{"id":1007,"date":"2010-03-27T17:01:33","date_gmt":"2010-03-27T16:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whatsonni.com\/blog\/?p=1007"},"modified":"2010-04-26T14:48:27","modified_gmt":"2010-04-26T13:48:27","slug":"leading-belfast-artist-deirdre-robb-opens-major-solo-exhibition-inspired-by-belfast%e2%80%99s-waters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2010\/03\/leading-belfast-artist-deirdre-robb-opens-major-solo-exhibition-inspired-by-belfast%e2%80%99s-waters\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading Belfast artist Deirdre Robb opens major solo exhibition inspired by Belfast\u2019s Waters"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Belfast artist Deirdre Robb\u2019s recent work for her major solo exhibition BLUE<\/strong> challenges you to take a journey with her along the rivers of Belfast and discover the rivers of your life. <\/em><\/p>\n

Using river as a visual source Deirdre Robb has created a unique exhibition entitled BLUE<\/strong>, which officially opens at The Engine Room Gallery<\/em> on Thursday, April 1st <\/sup><\/em>at 6pm, showing a large body of works including paintings, installations and experimental prints.<\/p>\n

The rivers\u00a0of Belfast have evoked an emotional response from the artist, subliminally influencing her memories and emotions. She wants people to view this work and uncover how they too have been influenced by the interweaving of water and rivers throughout their lives. \u201cIn all of my work I want the viewer to have an experience of something of visual importance, but also I want my work to have an accessibility that allows the viewer to have a recognisable yet private connection, perhaps through their own memories or experiences\u201d says Deirdre Robb. \u00a0The exhibition will be officially attended by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Naomi Long<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Robb\u2019s art normally relates to a location, space or place; pushing boundaries to create a sensory experience. Previous exhibitions \u2018City\u2019 and \u2018Compositions\u2019 related to an architectural, cultural or aesthetic experience of Belfast. When examining the various characteristics of this city, she found she was more and more drawn by the river, water and the many connotations associated with it.\u00a0 This became the inspiration for this exhibition.<\/p>\n

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Robb has always had a love – fear relationship with water. She was aged five when her young cousin drowned in a tragic accident. As a child she recalls many memories with family on annual visits to Bangor seafront \u2013 sea, swimming, sand and ice-cream.\u00a0 As a teenager hanging out with friends at Hazelbank Park on the banks of Belfast Lough \u2013 sea, crashing waves and boys.\u00a0 Waters ubiquity; always providing the backdrop, now influences the fragrance of those memories, and in turn the fragrance of those memories influences her relationship with, and expression of water.\u00a0 Robb continues to be influenced and inspired by water on a daily basis living close to the River Lagan and travelling alongside it she enjoys the movement, light and various textures that change on a momentary basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI experience an energy that can be comforting and almost hypnotic drawing you in to embrace its flow and journey. Yet I acknowledge its powerful force that has a dangerous side. It can be deep, forceful and precarious\u201d<\/p>\n

Colour<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Colour has a driving and immediate impact on the Exhibition works. The depth of blues and green are striking and dramatic. Texture also has an important role to play in the development of these visual interpretations.<\/p>\n

The strength experienced in the large scale paintings is the evocative colour. The blues in various guises presents an aesthetic of water.\u00a0 She embraces water\u2019s calming effects yet stimulates the viewer through powers of illumination in works such as \u2018<\/strong>Finding myself at Creagh Glen\u2019<\/strong>, \u2018Deep and Wide\u2019<\/strong> and \u2018I was Lost by the Connswater River\u2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

With energetic life she has created tones of penetration, surface and flow.\u00a0 From a distance they captivate and draw you in to reveal a charismatic influence of movement.<\/p>\n

The smaller paintings are just as effective albeit in a more intimate way. Their compositions are balanced with a painterly juxtaposition of tension and depth.<\/p>\n

Tranquil<\/strong><\/p>\n

The installations have a 3 dimensional tranquil effect.\u00a0 In \u2018Swell\u2019<\/strong> the large scale 12ft x 8ft resin floor piece it is as if Robb has frozen a section of water, energised it and brought it life in a gallery setting. It is both contemplative and hypnotic, capturing the essence of the sea from it momentous power to its delicate reflections.<\/p>\n

In \u2018Coloured Rain\u2019<\/strong> Robb presents an alternative experience of what many consider to be the cold and unpleasant familiarity of rain. She has somehow managed to beautify it with confidence and affect.\u00a0 The \u2018Coloured Rain\u2019 installation is an ethereal and beautiful wall hanging of 3ft x 8ft layers of coloured resin on fishing line, which translates the depressing experience of Northern Irish rain into something enchanting and spellbinding.<\/p>\n

The ongoing environmental impacts of global pollution is explored in the \u2018Green Issues\u2019<\/strong> installation of 96 inches of test tubes in blue and green filled with Belfast rain water collected during the months of January, February and March this year.<\/p>\n

The experimental prints are observations of surface and reflection in an abstract manner. They question a reality until you arrive at the image which is subtle, tactile and engaging.<\/p>\n

Cliff Brook, Engine Room Gallery Director stated ‘We are delighted that Deirdre has agreed to exhibit with us again. This new body of work is impressive and is a great exhibition<\/em>. The scale and<\/em> variety of <\/em>works are not only impressive but are<\/em> strong\u00a0and accessible<\/em>. Her atmospheric works convey a sense of space, light and drama<\/em>.‘ <\/em><\/p>\n

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Imelda Foley, Arts Consultant, further comments \u2018Robb<\/em> yet again has produced an outstanding exhibition that challenges and inspires. Her work takes the complexities of water and transcends it into a sophisticated and exciting experience\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belfast artist Deirdre Robb\u2019s recent work for her major solo exhibition BLUE challenges you to take a journey with her along the rivers of Belfast and discover the rivers of your life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[246,248,243,245,5,249,38,247,11,10,6,3,4],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1007"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1083,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions\/1083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}