Exhibition Review

Hannah Ireland. Handshake in Hamilton.

Weasel Gallery, 260 Victoria Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton,

Handshake in Hamilton is an exhibition which consists of rectangular boxes displayed at a variety of heights amongst a plethora of items and other wall hanging objects. The gallery is narrow which encourages the viewer to be intimate with the rectangular boxes displayed on the walls alternating heights.
Weasel Gallery is situated on Victoria Street Kirikiriroa, Hamilton, with an open door allowing the pedestrians walking by t be present in the viewing of the work.

This show consists of 8 Paintings hanging on the gallery walls, these paintings are a variety of works sized either 227 mm x 315 mm x 47 mm, or 395 mm x 465 mm x 47 mm. A mixture of vibrant tones of colours mix with a dulled colour pallet where a focus is on the manipulation of colour through washes of paint to create a figured shape. These distorted depictions of figures glide on the backside of clear glass of which they are sitting upon, almost like a mirror in which to view one’s self. The paint is visible, but oddly from the underside, this is due to the ways in which Hannah Ireland has placed the paint and decided to show the audience. The grotesque nature of which these portraits have been made, could come from an almost melting sensation, faces appear burnt, uneven and distorted, almost clinical in the application of paint medium, the washes blur an eventual depiction of a figure or absolute depiction of figure.

Hannah Ireland creates these works on glass using a water based house paint manipulated by water colour paint on the back of glass, the figures painted are flattened by the glass, showing the side of painting which is not often shown to the viewer traditionally, the backside of the glass. The paint as medium becomes flattened as brush marks become more apparent, the washes of paint mixed with water colours run thin and smooth across the glass surface, the glass too plays a part in the depiction allowing the paint to spread more easily not soaking as fast as if it were painted on canvas or paper. The thickness of the glass is between the painting and the viewer representing a connection to the single mirror placed within the show. Painted frames are matched up to the paintings, almost personalized to each character or person. These frames also carry a thickness to them, matching the thickness of the mirror which is hanging at a height working in unison with how the paintings are displayed.

These works can be assumed as representations of people, the different heights also may indicate this. The mirror could be an aid for audiences to place themselves into the show, possibly even finding themselves or others in the paintings exhibited.

The focus appears to be on the individual characteristics of the work, whilst viewing a disruption occurs whilst connecting with the individuals, allowing audiences to see them self in these distorted figures.Hannah Ireland makes use of these techniques through her confident manipulation of mediums on the glass, there is an awkwardness created with materials and depiction, this a possible connection to personalities rather than people at face value, an ever growing personality comes out of Ireland’s portraits connecting to audience members. A question when viewing these works may be “How would my personality look like painted?” The mirror in the exhibitions add to this curiosity as viewers immediately becomes unknowingly part of the exhibition. (1)

Toby Raine is a New Zealand artist who deals with the figure through a gestural manner, Raine’s figures are distorted, making it difficult to associate who the subject is. Figures are often left scraped or washed away, much like Ireland’s paintings where the medium comes into control over subject, although Raine typically deals with portraits of popular and identifiable people, the disruptions of detail and washing away of any resemblance is what is most indictive and able to be related and drawn in relation to Ireland’s paintings, the materials are being part of the conversation as much as the figure itself.
Marlene Dumas an artist from South Africa of which creates paintings which could be considered as airy, dismantled and grotesque portraiture. Dumas works in multiple forms of making such as panting, printing and drawing where the focus is on the figures depicted.(2)

The exhibition by artist Hanna Ireland shows a variety of ideas encompassing the self. The show hints at curiosities of self in individual works, this allowing audiences to engage with the ideas of identify. What may be taken away from viewing Ireland’s works are experiences and reflections of self in personalities and moods aided through a use of manipulation of mixed media.

References:

1. “Hanna Ireland,” Arthur Buerms & Eugenie Coche. Accessed September 28, 2020, https://www.thenomadicartgallery.com/artist-hannah-ireland   
2. . “Marlene Dumas,” Mary Harlock, Accessed October 5, 2020, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/marlene-dumas-2407
   

Figures

1. Hannah Ireland. Placebo. 2020 Watercolour, ink and house paint 315mm x 227mm x 47mm. Accessed September 26, 2020, https://www.weaselgallery.com/handshakeinhamilton
2. Hannah Ireland. Sour Baby. 2020 Watercolour, ink and house paint 315mm x 227mm x 47mm.Accessed September 26, 2020, https://www.weaselgallery.com/handshakeinhamilton
3. Hannah Ireland. Spiced Rum. 2020 Watercolour, ink and house paint 315mm x 227mm x 47mm.Accessed September 26, 2020, https://www.weaselgallery.com/handshakeinhamilton
4. Hannah Ireland.Mellow Punch. 2020 Watercolour, ink and house paint 315mm x 227mm x 47mm.Accessed September 26, 2020, https://www.weaselgallery.com/handshakeinhamilton
5. Hannah Ireland.Face Paint. 2020 Watercolour, ink and house paint 315mm x 227mm x 47mm.Accessed September 26, 2020, https://www.weaselgallery.com/handshakeinhamilton