Ringing the changes …
Are you pleasant to be around? By pleasant, we don’t mean being a doormat or a wallflower, as Dr Mark Fabian writes in his piece on page 26 of THE GLOSS Magazine, but warm and inviting so that people feel inclined to altruism, conviviality, and other sentiments that make social life possible and pleasurable. Dr Fabian explains how competitiveness, endless striving, and cultures of self-optimisation are tropes of toxic masculinity – we have seen enough of that on the world stage in recent times to last us a lifetime – they’re egoistic, zero-sum, and hierarchical. You might get ahead by stepping on someone else, sure, but if everyone is scrambling over each other, everyone ends up stressed and isolated.
As we try to block out the madness and stay civil and sane, we turn to the quality relationships that sustain us, and those friends who keep us afloat.
At The National Gallery, an exhibition dedicated to Irish modernists and good friends Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone is open until August. Bringing together 90 of their works of art (paintings, stained glass, and preparatory drawings) it will also explore their friendship and their shared experiences while studying in Paris during the early 1920s. Both women were trailblazers in Irish art: the exhibition highlights early convergences and later divergences in their styles as they developed distinct artistic voices. After their years in Paris (and the South of France) the two remained close friends until Jellett’s death in 1944. Their other friend and champion was Sarah Purser, who did so much for the advancement of Irish women artists in the early 20th century.
SEE MORE: The Art Of Friendship – Irish Artists Mainie Jellett And Evie Hone
On May 23, IMMA will welcome internationally renowned fashion designer Simone Rocha to its Great Hall as part of its Members Programme. At the event, which came about with the help of fashion stylist Aisling Farinella (Aisling and Simone are good pals), Simone will sit down with photographer and IMMA Collection artist Perry Ogden to discuss her design practice, inspired and influenced by a deep connection to art and the art world. IMMA Members can avail of priority booking, open to the public in May.
THIS MONTH WE’RE …
WEARING: Irish linen blazer, €359 and matching trousers, €249; www.trionadesign.com.
COLLECTING: Pink Capucines Mini leather bag, Louis Vuitton X Murakami, at Brown Thomas.
QUEUEING: At H&M to bag something from Polish designer Magda Butrym’s collaboration, who’s known for her rose blooms.
POWER DRESSING: Pinstripes, shoulder pads, patterned ties! Saint Laurent’s SS25 collection was pure 1980s boardroom. Stella McCartney’s “#StellaCorp” show (above) was in a high-rise office.
BOOKING: Mary Manning’s play Youth’s the Season? (first performed in 1931) at the Abbey Theatre, which offers a glimpse into life in Dublin in the 1930s.
SIPPING: Cocktails at The Westbury in Dublin 2. A new “Dublin Unfiltered” drinks menu was inspired by archive images of 20th-century Dublin.
LISTENING: To a live performance of Elizabeth Day’s How to Fail podcast, with special guest Emma Dabiri, at Bord Gais Energy Theatre.
SPECULATING: All eyes are on the Northern Irish designer JW Anderson who has exited Spanish house Loewe. Has he already moved to Dior?
WAITING: Waiting rooms should be soothing, not stressful. Spencer’s Spa in New York was designed to feel like your favourite eccentric relative’s living room. London clinic Luceo Dental has an ochre colour-drenched waiting room.
HUNTING EXCEPTIONAL EASTER EGGS: For impressive (and delicious) works of art, hunt for eggs by artisan Irish chocolatiers like Tara Gartlan, Koko Kinsale and Bon Chocolatiers (pictured).
