Lot 85: DARREN MURRAY B.1977

BRASSOCATTLEYA CLIFTONI MAGNIFICA

152 by 213cm.; 59¾ by 83¾in.

oil on canvas

EXHIBITED

Venice, 51st Venice Biennale, The Nature of Things: Artists from Northern Ireland, June - November 2005.

NOTE

Influenced by Oriental art and design, Murray's oeuvre combines the stylized forms of the East with a debt to Modernist tendencies from the West and to American Colourfield painting in particular. His works offer tranquil images of peaceful destinations however a more complex dialogue is inferred by the vivid layering of detail. The dramatic contrast between the fine hand-painted linear forms and the bold colour of the background challenges the viewer to question their own notions of an ideal landscape and whether it may ever exist.

Murray was chosen to represent Northern Ireland in their first pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2005. Having studied at the University of Ulster, he has had solo exhibitions at galleries such as The Context Gallery, Dublin and The Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, Dublin.