creatureliness, sound art, resonance and becoming - which are the themes explored in my book and in Mark’s installations.
Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgFhJAibHyc&t=65s
Mark’s website with images of his installation at the MAC, Belfast and at LCGA is here
The artists we talk about in 'A Resonant Landscape', curated by Mark for LCGA are
Natalia Beylis, Padraig Cunnningham and Sharon Phelan:
https://dnote.website/?dnote=natalia-beylis-padraig-cunningham-sharon-phelan-a-resonant-landscape
There are some videos of work we talk about in the playlists on my Youtube Channel here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGV7San0GnTvI_rVcEA9URA/playlists
Here is the link to the Animalibus pages at PSUP with details of the book .
https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08796-2.html
The Animal Studies Journal (UOW) just published a Review of Becoming Audible, reviewed by Annie Garlid, New York University.
You can read her insightful review here:
Animal Studies Journal, 10(2), 2021, 218-223.
https://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol10/iss2/12/
and info about Limerick City Gallery of Art is here
https://www.limerick.ie/discover/eat-see-do/arts-culture/art-galleries/limerick-city-gallery-art
Meanwhile, I hope your own work goes well and wishing you many great conversations for the new year ahead!
- Austin.
Past News:
2020 ‘Hypercarbon’, The Source Arts Centre, Thurles.
Solo Exhibition Sept 13– Oct 17 2020
https://www.thesourceartscentre.ie/events/info/hypercarbon
READ Artist and Writer CLARE E SCOTT'S Brilliant Piece of Writing on this Exhibition
for the Visual Artists Ireland:
Here it is on Clare E Scott's website:
http://www.clarescott.ie/images/McQuinnReview.pdf
The Review can be viewed in the context of the VAI Newsletter here:
https://issuu.com/visualartistsireland/docs/van_nd_2020_full__print__9dba4468c35f7c/22
December 2020 Penn State University Press: Book Publication – Animalibus series.
Austin McQuinn – ‘Becoming Audible: Sounding Animality in Performance’.
Dec 20 - Jan 21
http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08796-2.html
JUST LAUNCHED: See Publications Page
2020 ‘As Kingfishers Catch Fire; Animals & Imagination - Limerick City Gallery of Art
Curator for major Group Exhibition – 14 Irish and International Artists on the theme of animal materiality in contemporary art.
Nov 26, 2020 – Feb 14, 2021
http://gallery.limerick.ie/LCGAExhibitions/Forthcoming/AsKingfishersCatchFireAnimalsImagination.html
View the new online webpage archival project of the exhibition here:
https://www.limerickgallerypages.com/