Exhibition of comic book art set to take place in Cork

Heroes from Ireland’s mythical past as well as from a galaxy far, far away are to feature in a first-of-its-kind exhibition of comic book art in Cork.

The Crawford Art Gallery is to host a showcase of the work of Cork comic book artist Will Sliney, who has illustrated iconic characters such as Cú Chulainn, Spider-Man, and Star Wars’ Han Solo.

Mr Sliney, who works from his home in Ballycotton, said he believes the exhibition of a decade’s worth of his work is the first such presentation of comic book art in a designated National Cultural Institution in Ireland.

“They approached me, it’s not something I thought would happen but, in fairness to them, they are very open to bringing in new interests and people,” he said of the exhibition, due to take place over October.

Mr Sliney said advances in technology, and the ability of artists from around the world to submit their work to US publishers such as Marvel, now means Ireland is establishing a pool of comic book talent: “We don’t have the legacy, it wasn’t possible to do something like this exhibition before."

The exhibition will display covers and artwork from Mr Sliney’s portfolio, but he said it will also have workshops and other events that will “open up the process and what goes into it”.

“I’ll be doing a live piece over the course of the month, with a huge canvass where we’ll see how many people we can fit into it,” he said.

I get calls and emails from schools all the time asking for demonstrations, too many to go to. This flips it. It will be a nice opportunity to invite schools to come in and see me at work

There will be tutorials and a special tutor system that will allow aspiring artists to work alongside Mr Sliney, who will in turn critique works and offer advice to illustrators looking to embark on a career in the industry.

The event will utilise the Crawford Gallery’s dedicated Seen And Heard area which will also facilitate a library of books and a play-space for children.

I think I'm gonna have to visit and that we should get a photo of this for my exhibiton in the @CrawfordArtGall if Daragh and the Crawford are happy with it? https://t.co/37135tI2z3

— Will Sliney (@WillSliney) June 20, 2019

From this month, the Seen and Heard area will be a space for children to play with their family and friends, promising a range of encounters with materials, people and things for all ages to enjoy.

Cork theatre group, Dowtcha puppets, will curate a programme of puppet-making and play until July, after which children will have the opportunity in August to build a cardboard city, and engage in stop-motion animation.

In September the Froebel Studio: Institute for Creativity will take over the play-space, transforming it into an interactive installation where art, architecture, design, education and play intersect, before Mr Sliney's Comic Book takeover in October.

- For more information see crawfordartgallery.ie