Craft show not by the numbers

FIVE into Four is an exhibition of high-end Irish craft at the Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin.

It showcases work by Sara Flynn, Frances Lambe, Liam Flynn, Nuala O’Donovan and Colin Ó Dubhghaill. It is the first exhibition solely curated by Frances McDonald.

McDonald works independently, as well as with ‘Studio Practice’, which brought ‘Dubh: Dialogues in Black’ to the Oliver Sears Gallery, and to the American Irish Historical Society in New York City. McDonald has also been working with the Oliver Sears Gallery towards the launch of a second gallery, in South Anne’s Street, which is due to open next September.

McDonald was eager to build on the exposure created for Irish craft-makers. McDonald is keen to bring Irish talent to the local market. “What we want to say is, ‘here are people who are established, they have international reputations, they are bought by collectors. They are held in major international museum collections around the world. They make beautiful works of art, but they are craftspeople. They are working in ceramics, working in metal, and working in wood, in this case. This is work that should be really taken seriously’.”

McDonald has worked with these five craft-makers previously, but had a different approach to the selection for ‘Five into Four’. “A lot of exhibitions have a specific theme. I was interested in asking, ‘what have you been interested in doing for a while, that perhaps you haven’t had the opportunity to do for a show? What have you been investigating?’ Which was the case for Frances (Lambe), with ‘Accent,’ the wall-mounted pieces. Liam also had one piece downstairs, an ash vessel, which sat into a small, circular base. He’s never done pieces with bases before. In Nuala’s case, it’s not a whole different series, but they’re wall-mounting pieces, so this is something new.”

Liam has been working in ebonised oak for some time, but this exhibition was an opportunity to produce a series of vessels from a piece of ash. All the pieces were made from the one tree. The pale wood is incredibly vibrant, in the context of the silver and porcelain exhibited in their proximity.

The series ‘Flection Vessels,’ which Sarah produced following a residency at Hope University, in the UK, is a departure for her. Her vessel forms have become bellied, with a new, hammered surface on the midsection, the neck of the vessel retaining a smooth surface ending with a delicate rim.

Nuala is known for her intricate work in fine, unglazed porcelain. O’Donovan has been developing the ‘Teasel’ series, based on the leaves of a Teasel flower, since 2008.

‘Five into Four’ features her first wall-mounted pieces for the series. Work from O’Donovan’s ‘Banksia’ and ‘Grid’ series have also been included.

Colin has made new work for ‘Five into Four’. These pieces are based on his research into using gold, copper and silver alloys to achieve coloured surfaces, as well as metal sheet fusion in the making of vessel forms. O’Dubhghaill has also included work that highlights his background as a silversmith. ‘Ritual 9’ is a wafer-thin, two-legged vessel whose surface is treated with the lightest of hammer-work.

Frances makes sculptures with astonishingly detailed surface treatment. Her perforated forms respond to themes of nature and reveal her fascination with the visual ‘inter-relatedness’ of life on our planet.

* Runs until Jul 26.