Conversion
27 Oct - 10 Nov 2011
Solo show
Artist John Fitzsimons
Officially opened 27th October 2011
Venue Filmbase, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Guest speaker Mr. Karim Rehmani White
'Conversion' was John's first solo exhibition, curated by Olivier Cornet in Filmbase in 2011.
His work as a painter is influenced by his involvement in print: using paint on paper (albeit canvas-like cotton paper) as a medium, John works with repetition a lot and employs paper to peel back layers of paint. He also finds that the process-based techniques of print making - sometimes seen as limiting by some - keep him grounded particularly with regard to colour and scale as is evident in the paintings shown in 'Conversion'.
"My work tends to be about me, things that I go through in life are reflected in the work I make. In my early days as a printmaker I used to draw monsters. The monsters, although I never really talk about my work, were about anxiety and fear that I had. I am now much more positive and have made real changes in my life. This work for me is about those changes. I have used a cube as a symbol of something insular and contained and have disassembled it and let it open out to reflect progression in my life. The colour I use also shows an optimism. There is still a very controlled aspect to the work which I think holds on to some of the issues of control and anxiety I still have."(John Fitzsimons, 2011)
Coverage
Short film
on the exhibition(by Tristan Hutchinson)
