Eoin Mac Lochlainn

"I am interested in exploring how art may produce a deeper and more enduring understanding of the contemporary experience than do media images. I collect images from newspapers, magazines and the internet to find the subjects for my practice. I am particularly interested in images of ordinary people in situations of conflict or crisis. It is easy to become inured to the individual stories that lie behind any of these images, but by choosing one and making it the subject of a painting, I try to emphasise the importance of that human story and, in a way, to subvert the notion of the '15 minutes of fame'. "


Eoin Mac Lochlainn joined the Olivier Cornet Gallery in 2014. The artist is also well known for his Irish Art Blog called Scéalta Ealaíne. In it, he muses about art and themes such as homelessness , the Irish diaspora, the environment, and other topics that are at the core of his practice as a visual artist.


A recipient of the prestigious Golden Fleece Award in 2008, the artist won the Friends of the RHA Award in 2026.

Art Education             
                
2000
BA in Fine Art (Hons), National College of Art&Design, Dublin

1981
Diploma in Art Industry&Commerce, 
College of Commerce, Dublin
Collections

AIB, Air Lease Corporation, Bank of Ireland, OPW, Revenue Commissioners, AXA Insurance, Foras na Gaeilge, Gael Linn, Imago Mundi (the Luciano Benetton Collection), Contemporary Irish Art Society/CIAS (permanent loan to the National College of Ireland), Pearse Museum, The Boyle Civic Collection, The Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame (USA), Wesley College, University of Limerick, Donegal County Council, Cló Ceardlann na gCnoc.
Artist-in-Prison Projects

2018 Port Laoise Prison

2016 Cloverhill Prison

2013/2014/2019/2020 Arbour Hill Prison

2009 Port Laoise Prison


Recent exhibitions
2025

Memorandum, winter group show,  Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

Ode to Giants, group show,  Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

An ghaoth aniar/This too will pass, solo show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

'Art Evolve 2025', contemporary art fair at the RDS, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

'Cad atá de Dhíth Orainn?/What do we want?', travelling group show, An Gailearaí, Gweedore, co. Donegal.

2024

'Contrasts', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

'What do we want?', travelling group show, QSS Studios +Gallery, Belfast.

'What do we want?', group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery.

Kites above the Castles, a Dublin Gallery Weekend 2024 central exhibition curated by Patrick Murphy (Director of the Royal Hibernian Academy).

194th RHA Annual Exhibition, Dublin.

'Pink is my colour', summer group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery.

'Conversations with trees', group show, Dún Laoghaire, ArtNetdlr, selected by Eamon Colman.

Dunlavin Arts Festival, group show at the Market House, Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow.

'Interdependent', group show, Dún Laoghaire, ArtNetdlr, selected by Cian McLoughlin.

Boyle Arts Festival, group show, Boyle, Co. Roscommon, selected by Paul McKenna.


2023

'Cogadh na gCarad', solo show, Olivier Cornet Gallery


RHA Annual Exhibition, group show, Dublin

Cairde Visual, selected group show at the Hamilton Gallery, Sligo

'Cogadh na gCarad', solo show, Custom House Studios and Gallery, Westport, Ireland

1515, group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery

'Climate and Health', group show, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Dublin

'Impressions', a group show at the Hamilton Gallery, Sligo

Dunlavin Arts Festival, a group show at the Market House, Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow


2022

'2012-2022, a decade of exhibitions at Olivier Cornet Gallery', anniversary group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

'Past, Present, Future', group show at the Boyle Arts Festival, Co. Roscommon (curated by Paul McKenna).

Dunlavin Festival of Arts, group show.

'The Golden Fleece Award: 21 years', group show curated by Aisling Prior, Solstice Arts Centre, Navan
2021

Memento, Looking back, Looking forward, Winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery

'Is glas iad na cnoic', solo show, Olivier Cornet Gallery

'On Paper', group show curated with Jackie Ryan, Olivier Cornet Gallery. 

2020

'Resurfacing', end of Summer group show, 6-28 August 2020

Covid Eyes, solo show, Olivier Cornet Gallery

‘Drawing on Don Quixote', Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin. Group show curated by Olivier Cornet and first presented at National Opera House (Oct 2019, Opera Festival Wexford), then at VUE Contemporary Art Fair (Nov 2019, RHA Dublin)

2019

'Olives, Oysters and Oranges', group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery

'Somewhere Between Perception and Reality, Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin (a group show first presented at VUE Art Fair, November 2018 (RHA, Dublin)'

Art in the Anthropocene, Trinity College, Dublin (curated by Imelda Healy)

Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen, Hamilton Gallery, Sligo and Consulate of Ireland, NY

Small Town Decline: Rural Patterns of Decay, selected group show, Glór, Ennis


2018

'Deireadh Fómhair', solo show, Olivier Cornet Gallery

Drawing on Joyce, a group show around Bloomsday (curated by Olivier Cornet), Olivier Cornet Gallery.

Concerning the Other, a group show (curated by Olivier Cornet, Claire Halpin and Eoin Mac Lochlainn), Queen Street Studios, Belfast.

An Irish Airman foresees his death, Hamilton Gallery, Sligo

'2°C', a group show on climate change curated by Olivier Cornet with the support of the EPA (first presented at VUE Art Fair RHA in November 2017), Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin. 
2017

Vue 2017, '2°C' group show, National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

187th RHA Annual Exhibition, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin.

Concerning the Other, a group show (curated by Olivier Cornet, Claire Halpin and Eoin Mac Lochlainn) at the Olivier Cornet Gallery, Dublin.

Facing West, Boyle Arts Festival, Co. Roscommon.

Crazy Jane, Hamilton Gallery, Sligo.

'Silent Stories': two-person exhibition with Miriam McConnon, curated by Olivier Cornet Gallery, Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick.


2016

Vue 2016, Elévation group show, National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA, with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

‘Diaspora’, solo show, Hamilton Gallery, Sligo 

‘Republic’, group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery, co-curated with Olivier Cornet.

‘Tinteáin’, solo show, An Gailearaí, Gaoth Dobhair, Co. Donegal.
186th RHA Annual Exhibition.
2015

'Hopscotch', winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery.

VUE 2015, National Contemporary Art Fair at the RHA, group show with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

'Diaspora', solo show at the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

'5 Cavendish Row', summer group show curated by Olivier Cornet and Arran Henderson, Olivier Cornet Gallery.

'Home', Open Submission group show, Dlr Lexicon, Dunlaoghaire. 

'A Terrible Beauty', touring group show, The Octagonal Room, City Assembly House, Dublin with the Olivier Cornet Gallery. Click here to see and read about Waiting, one of the artist's works in the show.
2014

'Reflections', Christmas/winter group show, Olivier Cornet Gallery

A Terrible Beauty, touring group show, presented at Vue 2014, RHA with the Olivier Cornet Gallery.

The Palimpsest/Rianú Project, Pearse Museum, Dublin

Dídean/ Home, solo show, Dunamaise Arts Centre, Port Laoise

Dídean/ Home, solo show, No.69 O’Connell Street, Limerick

The Palimpsest/Rianú Project, An Gailearaí, Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal

Awards


2026  Won The Friends of the RHA Award
2010  Won the ESB Keating McLaughlin Medal and Award

2010  Shortlisted for the Davy Portrait Award

2008  Won the Golden Fleece Award

2007   Short listed for Oireachtas Award for the Requiem Catalogue


Residencies


2019 Cill Rialaig, Kerry 

2016 Ros Muc, Connemara, Co. Galway

2015 Cill Rialaig, Kerry 

2014 Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, Co. Galway

2013  Úr Programme, Cló Ceardlann na gCnoc, Co. Donegal   

2012  Samkura Project, Tbilisi, Georgia

2012  Cló Ceardlann nag Cnoc, Co. Donegal

2006 Cill Rialaig, Kerry 

2001  Temple Bar Gallery&Studios, Dublin

Review 

2018  Aidan Dunne, The Ticket, The Irish Times, Oct
2018  John P. O'Sullivan, Sunday Times, Culture Magazine, Nov
2015  Brian McAvera, The Irish Arts Review magazine, Autumn
2013  Niall McMonagle, The Sunday Independent, Feb
2012  Cristín Leach, The Sunday Times, April
2009 Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, April
2007  Oscar McLennan, Artinfo.com, Feb
2005  Anne Iremonger, Dubliner Magazine, Sept
2005  Jackie Ryan, Irish Property Buyer Magazine, June
2002  Marianne Hartigan, The Sunday Tribune, Feb
2002  Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, Feb
1988  Kate Robinson, The Sunday Independent, Feb

Publications

2006  “Aiséirí/Requiem”, (with essay by Dr Brenda Moore-McCann)  
2002  “Bliainiris”, (with essay by Méabh Ní Chléirigh)

TV Reviews

2015   Imeall (TG4), Oct
2007  Ardán, TG4 Jan 
2005  The View, RTE1 May