Limerick artist Ramon Kassam to launch solo exhibition

The latest exhibition by artist Ramon Kassam featuring works inspired by the buildings and sights of his native Limerick City will be officially opened at 69 O’Connell Street this coming Thursday 6th November at 6pm.

Woodrow Kernohan, the Director of EVA International will perform the official opening of ‘Concept for a potential living/working space’, which has been curated by Dr. Pippa Little of the Limerick Arts Office.

The solo exhibition of paintings will run weekdays (Midday-5.30pm) from November 7-27th, 2014. An Artists Talk will be held at 1pm on Tuesday 25th November.

Ramon Kassam received his BA in Fine Art Painting from Limerick School of Art and Design in 2007. He has exhibited regularly since including EVA International – Ireland’s Biennale, Limerick (2014), Pallas Projects, Dublin (solo 2013), ArcaArcha, Boston, USA (2012), Limerick City Gallery of Art (2012), Irish Museum of Contemporary Art, Dublin (2010), Occupy Space, Limerick (solo 2010) and Kuturm, Leipzig, Germany (2008).

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Exhibition curator Dr. Pippa Little said: “The theme of the exhibition is essentially a reflection on the process of artistic creation and the activity and history of painting, presented through both Limerick’s buildings and the artist’s own biographical references.”

She continued: “The spaces and narratives created in this series of paintings briefly hold open an imaginary space in which a creative journey is possible. Kassam has formed a strong identity for a series of paintings that involve starting with the selection of a compelling beginning point, his choice of a particular area of a building that emphasises the rectangular shapes, colour, composition and planes, which he then develops further. He finds the sources of his paintings on walks and explorations of Limerick City.”

The exhibition entices us into a suggested world where the studio is centralised as a space for the artist. An elaborate narrative emerges of an imagined studio space and an artist working in it. Through these paintings of potential spaces to live and work in, Kassam gives us a space to dream in, to consider the future with hope and to contribute to transforming it,” Dr. Little added.

Commenting on his works, Ramon Kassam said: “These paintings incorporate various motifs in their quite often ruthless and laboured construction. The works comes from a place of deep personal engagement with life in the studio and reflect its relationship to the city.”

Ramon Kassam has been awarded a number of residencies. In 2013 he participated on a studio residency at The Irish Museum of Modern Art and the RHA Tony O’Malley Residency Award. In May 2014 he undertook a residency at the Irish Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In addition to his practice Kassam founded and was a Director of both Wickham Street Studios, an artist studio complex and Occupy Space, a visual arts exhibition space in Limerick City from 2009-2011.

Dr. Pippa Little is a curator and arts manager based at Limerick Arts Office. Her research specialism is artistic process and creativity. Recent essays and reviews may be found in the Visual Artists Newsheet, the Journal of Arts Management and Cultural Policy, Irish Arts Review, Source, Museums Ireland and Enclave Review.

For more on the upcoming exhibition visit www.ramonkassam.com.
Read more about art in Limerick here!