My exhibition Lines and Layers opened at St John’s Theatre & Arts Centre in Listowel, Co. Kerry last Saturday. I started this body of work in Cill Rialaig Artist Retreat, Co. Kerry in early 2020 and continued working on it over the lockdowns. These acrylic on canvas paintings are variations on simple patterns, made one brushstroke at the time and layered, to create new and unexpected compositions and shades of colour. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-17:30
Today I finally finished the mural in Mill Street, Callan, Co. Kilkenny on the hoarding around a derelict cottage.
Composition 1, Acrylic on Canvas, 50x50cm, 2020
Thank you to Italian curator Valeria Ceregini, for including me in JournAll, her online art programme. JournALL offers its social media as a platform to showcase emerging and established artists across the world who may be struggling to promote themselves due to the rise of COVID-19. ‘In conversation with…’ is a video chat to connect artists at any stage of their career to talk about their experience and research. These interviews and performances want to give the resources to perform and react creatively at this crisis.
‘Between You and Me’, FB AIR Program Commission, Balllsbridge, Dublin
In June I was commissioned by the Facebook Artist-in-Residence Program to make a mural for the new Facebook offices in Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland. Click photo for more images. Photography: Louis Haugh and Arcade Film.
The Space Between
The Space Between, an exhibition of new work by Paul Bokslag, Watergarden Gallery, Ladywell Street, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. Opening: Thu 26 Sep 2019 @ 19.00 Exhibition continues until 25 October. Opening Times: Tue-Fri, 9.30-16.30 http://www.paulbokslag.com
Artists in Craft, Cill Rialaig Arts Centre
Some of my work is included in the Artists in Craft exhibition at the Cill Rialaig Arts Centre in Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry. I am grateful for the opportunity to have spend a second week at one of the cottages at the retreat, making new work, meeting old and new friends, experiencing the peace, focus and beauty of the place and even visiting Skellig Michael.
Medieval Mile Museum
This new papercut installation is on view at the Medieval Mile Museum in Kilkenny City over the holidays.
The two central pieces were created by a wonderful and hardworking group of participants in workshops in the museum during the month of November. The patterns used are inspired by Blackletter – a script used throughout Europe in the medieval period. This script appears in the civic documents on display and also on the stone funeral monuments found throughout the museum and graveyard.
The two outside pieces were made by the Open Circle Community Arts Collective in 2017 and were part of a bigger installation at the Goods Shed, MacDonagh Junction, Kilkenny.
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to the installation, including Kilkenny Civic Trust, Siobhan O’Brien of Kilkenny Carlow Educational Training Board who supported the November workshops, Grace, Alice and all the staff at Medieval Mile Museum and Sheila Jordan of Open Circle.
A special thanks to all who gave their time and creativity to work on these pieces: Ita Bourke, Sophie Butler, Cate Cassin, Carmen Del Poza, Helen Dobson, Aoife Doherty, Fidealis Doherty, Polly Donnellan, Catherine Duff, Fiona Eastwood, Grace Fegan, Anne Marie Fitzgerald, Claire Fitzpatrick, Ann Marie Gray, Claire Griffin, Aileen Kavanagh, Enya Kennedy, Dominika Mlynarska, Lorraine Murphy, Sandra Murphy, Brenda Murtagh, Alice Norwood, Alison O’Flynn, Lisselott Olofsson, Siobhán Pullen, Simone Quinn, Ciara B Stapleton, Fiona Wallace and Zoe Young.
Revolve, .Obj Digital Handmade, National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, 2018
I am looking forward to talking about my work which is currently on show at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny this Thursday 18 October at 18.30
Free Late Date Event: Meet The Makers
Join artist and designer Paul Bokslag with fellow exhibitor Marius Watz for our late date evening this Thursday. Paul will discuss his inspiration and processes involved in creating his Revolve paper installation. Marius will discuss his site-specific wall drawings and how he uses visual abstraction through generative software. This event is part of our .OBJ exhibition education and outreach programme at the National Design and Craft Gallery. The exhibition is curated by Nora O’Murchu.
Bring Your Own Chair
As part of Bring Your Own Chair, I visited primary schools in twelve towns to deliver papercutting workshops to over 900 children. They created ‘Town Motifs’ based on the nature, buildings and heritage of their town and I worked with all images to design 14 individual A3 sized posters, one for each school. Damn Fine Print did a beautiful risograph printing job on the posters.
Bring Your Own Chair is a portrait of twelve rural towns and villages accross counties Killkenny, Waterford and Wexford, led by visual artist Michelle Browne and produced by Workhouse Union. Towns and villages include Kilmacthomas, An Rinn, Tallow and Passage East (Waterford); Ballyhack, Taghmon, Bunclody, Courtown (Wexford); and Coon, Goresbridge, Slieverue and Kells (Kilkenny).
Bring Your Own Chair is funded by the Arts Council Ireland Making Great Art Work – Open Call Award and with further support from Create Ireland/Collaborative Arts Partnership Programme, Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Waterford Council, Kilkenny Arts Office, County Wexford and Kilkenny LEADER Partnership.
Butterslip, Kilkenny
A big thank you to Anne from Butterslip on the corner of Rose Inn Street and Kieran Street, for asking me to show some of my paperuts in her shop during Kilkenny Arts Festival 2018.
Paul Bokslag 