Internationally famous Irish contemporary artist Maser will unveil his first gallery exhibition, Bookmarks In Time, at Gormleys Fine Art in Dublin on September 9 – Image: Johnny Mallin.
Internationally famous Irish contemporary artist, Maser, is set to unveil his first gallery exhibition at Gormleys Fine Art in Dublin, opening on September 9.
‘Bookmarks In Time’ is the first time he will be showing a full body of original canvas works in Ireland.
Maser, 40, who lives in south Dublin, has generated a significant worldwide following for his unique graphic style, and now hopes to forge a path for other street artists, by making the jump to a leading contemporary gallery.
Over the past 20 years, he has collaborated with President Michael D Higgins, U2, Brown Thomas, The National Gallery, the National Library, The National Print Museum, and created large murals in locations such as Australia, The States, UK, Uganda, Nepal, across Europe, and Hawaii.
Maser’s art is influenced by optical and mid-century art, and is regularly complemented with bold colours, pattern overlays, and gestural forms.
Initially evolved through street art, his style conveys an uplifting and socially conscious message to the viewer, and he is unafraid to experiment with any artistic format.
“The move to Gormleys will allow me to exhibit at a much larger scale canvas works, while reaching a wider audience,” said Maser.
“The inspiration for the collection came from me resorting to nature as a saviour, hiking and travelling around Ireland.
“Elements within the paintings are visual tokens I collected while outdoors either through memory or visual record.
“The exhibition paintings will be around five-foot square – with a big canvas I can have a loose arm and you can see my gestural movement.
“I see this as an example of adapting my traits from street art and staying true to my heritage.”
As an example of scale, he is currently creating a 10-foot by 20-foot piece for the Beijing international Art Biennale.
“Coming from an outdoor space, my arm just loves to paint bigger,” said Maser.
The exhibition will consist of ten large-scale and five smaller paintings, which he terms as his most considered collection.
A lot of the pieces will then be developed into sculptural pieces, as Maser begins to branch from 2D to 3D.
“It will still be in the realms of what I do, just in a post-graffiti sense,” said Maser.
“This step into a contemporary gallery is a first for Irish street artists as it has been our peers internationally that have previously made the jump.
“Street artists are bridging gaps everywhere, and there are versions of me all over the world.
“I want to use the opportunity to demonstrate that public and street artists are fine artists.
“When you look at my paintings, gestures look effortless, but they are very considered.”
The driving narrative of the collection is its content, but it is also focused on the context of time in which it is painted.
“While I coach myself to be as present as possible, for my work, I think ahead with the hope that people can look back on these paintings and pull the positives of this shared time,” said Maser.
“I do that through colour, form, interrelationship and dismantling formal teachings.”
Bookmarks In Time runs in Gormleys Fine Art, South Frederick Street, Dublin, from September 9, for three weeks. Further details at: gormleys.ie
EILE Magazine 