Locky Morris: ‘once a day, every day, all day long’ opens on Feb 9 featuring a special exhibition talk by local artist Anne Tallentire
A major free exhibition featuring the compelling, artistic works of renowned City of Derry artist Locky Morris will open at the FE McWilliam Gallery and Studio, Banbridge, on Saturday 9 February.
Recognised across the UK, Ireland and internationally for three decades of outstanding exhibitions featuring works themed on Northern Ireland’s troubled past, this new showcase features inspiring artistic works primarily made since 2010 and which reflect Morris’ move towards more personal reflection.
The exhibition ‘once a day, every day, all day long’ was curated by Ulster University’s Feargal O’Malley and Dr Riann Coulter from FE McWilliam Gallery and references changes not only in Morris’ own personal circumstances but also in the now-transformed landscape of post-conflict Northern Ireland.
Dr Riann Coulter said:
“Locky Morris makes original and compelling work and the themes that he explores in this exhibition will resonate with our regular visitors and attract new audiences to the gallery to enjoy our busy spring and summer programme.”
The exhibition, which is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue with essays by Co. Armagh-born artist Anne Tallentire and Belfast based artist David Haughey, features photography, sculpture, sound and installation.
“Morris is a master at finding beauty in the quotidian details of life and he has created quite unexpected and often humorous art out of his everyday experiences,” Riann said. “This combination of humour and attention to the surreal qualities of ordinary things underlies his diverse practice and is the secret to the success of his Instagram account especiallyeverything.”
“The playful titles that Morris uses for his art works often have personal significance – once a day, every day, all day long is a chorus lyric from a song by respected American country singer, Connie Smith. Morris relates this phrase to the ‘everydayness’ of making art – music is an important element of Morris’s work and life.”
Locky Morris exhibited extensively from the mid-1980s both regionally and internationally. Recent exhibitions have included a large-scale installation at IMMA, Dublin, as part of Eva International and a solo show at the Naughton Gallery, Queens, Belfast.
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Past solo projects include Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast, Mother’s Tankstation, Dublin, and Mannheimer Kunstverein, Germany. His work has appeared in significant group shows in Pittsburgh, New York, Belgrade, Prague and Salzburg.
Born in 1960 in Derry/Londonderry, where he continues to live and work, Morris rose to prominence in the 1980s with works such as Town, country and people (1985-86) and An Bhearna Bhaoil – Gap of Danger (1988) which used the language of international art to comment on the local realities of life during the Troubles.
To launch the new exhibition, Anne Tallentire will present a short talk on the exhibition on Saturday 9th February at 3.00pm.
For more information, please visit www.femcwilliam.com.