Christ & His Cousin: Renaissance Rediscoveries, National Gallery of Ireland

A series of dramatically restored, colourful Renaissance works are on display in this new, free exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland. Showcasing eight little-known 16th-century Italian paintings, “Christ & His Cousin: Renaissance Rediscoveries”, in the Sir Hugh Lane Room, depicts scenes of the Madonna and her infant child, Jesus Christ, together with his cousin John the Baptist. These paintings tell the story of an imaginary encounter between a young Christ and his cousin. According to the Bible, the two cousins did not meet until later in life, however, their relationship as children was described in later texts which proved popular and inspired many Italian artists to represent the two infant cousins in their works during the Renaissance period. Curator of Italian and Spanish Art at the National Gallery of Ireland Dr Aoife Brady comments: “The eight paintings in this exhibition have been truly transformed by conservation. Together, they challenge visitors to look a little harder at what are often dismissed as conventional, religious images, and to think about the traditions and cultures that underpin these lively and quirky compositions.” A number of online events will run in conjunction with “Christ & His Cousin”, including a talk with curator Dr Aoife Brady about the art of conservation. The exhibition runs until May 8; www.nationalgallery.ie.

Dreamsphere, Irish Museum of Modern Art

Staged in the IMMA Courtyard, “Dreamsphere” is a new immersive installation devised by IMMA artist-in-residence Aoife Dunne, and the fourth artist commission in a series of outdoor commissions to celebrate IMMA’s 30th birthday. “Dreamscape” epitomises the multi-hyphenate nature of Dunne’s practice: The installation incorporates sculpture, sound, performance and film and reflects her flair for phantasmagoria. According to the installation notes, it “explores the notion of consciousness as a physical shared space in which to roam and reside, audiences are encircled by arresting sounds and screens. Viewers are sent on a surreal trip through the tumultuous mind; teasing prospects of shared consciousness whilst exploiting technology to stretch the psychological parameters of human experience.” www.imma.ie 

Belonging, The Hunt Museum

“Belonging” is a major exhibition featuring 82 works by European artists, from all 27 countries of the EU, on loan from the European Investment Bank Art Collection. These contemporary pieces will be displayed across eight locations in Limerick City, from February 10 to April 24. “Belonging” is linked to the European Expo, a series of exhibitions, seminars, events, and celebrations over the course of 2022 that communicate national and European culture and cooperation. The theme plays on Limerick’s new branding: “Atlantic Edge, European Embrace” meaning the city is very much part of Europe, even though located on the Atlantic Edge. The exhibition will be opened by Werner Hoyer, President of the EIB, and is co-curated by Delphine Munro of the EIB and the Hunt Museum with input from the partner venues. For fans of contemporary art it provides an opportunity to view works by renowned European artists such as Paula Rego, Sean Scully, Isobel Nolan, Tony Cragg, Anish Kapoor, and Jannis Kounellis. Artists of note with a strong European connection such as Andy Warhol and Marlene Dumas will also be included in the exhibit. “Belonging” will be displayed in eight locations across the city: The Hunt Museum, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Mary Immaculate College, Sailors Home, People’s Museum, St Mary’s Cathedral, and the University of Limerick’s Plassey House and Bourn Vincent Gallery; www.huntmuseum.com.

The Treaty, 1921: Records from the Archives Exhibition, Dublin Castle

The exhibition is run by the National Archives and gives the public the opportunity to see not only one of the most significant historical documents held by the National Archives, but a collection of records from the period October 1921 to December 1921. This is the first time the official documents and private papers, including the Treaty document, have been presented to the public. The exhibition is for everyone and chronicles day-to-day life in London for the men and women who made up the Irish delegation, from parties attended, dinners hosted and appearances at theatre and gala performances, to the tense final days and hours leading to the signing of the Treaty just after 2am on the December 6, 1921. It also documents the delegation’s return to Dublin, and the Dáil Éireann cabinet meeting that pointed to the split in the independence movement that emerged over the terms of the Treaty, and the divisions that would lead to Civil War. Admission to the exhibition is free and the exhibition runs until March 27 and will then tour regionally; www.nationalarchives.ie.

Stephen Burke, Vestige, SO Fine Art Editions

Stephen Burke is a multi-disciplinary artist and curator working between London and Dublin. His work blurs the line between high and low art and his interest is in the built environment, and areas of communication. Burke produces photographic documentation of urban areas focusing on traces of antisocial behavior, waste excess and utility elements. He photographs the residue from graffiti removal, broken fencing, sprayed construction markings and stained mosaics, a type of urban decay voyeurism that can be linked with psychogeography. Using this “visual waste” Burke builds his own painterly works – testimonials to the dialogue between those who mark public space and those who clean it, reinforcing the idea of public space as a contested arena. His exhibition “Vestige” opens on February 5 and runs until March 5; www.sofinearteditions.com.

Leah Beggs, More Than Us, Solomon Fine Art

Beggs presents us with a new body of multi-layered works on canvas in her exhibition “More Than Us” which opens on February 10 and runs until March 5. Delving further into abstraction, this body of work explores the landscape of memories, suggesting sense of place, an atmosphere, or a feeling, rather than depicting a particular scene – a contemporary take on the tradition of landscape painting; www.solomonfineart.ie.

Tangible Visible Form at The Courthouse Gallery & Studios

“Tangible Visible Form” brings together six artists – David Booth, John Rainey, Mary Ronayne, Owen de Forge, Sandra Hickey and Lee Welch (pictured) – who are all working and exploring the human form and physicality in different and unique ways. In the exhibition, curated by Simon Fennessy Corcoran, the artists explore notions of the figure in abstracted and surreal ways to discuss various wider social and physical elements of life and history. This ranges from modern sculptural forms spawned by classical influences to an exploration of social stories and histories of an individual through satirical implementation of painting and digital techniques and much more; www.thecourthousegallery.com.

Niall Staines, Isolation, Hang Tough Gallery

“Isolation” is a new collection of limited edition prints from Irish artist Niall Staines, available at Hang Tough Gallery from February 10 – 27. The ideas and inspiration for this new body of work was conceived by Staines during lockdown. In this work, Staines captures the boredom, fear and uncertainty that has plagued us all. “Isolation” will feature a new collection of digital compositions. Each work will be published as a limited-edition print, using archival pigments on German cotton rag paper. Prints will be available framed, and each is signed, numbered, and embossed with the Hang Tough Contemporary seal. All prints will be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity; www.hangtough.ie.

Giles Norman, Sheep’s Head 2021, Kinsale

This is photographer Giles Norman’s third collection released during the pandemic, the theme of which is the idea of rediscovering beauty and inspiration on your doorstep. Norman is based in Kinsale and this new collection was captured in County Cork. Norman spent a great deal of time in his studio during lockdown rediscovering forgotten analogue images: “The biggest job I embarked on during lockdown was scanning old negatives. When I moved from analogue to digital in 2006, I scanned all the gallery images into digital format, so that I could digitally reproduce them; roughly 1,000 negatives were scanned at that time, leaving behind about 90,000(!) still to be scanned. Lockdown allowed me time for this mammoth task, and I’ve now scanned about 20 per cent of these old negatives. And while some days the scanning felt tedious, I’ve enjoyed the process overall, discovering long-forgotten negatives that I couldn’t see potential in during the darkroom days, but now see their potential using the digital process. I will be releasing a collection of these rediscovered analogue images at a later date, and I’m yet to decide if I’ll be making it a limited-edition collection.” www.gilesnorman.com

Meeting in Isfahan: Vision and Exchange in Safavid Iran, Chester Beatty

In 1598 the city of Isfahan became the new capital of Iran, signalling a vibrant transformation of political, spiritual and cultural life under the Safavid dynasty. Wealthy, successful and ostentatious, Safavid Isfahan was a hub for dazzling urbanity throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries. New vistas opened up as a modern urban layout was drawn across this ancient city, and European merchant travellers published breathless accounts of their experiences. This new exhibition brings together the internationally celebrated collections of the Chester Beatty with generous loans from the National Museum of Ireland, and comprises 65 works as well as early printed books and maps from Europe. Also included are paintings and drawings by the most renowned artists of the Safavid period: Reza `Abbasi, Muhammad Zaman, Mu`in Musavvir, and many others. This exhibition will open with Chester Beatty Annual Lecture “Faces and Facades: Walking the City of Isfahan”, on Thursday, February 3 at 6pm presented by Professor Sussan Babaie, of the Courtauld Institute of Art, London; www.chesterbeatty.ie.

New Beginnings, The LAB Gallery

Discover the creativity of emerging female artists in this exhibition featuring work from seven recent art graduates – Juliette Morrison, Karen Ebbs, Kym Tracey, Jessica Daly, Polly Maher, Sarah Beegan and Shannon O’Reilly. Part of the Brigit 2022 celebrations, the artists’ styles and themes vary and are inspired by their life experiences. The exhibition feels like a celebration of paint, art and fresh starts. It runs until Saturday, February 12; www.dublincityartsoffice.ie.