Opening this week is a new exhibition by Brooklyn-based Irish artist Conor Foy, whose delicate figurative works invite the viewer to create their own narrative …
How do you define your work?
The plan is that the image is obscure as regards source and action, at least initially. I don’t want the viewer to be able to “solve” the painting. The uncertainty keeps you hooked so the engagement becomes an ongoing conversation or meditation.
What kickstarted your interest in art?
As a family, we used to go regularly to Passage East in Waterford when I was a kid, to stay with our relations (second and third cousins) the Walshes. Eithne Walsh, who would have been what we now call a young adult at the time, was a brilliant draughtsperson and painter. She had lots of reference/technique books and an art studio in the attic. That’s when I decided, “I’ll do this and be broke for most of my life until I start my own business and try to catch up with the rest of the adults”.
Where and how do you work?
I have a studio/workshop in Greenpoint Brooklyn, New York; I live in the area as well. I’m also a contractor for troweled Italian, Moroccan and Japanese plaster finishes and decorative hand paint applications, while acting as a materials and finishes advisor to owners, architects and designers. I do work for a lot of restaurants, hotels, clubs and some residential properties.
The two practices work in tandem and overlap. I’ll be creating samples for jobs and working on paintings at the same time while researching and practicing with new materials. This creates a good momentum for producing new work. Application, time, materials and progress. In many ways, like the Omega workshop of the Bloomsbury group.
Tell us about your new exhibition at the Molesworth Gallery and the significance of the title “Bang Bang”.
I don’t want to say exactly where the title comes from but people of a certain
vintage from Dublin will recognise it. It references some songs, sounds and actions. It’s also a bit childish which echoes a lot of adult interactions today. A bit of obscurity, or a lot, means you have to create your own narrative, maybe exposing your own agenda (or mine).
My kids are 16 and 19. The potential for the US to slip into an autocracy in the next few months under the MAGA movement, which seems to love chaos and confusion, scares me mostly because of the consequences for the younger generation. Not least MAGA’s hatred of the major population centres and their declared intention to “fix” us, which contributes to the sense of anxiety in my work. However, there’s also some light in there too – given the strong reaction to the incessant hate and negativity. My paintings will trigger whatever you want to see.
Need to Know: Conor Foy’s exhibition, “Bang Bang”, opens on September 5 at The Molesworth Gallery, 16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. www.molesworthgallery.com
