On Returning - Gary Coyle exhibition - 2021

Saturday 24 July - Sunday 26 September 2021

dlr County Council was delighted to present On Returning, New Work by Gary Coyle, the dlr Visual Art Commission for 2021.  Gary Coyle is an Irish artist whose work has always displayed a great connection to his hometown of Dún Laoghaire. He is a graduate of NCAD Dublin and The RCA London, and was elected a member of the RHA in 2007 and Aosdána in 2009. Coyle’s work embraces various media, including drawing, photography and spoken word/performance. Coyle has exhibited widely in Ireland and internationally, and his work is featured in several Irish and international collections including IMMA, Dublin, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork and Dún-Laoghaire-Rathdown County Collection.


On Returning, Gary Coyle’s exhibition in dlr LexIcon featured a series of coloured drawings – a new departure for Coyle - based on his regular DART journey between the City Centre and Dún Laoghaire.  In part inspired by Japanese Wood block prints of the 18th & 19th Centuries, they were made on a computer using photo shop and a drawing tablet. 


Speaking about his new works, Coyle said “Since the DART opened in the summer of 1984 I have travelled on it literally thousands of times. I have always loved the sensation of emptying my mind and gliding between the City Centre & Dún Laoghaire. Often, as I passed by a familiar landmark or scene I would think I must make an image of that, but never did. So, with this exhibition I have finally gotten around to exploring that impulse.”

dlr was delighted to host this exhibition, with An Cathaoirleach, Cllr Lettie McCarthy saying “dlr is delighted to showcase this exhibition of incredible images from Gary Coyle. It is wonderful to see such evocative images from an artist with such a passion for the local area.”

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