William McKeown
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William McKeown | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 15, 1962 |
| Died | October 25, 2011 |
| Nationality | English |
William McKeown (15 April 1962 – 25 October 2011) was a
Life
McKeown was born to a Presbyterian family in
McKeown worked at the
McKeown was board member of Temple Bar Gallery and Studios (2002–2005, at the time he had a studio there) and the Douglas Hyde Gallery (2002–2005). From September 2004, he was in residence in the Old Convent in Lismore for one year. In 2006, he moved to Edinburgh. He died in Edinburgh at the age of 49.
Work
His abstract paintings (initially on canvas, then on linen) went from monochrome to subtle gradations of tone, which became more gestural, pulsating or woven. His work had connections with certain aspects of minimalist, post-minimalist, post-painterly and conceptual art.[2][3] His luminous paintings explore states of mind, such as happiness and freedom, and qualities of nature, like light, air and sky. [4] He also made small realistic coloured pencil drawings of the wild flowers typical of his home county (primrose, snowdrop, buttercup), always against stark blank paper. He particularly admired the work of Agnes Martin.
His sensitivity for light, colour, textiles transferred into his highly considered constructions or rooms (such as Nest (The Bravery of Birds) for the Venice Biennale in 2005[5]).
A sense of place was often conveyed in the titles of his work, which referenced birds (The Corncrake, Starlings), wildlife, the countryside of his childhood (The Meadow, The Lane, The Hayfield), cities (Hope Painting - Abercromby Place, 2006, Arts Council of Ireland collection) and the weather (Cloud Painting, Raining).
His attention to detail in the installation of his work led him occasionally to create rooms or constructions for their display. In situ installations were set up with great precision.
Exhibitions
His first solo exhibitions was “In An Open Room”, at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, 2001. This came towards the end of his 18 month residency at the Old Convent at Lismore, Waterford.[6]
Other solo exhibitions included; “The Sky Begins Art Our Feet”, Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast, 2002; “The Room At the Horizon”, Project Arts Centre, Dublin, 2004, “Cloud Cuckoo Land”, Dublin and Edinburgh, 2004; Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, 2008; “Five Working Days”, Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast, 2010 and “The Waiting Room” for the Golden Bough project at the Dublin City Gallery at Hugh Lane in 2011.
Two-person exhibitions include “Pool”, a collaboration with
In 2005, William McKeown was invited to represent Northern Ireland at the 51st Venice Biennale, in the exhibition “The Nature of Things” curated by Hugh Mulholland.
Other group exhibitions include East International, Norwich, selected by
Paul Nesbitt curated a solo exhibition of McKeown's work at
The Holiday Show
William McKeown curated "The Holiday Show" at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, in 2002, presenting work by Maureen Gallace, Darragh Hogan, Isabel Nolan, Gavin O'Curry, Stuart Purdy, Anne Ryan and Andrew Vickery. In the accompanying catalogue, he wrote: "There are two types of art - open and closed. All closed art is negative and anti-life. Art which is open accepts without judgement, is expanding, positive and life enhancing."
Awards
McKeown won an award for the Sirius Project in Co. Cork in 2001. He won the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Award the following year.[7]
McKeown became a member of
Publications
William McKeown. The Sky Begins At Our Feet, Belfast, Ormeau Baths, 2002. Text by Isabel Nolan.
William McKeown, Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art / Milan, Charta, 2008. Texts by Chris Arthur, Caroline Hancock, Enrique Juncosa, Corinna Lotz, Declan Long; and poems by Dominic Echlin and William Wordsworth.
Film
In 2016, his work was the subject of a short film by Pat Collins, entitled Idir Neamh agus Talamh: Saothar William McKeown.[8]
References
External links
- The William McKeown Foundation
- Kerlin Gallery
- The National Irish Visual Arts Library (NIVAL), Dublin
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