Marilyn Gaffney Visual Artist

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Anamnesis

‘Anamnesis’ is the latest exhibition by visual artist Marilyn Gaffney. The exhibition is a combination of painting, mixed media and installation.

Loosely translated, the word anamnesis means a recollection of events, especially from a supposed past existence. The themes Gaffney explores in this exhibition are time, space and memory. The art works are somewhere between fantasy and reality. The canvases are layered. They are complex and obsessively detailed. The artist combines traditional painting with digitally printed collage to create work that is some place between landscape and abstraction.

Marilyn Gaffney created the work in this exhibition while on the Bullock Lane Residency at Townhall, Cavan. The Bullock Lane Residency at Townhall Cavan is an initiative of Cavan County Council arts office and supported by the Arts Council. The town and the county of Cavan feature. There is a series of charcoal drawings which includes ‘Bullock Lane’, ‘Cathedral’, ‘Townhall’ and a sensitive study entitled ‘Maimie’ in which the sitter gazes inquiringly at us.

Rhonda Tidy, in an essay entitled ‘Back to Eden’ for the catalogue accompanying this exhibition, has written, “A deeper philosophical enquiry undercuts the aesthetic charm of her work, repeatedly revisiting themes of time, space, body in addressing the overarching theme of memory.”

Anamnesis by Marilyn Gaffney opened at Townhall Cavan on Thursday 3 March at 7pm. An attentive audience listened as Cormac O Leary described the artist as having an "acute eye". The appreciative gathering at the launch of Anamnesis included the Golden Oldies from Tullacmongan, artists, friends,family and members of the public interested in the visual arts. Guest speaker Cormac O Leary described Marilyn's work as a "portal in to another dimension, the work is like time travel". Cathaoirleach Paddy Smith admitted that he had difficulty with the title of the exhibition but was intrigued by the way the work was produced and the many layers of meaning and memory that the artist has captured.

Gaffney held a number of talks about her work with schools and groups.

Exhibition continued until Thursday 24 March and opened from 11am to 5pm Wednesday to Saturday.

Artworks in the exhibition: