Helen McCullagh
Tom Climent
Tom Climent is a painter based in Cork City. He is a graduate of the Crawford College of Art and Design where he recieved a B.A in 1995 and a Masters by Research in 2011. His work over the last twenty years or so has varied from paintings of figurative, urban and landscape subjects. His most recent work tends to focus on the creation of a structured space, while investigating the boundaries between abstraction and representation.
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This new series of paintings is focused around spatial constructs and how they might provide a structured space in our environment. Referencing landscape, various types of structures and natural phenomena, the compositions range from the visually complex to simple basic structures. By the manipulation of the materials, scale and weight of these structures, Climent tries to obscure their basic properties and any identifiable purpose. It suggests a narrative but never actually reveals what that might be. The paintings also investigate materiality and aesthetics. The layers and the mobility of the paint and textures become a witness to the thought process of their making. The final result is a surface that is open like an archaeological site.
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“The way I work is largely intuitive, painting for me starts a process of discovering unintended connections and relationships, of trying to search for reason and meaning in each work that emerges. The first marks and structures create the environment for a process that requires me to constantly re-evaluate what’s important so I can find out what the painting will be. I feel as if I’m in a relationship with the painting, it guides me as much as I control it.”
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Previous solo shows in Ireland include Between Chance and Rhyme at The Hunt Museum, New Paintings at the The Fenton Gallery, Pure at The Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, Hansel’s House at the Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, Dancing Parade at the Triskel Arts Centre, Vessels at The Luan Gallery, Voyager at the Sternview Gallery and Aspect at Solomon Fine Art. His work has been selected for the annual exhibitions at the RHA and RUA. Recently he was selected for the Oriel Davis Open at the Oriel Davis Gallery in Wales and the ARTWORKS and HORTONS PRIZE at VISUAL in Carlow. In Spring 2016 he took part in Irish Wave, a collaborative exhibition in Shanghai and Beijing. In 2019 he was invited to take part in Youyi, the visual art section of the celebration of 40 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and China. The exhibition travelled from Hangzhou to Shanghai and Beijing.
He has participated in group exhibitions in London with the Herrick Gallery and in New York with the J. Cacciola Gallery and The Painting Center.
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He is also a recipient of the Heinrich Boll Cottage Residency, a Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship, Cork City Council Individual Artists Bursary Award 2014, Working Art Grant 2014, Tony O’Malley Travel Award, Victor Treacy Award and a Department of Foreign Affairs Travel Award.
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His work is in the collections of The Central Bank, The National Treasury Management Agency, University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Limerick, Smurfit Business School, AIB Bank, The National Self-Portrait Collection of Ireland, NCB Stockbrokers, The Cork Opera House, Cork City Council, The Office of Public Works, Cork Institute of Technology, The American Embassy in Dublin, Deloitte, Investec, Allianz, Ibec, Waterford Healing Trust and private collections in Ireland, UK, Spain, France, USA & Canada.
40 x 40 cm Oil on Plaster & Canvas $1800
30 x 30 cm, Oil, Plaster & Sand on Canvas $1500
45 x 35 Oil & Plaster on Canvas $1700
Education
Crawford College of Art and Design: BA Fine Art (Honours) 1995, MA by Research 2011
Exhibitions
Solo
2020 Everlast, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
2019 Transmission, GOMA Gallery of Modern Art, Waterford City
2018 Voyager, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2018 Aspect, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
2018 Latitudes, Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise, Co.Laois
2017 Quadrants, Custom House Gallery & Studios, Mayo
2016 Future Light, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2016 In its Reflection, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
2015 Season Map, The Gallery Room @ Liss Ard Estate, Co. Cork
2014 A Place Found, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2014 Vessels, The Luan Gallery, Athlone
2012 Final State, BlueLeaf Gallery, Dublin
2011 MA by Research, Wandesford Quay Gallery, Cork
2010 Harvester House, South Tipperary Arts Centre
2010 Ashlar, Alley Theatre Arts Centre,Tyronne, Northern Ireland
2009 Dust, Garter Lane Arts Centre,Waterford
2008 Between Chance and Rhyme, The Hunt Museum, Limerick
2007 Hansel’s House, Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, Dublin
2005 A Light Enters the Land, BlueLeaf Gallery, Dublin
2003 New Paintings, Fenton Gallery, Cork
2000 Forgiveness, Gallery 44, Cork
1998 Dancing Parade, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
1997 Pure, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin
1996 Stolen Beauty, Blackcombe Gallery, Cork
1994 New Paintings, Blackcombe Gallery ,Cork
Selected Group Shows
2020 This is a Painting Show, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2019 VUE, National Contemporary Art Fair, RHA Galleries, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
2019 Artform Annual Art Fair, #44 The Quay, Waterford
2019 Youyi, Hangzhou Public Library, Irish Embassy Shanghai & Beijing, China
2019 The Land is Still Being Formed, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2019 Four Landscape Painters, Blue House Gallery, Schull, Co.Cork
2019 Boyle Arts Festival, King House, Co.Roscommon
2019 The Land is Still Being Formed, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2018 VUE, National Contemporary Art Fair, RHA Galleries, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
2018 Boyle Arts Festival, King House, Co.Roscommon
2018 Small Works, The Lavit Gallery, Cork
2017 The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, Mayfield Arts Centre, Cork
2017 Annual, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2017 The Space Between; An exhibition featuring a selection of artworks the OPW art collections,
Pearse Museum, Dublin
2017 Winter Exhibition, Custom House Gallery & Studios, Westport, Co.Mayo
2017 VUE, National Contemporary Art Fair, RHA Galleries, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
2017 Halycon Days, glór, Ennis, Co.Clare
2017 Skibbereen Arts Festival, Co.Cork
2017 Boyle Arts Festival, Co.Roscommon
2017 Virginia Teehan Selects, Lavit Gallery, Cork
2017 Hermoine Exhibition, Alexandra College, Dublin
2016 VUE, National Contemporary Art Fair, RHA Galleries, Dublin
2016 Glow, Catherine Hammond Gallery, Co.Cork
2016 SHUFFLE, Herrick Gallery, London
2016 The Retrieval of the Beautiful, The Painting Center, New York
2016 ARTWORKS & HORTON PRIZE, VISUAL, Carlow
2016 Oriel Davis Open 2016, Oriel Davis Gallery, Wales
2016 A Terrible Beauty is Born, Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2016 Celebrating Being Irish, The Lavit Gallery, Cork
2016 Easter Group Exhibition, Solomon Fine Art. Dublin
2016 Irish Wave 2016, NING SPACE & Sanwei Art Center, Beijing & Shanghai, China
2016 Hermione Art Exhibition, Alexandra College, Dublin
2016 Spectrum, Herrick Gallery, London
2015 Winter Exhibition, Solomon Fine Art, Dublin
2015 NN Open Exhibition 2015, NN Contemporary Art, Northampton, UK
2015 Winter Open Exhibition 2015, RUA RED, Dublin
2015 Annual, Sternview Gallery, Cork
2015 VUE National Contemporary Art Fair, RHA, Dublin
2015 Tom Climent/Sheenagh Geoghegan/Marianne Keating, Keo Design, Wexford Opera Festival
2015 18”x14”, The Lavit Gallery, Cork
2015 Curator’s Choice, The Hunt Museum, Limerick
2015 Arte Internazionale, Matera, Italy
2015 Unfolding B, The Doswell Gallery, Co.Cork
2015 Impressions of W.B. Yeats, The Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2014 RUA Annual Exhibition, Royal Ulster Academy, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2014 4th Enniskillen Visual Arts Open, Higher Bridges Gallery, Co.Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
2014 Selected Artist, Eigse, Carlow Arts Festival
2014 RHA Annual Exhibition, Invited Artist, Dublin
2014 Summer Exhibition, Mullan Gallery, Belfast
2014 Summer Exhibition, Catherine Hammond Gallery, Co.Cork
2014 Exposure, Doswell Gallery, Co.Cork
2013 Winter Exhibition, Mullan Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2013 VUE Art Fair|Catherine Hammond Gallery, RHA Gallery, Dublin
2013 Art Toronto, BlueLeaf Gallery
2013 Trí, Tom Climent/Marty Kelly/Suzy O’Mullane, J.Cacciola Gallery, New York
2013 Royal Ulster Academy Annual Exhibition, Belfast
2013 Aideen Barry/Katherine Boucher-Beug/Tom Climent/Dorothy Cross, Engage Arts Festival, Co.Cork
2013 Summer Exhibition, Mullan Gallery, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2013 Celebration, Catherine Hammond Gallery. Co.Cork
2013 The Absence of Realism, The Lavit Gallery, Cork
2012 Tom Climent/Bettina Seitz, The Hamilton Gallery, Sligo
2012 Art Toronto, Art Miami & Art Chicago, BlueLeaf Gallery
2012 Tom Climent/Gary Kearney/Vida Pain, Source Arts Centre, Tipperary
2011 Tom Climent/Aidan Crotty/Stephen Lawlor, Lavit Gallery, Cork
2011 Art Toronto, Art Chicago, Art Miami & Art Wynwood, BlueLeaf Gallery
2010 Wildly Different Things, Blue Leaf Gallery, Dublin
2010 Art Toronto, Art Chicago & Art London, BlueLeaf Gallery
2010 CASE’10, Lavit Gallery, Cork
2009 Engage Arts Festival, Cork
2009 On The Verge,Tom Climent/Bridget Flannery/Carol Hodder/Siobhan McDonald,Cill Rialaig Gallery, Kerry
2009 Eigse, Carlow Arts Festival
2008 Winter Salon,Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin
2007 Art Now,The Hunt Museum, Limerick
2006 Tom Climent/Paddy McCann, Fenton Gallery, Cork
2005 A Moment in Time,Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin
2005 C2,Crawford Gallery, Cork
2004 Travelogue,Butler Gallery, Kilkenny
2004 Full Circle,Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin
2004 Tom Climent/Sarah Walker,Fenton Gallery, Cork
2000 Tom Climent/Clea VenderGrijn/Michelle Souter,Unit26, Dublin
2000 RHA annual exhibition,RHA Gallery, Dublin
1996 Victor Treacey Award Show,Butler Gallery, Kilkenny
1996 Shelter,Crawford Gallery, Cork
1995 New Painters,Crawford Gallery, Cork
1994 Fledglings,Lavitts Quay Gallery, Cork
Awards & Residencies
Heinrich Boll Cottage Residency 2017
Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship 2016
Cork City Council Individual Artists Bursary Award 2014
Working Art Grant Recipient Feburary 2014
Cill Rialaig Project Residency 2003/2007/2009/2011/2014
Tony O’Malley Travel Award
Victor Treacy Award
Department of Foreign Affairs Travel Award
Featured Artist Cork Arts Fest 2000
Featured Artist ArtTrail 1999
Critics Choice Award 1997, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios
Collections
The Central Bank
National Treasury Management Agency
University College Cork
University College Dublin
University of Limerick
The American Embassy, Dublin
Investec
AIB Bank
The Office of Public Works
The Cork Opera House
Cork City Council
National Self-Portrait Collection
Cork Institute of Technology
Smurfit Business School
NCB Stockbrokers
Deloitte
Allianz
Ibec
Waterford Healing Trust
Selected Bibliography
2018 Cristin Leach Review of Latitudes, Dunamaise Arts Centre, The Sunday Times
2018 Carissa Farrell, Review of Latitudes, Dunamaise Arts, Visual Artsits Ireland news sheet March/April
2016 Fresh Paint Magazine, Cover Image and one of the featured artists, Issue 11
2016 Niall MacMonagle, What Lies Beneath, Meridian by Tom Climent, Sunday Independent
2016 Mark Ewart, Introduction to In its Reflection, A catalogue accompanying the solo exhibition at
Solomon Fine Art
2015 John P. O’Sullivan Review of Season Map, The Gallery Room @Liss Ard Estate, The Sunday Times
2014 Mark Ewart Review of A Place Found, The Sternview Gallery, The Irish Examiner
2014 Consolitated Practice, Article by Carissa Farrell, Visual Artists Ireland news sheet July/August
2014 When it comes to art choose with your heart, Article by Margaret O’Brien, The Sunday Business Post
2012 Cristin Leach-Hughes Review of Final State, BlueLeaf Gallery, The Sunday Times
2010 Dictionary of Living Irish Artists, Robert O'Byrne
2009 Brendan Maher Review of Dust, Garter Lane Arts Centre, Start
2009 Representing Art in Ireland, The Fenton Book, Essay by Alannah Hopkin
2007 Aidan Dunne Review of Hansels House, Kevin Kavanagh Gallery,The Irish Times
2006 Decade, Introduction by Brian Fallon, Essay by Vera Ryan
2005 Rising Stars, Article by Nikki Walsh, Select
2004 Mark Ewart Review of Tom Climent/Sarah Walker,The Irish Times
2003 Alannah Hopkin Review of New Paintings,Fenton Gallery,The Irish Examiner
2003 Mark Ewart Review of New Paintings,Fenton Gallery,The Irish Times
1999 Mark Ewart Review of Forgiveness,Featured Exhibition of Cork Arts Fest,The Irish Times
1998 Alannah Hopkin Review of Dancing Parade,Triskel Arts Centre,The Sunday Times
1998 Isabel Healy Review of Dancing Parade,Triskel Arts Centre,The Irish Examiner
1997 Marion McKeone Review of Pure, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, The Sunday Business Post
1997 Hilary Pyle Innocent Desire of Award Winner, Article to coincide with Tony O'Malley Award, The Irish
Times