24 project at The Shaw Space

A really interesting exhibition has just opened in the George Bernard Shaw bar in Dublin, we sent our intrepid reporter Mario Sughi along….

Working in an office in the city centre, every Thursday evening there is a new invitation to either some kind of Art or some restoring drinks with some friends. But tonight the “24 Project” opening at the GB Shaw off Camden St will provide me with both options at the same time (Great and great that I always have my camera with me).

I pass by the National Gallery (open till late on Thursday), our ScalderBoy is standing outside there. I guess he is going to the Polish Painting Exhibition. But I am wrong he’s not going and neither will I go back myself. I have already been there during the week and despite the fact that the show is free and quite entertaining it left me a bit disappointed at the end.

I walked instead through Camden Street and before approaching Portobello Bridge on the left hand side I see the GB Shaw, an alternative pub that in the past has already hosted some cultural events, and street art exhibitions. But I must have got lost somewhere on the proceedings because when I enter the pub it is already nine o clock and the pub is packed to its full capacity.

Packed with a very young noisy and colourful crowd who express joy at the view of the art tonight exhibited. The pub is full of paintings and artworks everywhere but the main piece is a 24 feet long panel 4 feet high. It literally runs the entire length of the wall facing the main bar.

24 Dublin artists have collaborated on this one piece and nobody had a clue what the final work would be like. Each artist, as Brenb who has taken part in the project, explains to me later on at the bar (from where he is monitoring the proceedings), got a 2′x2′ piece to work with and some rough guidelines.

Last night the 24 pieces were put back together and only then for the first was it revealed what they had all been working on.

The artwork is an eclectic composition made up of different materials, and executed in different media including pen, markers, acrylic, glues etc. Viewed as a single piece it seems a large abstract painting, full of colours and movements with lines that chase each other in great inventive harmony. But now in the GB Shaw the abstract painting looks more like a mirror (a real one) of the young crowd that stand with their glasses in front of it.

The young and less young look at it with a mix of surprise and amusement as if the exact counter image of themselves is artistically moving in front of them.

Amongst this artistic crowd there must be some art collectors as well and before I leave the pub I notice that two works have been sold. I turn around for one last time and this time instead of the large painting I see only one large smile… moving happy on the face of our Brenb!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Events, Exhibitions, Illustration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.