Ciaran Lennon

'Usually when I see an exciting new colour situation - it's quite wonderful...'. (Ciaran Lennon, Interview with Emily Mark Fitzgerald, 2007)

Lennon's unique treatment of colour and form stems from an early interest in the physicality of the artist's canvas and the interplay between space and material created when the canvas is folded (see fig.1, Folded, 1972, Private Collection). In his recent work, these 'folds' have developed into stratas of colour, layered as well as interleaved with what the artist calls 'lenses' or sheets of material with varying physical properties (see also lot 58).

In the present work, the focus is on the relationship between colour and metal; 'I like the way the metal makes the paint react - like the bone, the fleshiness of the paint on it' (Lennon, Interview with Emily Mark Fitzgerald, 2007). The bold yet translucent bands of colour take on an added three dimensional quality due to the particular nature of the copper sheets which extend out towards the viewer, engaging with the space both behind and between them.

Lennon has exhibited extensively internationally and represented Ireland at the 1993 Sao Paolo Biennale. He has had numerous solo exhibitions including those at The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; The National Gallery, Dublin, The Kerlin Gallery, Dublin and the Arken Museum of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen and his work is held in all major Irish public collections.