Quietly Dispelling the Dark (Works from the Arts Council of Ireland Collection)

This exhibition constituted a major survey of Irish art practice viewed through the lens of the Arts Council of Ireland’s Art Collection. Works chosen from the collection for this exhibition, were selected by author Colm Tóibín in his role as Laureate for Irish Fiction.

In his selection of works, Colm Tóibín adopted a thematic approach, to explore several decades of Irish art making that he described in his text for this exhibition, "as a hidden tradition in Irish art: a kind of dark abstraction.”

On Sunday 3rd November 2024 at VISUAL Carlow, Colm Tóibín delivered his third and final annual lecture as Laureate for Irish Fiction, entitled, 'Taking Colour for a Walk'. At this event Colm Tóibín offered a reflection on those artists who had influenced him, offering insights on the intersection of literature and visual art, viewed through the perspective of one of Ireland's foremost writers. With an introduction by Director of the Arts Council Maureen Kennelly, Tóibín’s lecture was accompanied by contributions from myself (PURE ID: 236477099) and Irish artist Robert Armstrong.

During the lecture, in relation to the selection of my work for inclusion in this survey exhibition, Colm Tóibín stated, “Amongst the selection of works acquired in the last couple of years I was shown a photograph. It is called ‘Quietly Dispelling the Dark’. It is a work from 2021 by Mary McIntyre. First, I loved the title and thought that it would serve us well as the title for the overall exhibition here. But mainly, I love the nuanced textures in the actual image itself, the contrast between fragility of the shadows and then the solid strength of the angles and lines. McIntyre’s photograph could easily be a beginning, a door that opens into the Collection, or it could be a culmination. But like the rest of the work here, it stands alone, it comes to us on its own terms. It is not merely an account of an experience, it is, in itself, an experience.”

My photographic work, ‘Quietly Dispelling the Dark’, was also selected as the image used to represent the exhibition in its promotional material.

The group exhibition ‘Quietly Dispelling the Dark’ was presented at Visual Centre for Contemporary Art, Carlow, Ireland, 20th September 2024 – 19th January 2025.

My work in this exhibition was shown alongside that of contemporary Irish artists Michael Coleman, Gerda Frömel, Sarah Iremonger, Julie Merriman, T.J. Maher, Fergus Feehily, Anthony Carroll, Brenda Kelliher, Mary Farl Powers, Michael Warren, Marie Foley, Maud Cotter, Dennis McNulty, Áine Mac Giolla Bhríde and Paul O’Keefe.