Photo: Leon Farrell.
By David Predeville
This coming month, The Gerard Byrne Studio will launch the modern Irish Impressionist’s first ever collection of lush tropical flora plein air paintings from Asia.
The highly-anticipated Botanical Fusion exhibition created during Gerard Byrne’s Artist-in-Residence at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in Autumn 2019 has made its way to Dublin. It is curated by The Gerard Byrne Studio, co-hosted by the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the Irish Embassy to Singapore, and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
It was seen by over fifty thousand visitors to the Gardens as part of the commemorative celebration of the Singapore Botanic Gardens’ 160 years in existence.
The exhibition formed part of the Government’s 2025 Asia Pacific Strategy to increase Ireland’s visibility in the Asia Pacific region. With the first chance to see the collection in the artist’s home country, visitors can expect to see new works which show great contrast between the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the National Botanic Garden of Ireland.
Being encouraged to travel across the globe to experience “a different quality of light, strong shadows and deep colours” resulted in a collection of vibrant, exotic and luscious large-scale paintings. The series “captures not only what I see but also the energy of my surroundings,’’ says Byrne.
Making his mark on the Singaporean art scene, and notably featuring in art magazine, Art Plural, Gerard’s work has been recognised worldwide. “The rapidly changing light, shadows and even the noises and sounds around him, are somehow captured and expressed in the works themselves,” said Pauline Gan in Plural Art Magazine.
Ireland’s Ambassador to Singapore, Patrick Bourne, added “The new works that Gerard produced during his time as artist-in-residence at the Singapore Gardens are extraordinary and represent a unique rendering of the colour and atmosphere of this tropical place through the prism of a great Irish eye and talent.”
Gerard’s painting ‘Jungle Vibes’ is now part of the permanent collection of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, along with many other works which hang in numerous commercial and private collections worldwide. Gerard has been painting for over thirty years, having grown to become one of Ireland’s leading contemporary artists.
The exhibition ‘BOTANICAL FUSION. Singapore to Dublin’ will run at The Gerard Byrne Studio, 15 Chelmsford Road, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 from Friday 28th February to Sunday 29th March. It will be launched by Mr Ron Bolger, Honorary Consul General of Singapore in Ireland on Thursday 27th February 2020. The exhibition will be open daily to the public and entry is free of charge.
