This exhibition features Rosie McGurran, Royal Ulster Academician and award-winning artist. It presents an extraordinary series of new paintings inspired by the people and places of Belfast, moments of growth and transformation in her life, and imagined characters. Suspended between reality and fantasy, these artworks tell stories of the past – of the life in the city and of the artist, but above all stories of a timeless imaginary world.
Rosie McGurran – Juggler
In these paintings realistic figures and familiar places combine or alternate with characters and views of a fantastic world. Fascinating girls and women are their undisputed protagonists, depicted as individual portraits or grouped in tableaux, and often portrayed as self-absorbed, independent, or content. All the works have illustrative or theatrical qualities, prompting the viewer to read or create narratives telling the life and adventures of these captivating female figures.
With this new series, Rosie McGurran continues to create and represent imagined characters and settings, recurring across all her works over the years. Yet, she also takes a new direction, focussing her attention on Belfast, her hometown. This turn took place with the lockdown, when the artist looked at the city with fresh eyes and singled out places for their significance. In times of uncertainties, the artist also turned to the sureness and comfort of her memories, to moments of joy and epiphanies in her life, and once again to a wonderous world existing only in her imagination where she could escape. The paintings represent the culmination of this recent period of reflections, recollections, inspiration, and creativity.
Rosie McGurran – We All Gathered
The exhibition is curated by Francesca Biondi in collaboration with the artist. All the artworks are available for sale online and at the gallery. For further information or enquiries, contact Francesca on 07960 130414 / hello@gallery545.com.
View the exhibition online at gallery545.com/blogs/exhibitions/rosie-mcgurran-solo-exhibition
Rosie McGurran is a member of the Royal Ulster Academy and an award-winning artist. She has extensively exhibited nationally and internationally, and her paintings are held in numerous private, corporate and public collections across Ireland. Originally from Belfast, she now lives and works between her ‘two homes’, her hometown and the village of Roundstone in the West of Ireland. Rosie McGurran is represented by Gallery 545. Find out more about this artist and view her works at https://gallery545.com/collections/rosie-mcgurran .
Gallery 545 is an online and pop-up gallery specialising in contemporary art of Northern Ireland and offering a special selection of affordable artworks. The gallery celebrates the creativity of emerging and more established artists across the region and supports their practice providing a curated platform where they can showcase and sell their works. Having an online presence, but also exhibitions at physical venues, the gallery brings art to a wide range of people with different tastes and budgets who love contemporary art, and makes it easier for them to access, discover and collect art works.
Gallery 545
Office at Blick Studios, 51 Malone Road, Belfast BT9 6RY
hello@gallery545.com , +44 7960 130414
gallery545.com/