Mornington artist on Zurich Portrait Prize shortlist
Meath-based artist Gillian Cullen is among the shortlisted artists for this year's National Gallery of Ireland’s Zurich Portrait Prize, where identity, privacy, place, family and social change are among the themes addressed by artists. A total of 25 artists from a variety of backgrounds, working across a multitude of creative disciplines, have made it through to the final stage of the competition, from an initial pool of nearly 300 entrants. The winning artist will receive a prize of €15,000 and a commission worth €5,000 to produce a new work for inclusion in the National Portrait Collection. Two additional prizes of €1,500 will be awarded to highly-commended works.
From Mornington, Gillian specialises in detailed pencil drawings. She draws inspiration from all elements of nature. This love of nature is a recurring theme in her work. A graduate of Environmental Science at Trinity College, Dublin, she has a deep respect for the natural environment. Gillian has taken part in numerous exhibitions, including the annual exhibitions in the Royal Hibernian Academy and the Royal Ulster Academy. In 2016 she was awarded the Prize for Drawing and the Rowel Friers prize, by the RUA. Her work features in many private and public collections.
Her Zurich portrait, 'Healing', (pencil on paper (Bristol board), 78 x 60cm) is of her husband, Macdara. She explains: "The common thread that unites my work as a full-time illustrator and fine artist is my desire to capture the essence of the subject matter; to enhance some intangible, ephemeral quality that may not be always be noticed. For me, detail is everything. I hone in on particular elements, whether it be a subject’s hair or the petal of a flower, and map out their intricacies. I invite the viewer to look deeply at the little details that exist all around us, and to take a moment to appreciate their beauty.
"These areas of detail and subtle textures are incorporated into my portrait Healing. It portrays my husband Macdara, who, ten years ago, fell 100 feet down a cliff in a climbing accident. He suffered numerous injuries and fractures, including a broken back. I drew this portrait in honour of him; in celebration of his incredible strength and personal journey. I wanted to depict how beautiful, strong and incredible the human body is – every freckle, bone and scar. This drawing tells a story of healing and strength, both physical and emotional, yet also evokes a feeling of gentleness and vulnerability."
The aim of the Zurich Portrait Prize is to foster an interest in contemporary portraiture amongst artists and art lovers alike, while adding to the National Portrait Collection at the National Gallery of Ireland. This year’s panel of judges comprises Geraldine O’Neill, Sue Rainsford and Tanya Kiang. This is the first year the prize has been sponsored by Zurich.
The shortlisted artists for the Zurich Portrait Prize 2018 are:
• Kyle Barnes (Southampton), Company Sergeant Gary Madden, oil on canvas
• David Booth (Wexford), Unit, oil, acrylic and spray paint
• Sarah Bracken Soper (Dublin), Quiet Revolution, embroidery on canvas
• Peter Bradley (Galway), Sonder, oil on canvas
• Gillian Cullen (Meath), Healing, pencil on paper (Bristol board)
• Stephen Doyle (Cork), Dylan is ainm dom…, mixed media (oil and neon glass)
• Cara Dunne (Dublin), Molly and Ruby, acrylic paint and coloured pencil on canvas
• Robert Ellis (Clare), Herbert, photograph (archival pigment print)
• Salvatore Fullam (Dublin), Me and my Dad in McDonalds, oil on cotton canvas
• Debbie Godsell (Cork), Prism, photo screen print
• Kim Haughton (Dublin), J.P. Donleavy, photograph (archive C print)
• Thomas Jenner (Dublin), Henry Peter Jenner with Bow and Arrows, photograph (archival pigment print)
• Miseon Lee (Dublin), Me in the Mirror, oil on linen
• Connor Maguire (Belfast), Portrait of a Modern Family, oil on canvas
• Jonathan Mayhew (Dublin), Autoportrait, USB flash drive containing MP3, MP4, jpeg and PDF files, everything I could find via Google and other search engines and some secrets they couldn’t find
• Fionn McCann (Dublin), Cézanne’s Apple, photograph
• David Molloy (Kerry), A portrait of the Artist Pieter Koning, photograph
• Yvette Monahan (Dublin), The thousand-year-old Boy, photograph
• Gill Morrow (Belfast), YES, porcelain
• Darragh O’Connell (Wexford), Buddy, oil on canvas
• Will O’Kane (Clare), A.L. oil on canvas
• Mandy O’Neill (Dublin), Diane, Larkin Community College, photograph
• Martin Redmond (Wexford), Karl, oil on linen
• Nicholas Benedict Robinson (Wicklow), Mary-Kate Lanigan, oil on birchwood
• Blaise Smith (Kilkenny), My Parents, Allen and Elizabeth Smith, oil on canvas.
Director of the National Gallery of Ireland Sean Rainbird said: “The Zurich Portrait Prize is a very important date in the Gallery’s diary as it allows us to not only encourage interest in contemporary portraiture, but also to bring our National Portrait Collection front and centre. Acknowledging the contributions they have made to Irish life, modern additions to this collection include portraits of icons such as social justice campaigner, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, designer John Rocha, hurler Henry Shefflin and, most recently, film director Lenny Abrahamson.
“This is the first year that Zurich has sponsored the competition, and I would like to thank them for their support, which allows us to showcase contemporary art practice and to encourage interest in this art form.”
Exhibition curator Brendan Rooney added: “We were delighted not just with the positive response to the portrait competition, now in its fifth year, but with the high quality of the submissions. The judges were faced with the onerous task of whittling down a hugely impressive variety of works in different media to just 25. They have presented us with a rich and exciting shortlist, and we await their final decision with great anticipation.”
CEO of Zurich Insurance plc, Patrick Manley added: “Portraiture is a rich and exciting art form, which often reflects the realities of everyday life. The National Gallery of Ireland’s portrait prize is a wonderful showcase of the abundant talent around us, and gives many gifted artists the opportunity to have their work hang in the prestigious location that is the National Gallery of Ireland. Zurich is very proud to be associated with this competition.”
The shortlisted artists’ work will be exhibited in Room 23 of the National Gallery of Ireland from Saturday, 6th October until Sunday, 13th January 2019. Admission is free. The winner will be announced on Monday, 22nd October 2018.