Chapter One

Back in October 2012 there was an event launching the nag artists at Chapter One restaurant in Dublin. Following this event the co-owner & head chef Ross Lewis purchased 2 photographs from the series Document for the restaurant. Here you can see Untitled [o'f16] and Untitled [cwd22] in their new home in the Chapter One dining room.

nag Launch Exhibition

There is no such thing as an empty space or an empty time.

There is always something to see something to hear.

In fact, try as we may to make a silence, we cannot.

- John Cage

Image courtesy of nag

In among all the busyness of November there was another exhibition that I was a part of. It was the launch of nag, new art gallery in Dublin. I am delighted to be one of the artists represented by Mark St. John Ellis as part of this new venture. nag was previously a project space supporting emerging artists but has now been relaunched as a commercial gallery. The gallery and website were launched on the 8th November at the opening of an exhibition of the work of the represented artists. Also represented are Brian Fay, Elijah's Mantle, Eoin O'Connor, Kieran Moore, Kohei Nakata, Margaret O'Brien, Pertiwi and Tom O' Dea.

"nag represented artists tend to have a commonality in process, an obsession for detail, refined execution and finish. Whilst the artists are conceptually driven, the conventional object, in the form of drawing, painting and sculpture is valued and accessible to collector and curator."

For the exhibition my work is presented as an object. There are 2 minimalist black boxes, Document and Place, which open to reveal a collection of limited edition photographs. You can see them on the  pedestals in the installation photos below.

All images courtesy of nag, new art gallery

The exhibition continues to 22nd December 2012 at nag, new art gallery, Basement, 59 Francis St, Dublin 8.

Recent Exhibitions

The last few weeks have been busy since my return from Paris. My work is currently show ing in two exhibitions and another on has just finished up. Here are a few photos of the work in place.

First a snapshot of Untitled [chh1] hanging in the Elysian in the exhibition Art Work Embassy as part of Art Trail Cork 2011. The photograph to the left is by Pádraig Spillane. All the my photographs in these exhibitions were printed by Tony at RightBrain. Art Trail and the Art Work Embassy exhibition continues until Sunday 4th December, so if you're around Cork this weekend you should pop in to see it.

Untitled [chh1] in Art Work Embassy at The Elysian, Cork

If you're in Dublin this weekend there's an exhibition for you to visit too. The Rua Red Winter Show continues until the 10th December. I wasn't able to make the opening as I was still in Paris so I'd like to thank Miriam O'Connor who was also part of the exhibition for taking these photos for me.

Rua Red Winter Show 2011 (© Miriam O'Connor)

Untitled [uu1] at the Rua Red Winter Show 2011 (© Miriam O'Connor)

And finally a photo from Place Space an exhibition of the Backwater Artists Group in the Wandesford Quay Art Gallery that finished up last weekend. The piece on the wall to the left is by Frank McGrath.

Untitled [uu1] in Place Space at the Wandesford Quay Art Gallery

Rua Red Winter Open 2011

Rua Red Winter Show 2011 (Photo by Rua Red)

As I spend my last few days in Paris the exhibitions continue back in Ireland. Today is the first day of the Rua Red Winter Open which is showing another one of my photos. The exhibition features a cross section of emerging and established artists and craft makers presenting painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, installation, jewelry & mixed media. All works for exhibition were selected by a curatorial panel including Ann Mulrooney, Curator of the National Craft Gallery and Hillary Murray, Curator of Collections at the Irish Museum if Modern Art.

There will be Art Trolley Sessions running throughout the exhibition on the 12th, 19th & 26th of November and on the 3rd & 10th December. The Art Trolley Sessions are suitable for children aged 3 - 8 accompanied by an adult and are extremely popular so they need to be booked in advance. For more information please see the Rua Red website.

Stack 14 by John Ryan - Rua Red Winter Open 2011

Structure Brooch by Rachel Swan - Rua Red Winter Show Dublin 2011

Rua Red Winter Open 2011 is on at the Rua Red South Dublin Art Centre from 12th November to the 10th of December 2011 from 10am - 6pm Tuesday to Saturday.

Reflecting on the Guesthouse Residency

Installation at The Guesthouse
Photographed by Tony Compagno

The residency at The Guesthouse was a valuable opportunity to read and to play with another way of expressing my considerations rather than through a photographic print. Through reflective practice and dialogue I spent the time considering the art piece as the event, rather than as a documentation of the event. This is the installation that you see in the photos and what I presented at the Sunday lunch.

Experiencing the Installation
Photographed by Tony Compagno

The final image of the poetry book was a first edition of Poems by Anthony Cronin from 1957 which I found in the Guesthouse. I was very taken by the poem 'For a Father' in which he talks about how mannerisms come through in later generations. To me that is also relevant to how one piece of work leads to another, which leads to another, and the thought or concept that appears in a later piece is recognisable in some early form in the work that goes before it.

First Edition of Poems by Anthony Cronin
Photographed by Tony Compagno

I was also joined on the Residency by Pádraig Spillane - curator, photographer, philosopher and Vadagam maker extraordinaire. I want to thank Stephen McGlynn and all at The Guesthouse for the opportunity to do this residency. I am also delighted to say that a photograph that I made in Belfast during the Belfast Photo Festival has been accepted into the Rua Red Winter Show which will run from the 12th of November to the 10th December 2011.

Describing Architecture

Photo by Alice Clancy

If you are in Dublin this weekend you can see one of my photographs in Describing Architecture at the Daylight Gallery, No. 4 Capel St., Dublin 1. The exhibition is run by the Architectural Association of Ireland and is on for this weekend only as part of Open House Dublin 2011. The exhibition runs from Friday 7th - Sunday 9th October from 12pm - 6pm.

Airports for Shadows & Flypaper for Squeaks

Untitled [cg1] by Roseanne Lynch

19"x 23" fiber based silver gelatin print, on diabond. 1/3

Airports for Shadows features work that inhabits spaces that have the capacity and authority to effectively silence their surroundings.

" ... Destiny, and even God Himself, have become famous above all because they answer us with silence. " *

Airports for Shadows is how John Cage described Robert Rauschenberg's White Paintings. The following year Cage responded in 1952 with the performance experience 4'33". If the White Paintings are airports for shadows then 4'33" is flypaper to coughs, the squeaks of chairs and the hum of outside traffic **, thus demonstrating that complete silence can only be digital.

Airports for Shadows seeks to demonstrate works in the gallery space that have the capacity to quieten, if not silence the surroundings of the viewing experience. The Mark Rothko room at the Tate Modern in London has this effect as does a Japanese Zen garden.

* extracts from ' Thoughts on Dolls ' by Rilke

** See Daniel Drews essay Next to Nothing in the book published 2004 on the occasion of the exhibition Singular Forms ( Sometimes Repeated ) Art from 1951 to the Present shown at the Guggenheim Museum, New York.


Airports for Shadows is curated by Mark St. John Ellis and features Felicity Clear, Susan Connolly, Roseanne Lynch, Tom O'Dea, Pertiwi, Karen Trusselle & Mary Ruth Walsh. The exhibition previews on Friday September 9th and continues until October 1st at Cross Gallery, 59 Francis Street, Dublin 8 in association with Dublin Contemporary 2011.

Airport for Shadows - Cross Gallery, Dublin

Airport for Shadows is a group show curated by Mark St. John Ellis at the Cross Gallery. It opens this Friday 9th September with a reception from 6-8pm. My photograph is a site specific piece made for this show & I'm looking forward to seeing it in the context of this exhibition. I want to thank Mark St.John Ellis for inviting me to be part of this show & for being so helpful during the making of the photograph. I hope that some of you will be able to join us for the opening on Friday or call in to the Cross Gallery during the duration of the show.

Airport for Shadows opens Friday 9th 6-8pm and runs from September 10th - October 1st at the Cross Gallery 59, Francis St., Dublin 8.

The Artist's Space Podcast

After I won the 1st Alliance Francaise Photography Award, Ray Burke from 103.2 Dublin City FM interviewed me for his show called 'The Artist's Space'. I shared a bit about my motivations for entering the award, my process, what I'm currently working on and my plans for the Paris residency. The Podcast is now available to download at the Artist's Space Page or on iTunes, or you can listen to it below.




The 1st Alliance Francaise Photography Award Exhibition continues in Alliance Francaise, Kildare St., Dublin until May 11th.

A Happy Reaction

(photo by Margaret Brown)

"The panel found the work of Roseanne Lynch to be visually intriguing, formally dynamic and beautifully constructed."

You can see the surprise and delight on my face at hearing my name announced as the 1st Alliance Francaise Photography Award Laureate in the fabulous photo above. It was all a complete blur at the time so its nice to be able to look back at this photo and read what the jury said about my work.

An unexpected win - 1st Alliance Francaise Photography Award

Last Thursday night I headed up to Dublin for the opening of the 1st Alliance Francaise Photography Award Exhibition. It’s a funny thing, being up for an award, even though you are willing your name to be announced, it is quite shocking when you hear it. I was up there behind the microphone before I realized, caught my breath -eventually- and said my few words. It is completely thrilling. Any one of us four finalists were worthy of the prize, and congratulations to the other finalists, Joby Hickey, Doreen Kennedy & Jean Luc Morales.

Claire Bourgeois, Director of Alliance Francaise, announces the Award winner.

Initially a reason for applying was to have my work seen by the esteemed judges, and I was hoping to get to the final four to be part of the exhibition at Alliance Francaise but I had not seen past that to actually winning the award! I really just wanted to have my work seen, so this was a huge & wonderful surprise.

The prize is a 2 week residency in the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris- flights and accommodation- a €600 grant courtesy of the Ireland Fund of France, a course in Alliance Francaise to brush up on my French before I go, and a one-to-one tutorial with Vermillion Design.

The residency at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris is a very valuable part of many Irish artists' resumes. Some of the people who have spent time there include; Anthony Haughey who was one of the judges and gave me advice on the night regarding the residency - Martin Healy who did his Masters at Crawford College of Art, as I did, and whose thesis I had studied in the library - and poets Paul Durcan and Michael Coady whose work I am very fond of.

I'm beside myself with excitement to have two weeks to immerse myself in my work. I have already been researching architectural spaces to visit and make images of, and curators to visit who might be interested in my work. I hope to be able to make my visit during Paris Photo, and partake in their portfolio reviews and shows.

My family were there to help me celebrate the award

I dedicate my win to Maureen Connolly from Belmullet, Co Mayo, our family friend and the mother of my brother’s wife Rita, who died last month. Maureen was someone who believed in finding out what you were put on the planet to do, and in finding happiness and fulfillment in what we do and how we live. We have had great conversations over the years, especially during my residency in North Mayo and while making the 'Continuum' body of work. She encouraged me hugely and would have been so happy that I won this award.

Winning this award has been a huge achievement for me but it also makes me realise that I am not an island. Getting to this stage with my work is the result of much support and help from so many people, so I sincerely thank everyone who has had any input in my receiving this award and everyone who shares in my excitement. A huge thank you to my family and friends for their support and encouragement. Thank you to Claire Bourgeois, Marine Laniray, Francoise Brung and the staff of Alliance Francaise in Dublin for organising this exhibition. Thank you to the judges for the kind words you said about my work. And thank you for the warm congratulations from colleagues and from those who have written so generously about the win.

The 1st Alliance Francaise Award Exhibition continues in Alliance Francaise, 1 Kildare St., Dublin until 11 May.

1st Alliance Francaise Photography Award

As soon as I arrived back from Holland I was on the road again, this time to Dublin where I was hanging my photos for the 1st Alliance Francaise Photography Award Exhibition. I am one of four finalists for the Award, along with Joby Hickey, Doreen Kennedy and Jean Luc-Morales. The exhibition takes place in Alliance Francaise on Kildare St. in Dublin from the 30 March to the 11 May. And you are very welcome to the opening at 6.30pm on Thursday the 31st March.

Alliance Francaise Photography Award Shortlist

I have made it down to the final four in the inaugural Alliance Francaise Photography Award. There will be an upcoming exhibition of the finalists work in Alliance Francaise Dublin on Kildare Street. Last week I was in Dublin to see the space and meet the organisers. I was delighted to see the cafe/gallery space, it was as good as I had imagined & I'm really looking forward to the upcoming exhibition. The dates have yet to be finalised.