Michael Quane and Johanna Connor: Cork husband and wife artists unite for joint exhibition
Michael Quane and Johanna Connor at the Lavit in Cork.
The fact that Michael Quane and Johanna Connor work in different, but complementary, media is reflected in the title of their new exhibition at the Lavit Gallery in Cork. Pencil – Paper – Chisel – Stone features Connor’s pencil drawings of objects and landscapes alongside Quane’s limestone and marble sculptures of people, beasts and inflatables.
The two are not just collaborators, they are also a couple, having connected during the Covid pandemic. “We were following each other on Instagram for a while,” says Connor.
“At the time, I was working with horses, and I was really mesmerised by Michael's sculptures. I wanted to know what the connection was, so I asked him. And Michael said that he'd need my email for that, it was such a long answer.” “We emailed each other for a week after that,” says Quane, “and then we met.”
Horses, he explains, have preoccupied him since his student days at the Crawford College of Art & Design in the 1980s. “At that time, I had a group of very good friends who were all very strong feminists,” he says.
“I encoded an awful lot of what I was trying to say through animals, and the horse, for me, represented male energy and power. But it’s since become invested with all kinds of other meanings, to do with human progress, for instance.”
Quane’s interest in horses found expression in the public art commissions he began winning not long after he graduated. The fees for his Horses and Riders sculpture at Mallow Roundabout and Fallen Horse and Rider at Midleton helped pay for the former Church of Ireland church in Coachford, Co Cork he acquired for £24,000 in 1994.
Refurbishing the building has been a long-term project, which Connor helped complete when she moved in in November 2020. As well as being their home, the former church houses their two studios and an exhibition space.
“It’s not a commercial enterprise,” says Quane of the latter. “We show our own work, and sometimes work by other artists. We open for Culture Night in September every year. Three years ago, we had one of our neighbours come in. The second year, we had maybe twenty. But last year, we had scores of local people. It’s getting bigger every year.”
They also open by appointment. “One day last week, we had 100 school children come in. It was fantastic. They’re just so curious, you know?”
While Quane has worked full-time as a studio artist for over 40 years, Connor – a native of Schull, Co Cork – explored other avenues after graduating from the Limerick School of Art & Design.
“I studied painting initially,” she says. “But after my diploma, I took some time out and worked with the Bedrock theatre company in Dublin. Then I applied for the Motley Theatre Design Course in London. I was very fortunate to get in; they only take ten people every year.”
She returned to Dublin, working as a freelance designer. “But then the scene kind of changed,” she says. “So I went back to London. I’d met someone, and I discovered I was pregnant. Things changed for me then. I was born with a twisted intestine and the pregnancy didn’t work out. I lost the baby, and I nearly died. Then I went right, what next? I ended up moving back to Schull.”
For the next twelve years, Connor worked with horses. She maintained her interest in art, exhibiting at the West Cork Art Centre and producing a children’s book with her friend Gabrielle Byrne. Eventually, she returned to study, completing an MA: Art and Practice at the Crawford College of Art & Design in Cork in 2018. Thereafter, she began making art in earnest.
“In 2020, I was heading off to New York on a residency when Covid happened. And that’s when I met Mike.” The two married in 2023, and now spend most of their time at their respective practices.
“We work separately,” says Quane. “But we check in on each other throughout the day. I might help Johanna out of a hole, or she might help me. It’s a lovely partnership.”
Seeing their work put together in the Lavit has been inspiring. “It’s a really quiet space to show in,” says Connor, “and the work just sits so beautifully.”
She can’t wait to get back in the studio, she adds. “I want to develop the drawing more. I’m starting to introduce a little bit of colour lately, and maybe the scale will change, or I’ll start using other materials. We’ll see.”
Quane, meanwhile, is looking forward to a break. “Between doing up the church and making work,” he says, “I’ve been going flat-out for five years. After this exhibition, I feel a really strong urge to step back and get some perspective on where I want to go next. I’m 63 now, so this is my time to do it. You will probably see more of Johanna, and less of me.”
- Michael Quane and Johanna Connor, Pencil – Paper – Chisel – Stone runs at the Lavit Gallery, Cork until June 14. Further information: lavitgallery.com, michaelquane.com, johannaconnor.com.
