It’s highly likely I don’t get out enough, but with the recent closure of Noah Davis’ much-loved show at The Barbican, London’s art scene feels unusually quiet.
Seize the opportunity to visit Not Marble, a radiant exhibition by Dublin-born, London-based artist Oisín Byrne, on view at Amanda Wilkinson Gallery until 31 May.
Best known for his stylised floral works, Byrne has shifted focus to a series of portraits—though these aren’t portraits in the traditional sense. Rather than receiving commissions, Byrne invites people he enjoys spending time with to sit for him. Each canvas reflects not just a likeness but a mood, shaped by the unique emotional tenor of each encounter. His palette—vivid but never garish—ranges from marigold to burnt umber and bluebell blue.
Six sitters—fellow artists and writers—have contributed essays to a slim volume that accompanies the exhibition. Don’t miss this little book- it’s a unique and enriching read after visiting the works, creating a kind of meta-collage of various forms of expression.
‘Extra-sensory’, is the term gallerist Amanda Wilkinson uses to refer to these paintings, which makes a lot of sense considering the way Byrne paints. A former drawing teacher at Central St. Martins, he tells me he would have ‘students draw each other, but they would both have to look at each other whilst drawing, so the amount of time spent looking at each other vs the page is monitored.’ He uses this kinaesthetic method (sometimes known as ‘blind drawing’) to record what he sees- using his finger to roughly measure space over the page without looking down.
The exhibition opens up broader questions around perception. One of the essays that accompany Not Marble explores the topic of paintings v photographs, as artist Joseph Noonan-Ganley reflects on the process of sitting for Byrne. Describing photography as ‘merciless in its capturing of details of my surface,’ he adds ‘I like to use cameras. I do not like cameras being used on me.’ On seeing the finished painting, Noonan-Ganley writes ‘I am dislodged from my established attributes […] Emerging from this gap is the capacity to expand my inventory of myself’. A lovely way to describe the value of seeing oneself through another’s eyes.
Ultimately, Not Marble is a celebration of being present—in the studio, in conversation, in life. “It’s hard to be still these days,” says curator and sitter Vaari Claffey. “I didn’t really want to sit for a portrait. I bloody well didn’t want to be left out either.”
A wise choice. Byrne’s series captures the texture of real connection in a world increasingly defined by its absence.
Oisín Byrne Not Marble: 10 April- 31 May Amanda Wilkinson Gallery (1st Floor, 47 Farringdon Road, London EC1M 3BJ) amandawilkinsongallery.com
Opening hours Wednesday - Friday: 12 noon - 6pm, Saturday: 12 noon - 5pm Or by appointment.
