Pictures by Michael Mulcahy

A member of Ireland’s elect Aosdana, Michael Mulcahy is one of the country’s most distinctive and dramatic artists. Breaking onto the sedate Irish art scene in the 70’s after studying at Crawford College of Art and NCAD, his outrageous street performances and colourful disregard for the establishment of the time gave way to a curiosity to see beyond the confines of these shores. His travels took him to Timbuktu, to Papua New Guinea, to a Buddhist monastery in Korea a predilection for the unusual and exotic which has often been reflected in his sense of colour and the way he applies it, reminiscent of ethnic decoration with a fauvist love of the primitive, expressive qualities of colour.
Between travels, Mulcahy has exhibited regularly, both in Ireland and abroad. His first solo show was in Wexford in 1981. A quarter of a century later, his work is found in prestigious collections worldwide, he has represented Ireland at the Sydney Biennale and has amassed many awards. He resides in Co. Waterford and is represented by the Taylor Galleries in Dublin.
In 2003, he completed a two month residency at Cill Rialaig, in which he immersed himself in the dark coarseness of a Kerry winter. The ensuing work for his Cill Rialaig show had a savage intensity.During Easter 2004, at the invitation of the Blue Leaf Gallery, he took up residency at a disused convent at Portumna where he exhibited a body of work, entitled The Stations of the Cross (opened by Michael D. Higgins). The show displayed images of pain and barbarism, and a final painting of the resurrection, which is magnificent and gentle.