Works from 1958-2016

VISUAL are delighted to present an important exhibition of works celebrating the life and legacy of artist Stephen McKenna PPRHA.

In 2016 the artist was invited by VISUAL to create a retrospective for the galleries at VISUAL.Offering an incredible view of this artists career, the selected works and exhibition hang were decided on by McKenna shortly before his passing in 2017. Alongside this retrospective, the artist’s legacy will be acknowledged through a group show of works by six artists who found influence in McKenna’s techniques, processes and friendship. Isabel Nolan, Stephen Loughman, Mairead O’hEocha, Eithne Jordan, Adam Bohanna and William McKeown (1968–2011).

Painting is the art of decoration and representation - of making images of ourselves and the world surrounding us, and making them visible to the senses and intelligence of others. That is not intended as a water-tight defeinition, but may serve as a starting point for practical or even speculative matters. SMcK 1980, Parables of Painting

About the Artist:
Stephen McKenna was a British-born visual artist known for his postmodern
figurative paintings. His works can be seen in the collections of the Tate Galleries,
the British Council, the Imperial War Museum, London, and has been shown at
various galleries including the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin and the Irish
Museum of Modern Art. He was a member and president (2005–2009) of the
Royal Hibernian Academy. He is represented by Kerlin Gallery Dublin.

Kindly supported by The McKenna Estate and Kerlin Gallery, Dublin.

A selection of works from this exhibition will tour to The F.E. McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge in 2020.