John Byrne (Irish artist)

John Byrne is an artist born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, now living in Dublin. He went to art college in Belfast, then to the Slade School of Art in London in the mid-1980s. There he began to practice as a performance artist, gallery as well as theatre based, addressing identity and issues around the conflict in Northern Ireland.cite web | author= John Byrne| title= John Byrne Artist| work= John Byrne website| url=http://www.johnbyrne.info/ | accessdate=2007-07-21]

After moving to Dublin in 1996, he performed "A Border Worrier" as part of the 1997 Theatre Festival. In 2000 he produced "Border Interpretative Centre", a visitor centre and souvenir shop on the border which attracted media attention on it’s opening. It was a neon decorated simple breezeblock structure located on the border, on the main Belfast-Dublin road. Although it was forced to close after less than a week, it was documented in a series of Gallery shows in Dublin ("The Border Itself", Temple Bar Gallery, 2001), in Belfast (Ormeau Baths Gallery, 2001) and in Berlin (Gallerie Agregat, 2002).

In 2003 Byrne produced a 12 minute video, "Would you die for Ireland?", recording his tour around Ireland asking people on the street whether they were prepared to make ‘the ultimate sacrifice’. Most participants were members of the public, but also included the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and members of the Orange Order. The piece was made in response to a commissioned group show (Dearcadh) for Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, marking the bi-centenary of Robert Emmet's rebellion and execution in 1803. The work examines ideas around patriotism and nationalism. [cite web | title=John Byrne: Would You Die for Ireland? | work= Irish Museum of Modern Art website| url=http://www.modernart.ie/en/page_135911.htm | accessdate=2007-07-22]

In 2004 Byrne produced a large public artwork "Dublin's Last Supper" which was commissioned by building developer Mick Wallace (M&J Wallace Ltd) for the courtyard of a new development at Blooms Lane, Lower Ormond Quay in central Dublin. It was a nine metre by two metre photo work on steel panels (screen-printed onto vitreous enamel) featuring 13 people encountered on the streets of Dublin in the form of an interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece. The work was meant to be reflective of a changing society and the growing cultural mix in Dublin. [cite web | title=Dublin's Last Supper: A new artwork by John Byrne | work=Circa Art Magazine | url=http://www.recirca.com/articles/curate/shaffrey/jbinfo.shtml | accessdate=2007-07-22]

2005 projects included [cite web | author=John Byrne | title= New Developments| work= John Byrne website| url=http://www.johnbyrne.info/news.htm | accessdate=2007-07-22] :
*February - Group show with Victor Sloan and Mickey Donnelly, at raum5 gallery, Berlin, including "Would you die for Ireland?"
*June - Video "Believers" premiered at the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork. In this work Byrne is the central protagonist, confessing his art beliefs to a classical female nude who in turn responds, thus playing on the traditional notion of an artist and his muse. [cite web | title=John Byrne - From a South Facing Family | work=Fenton Gallery review | url=http://www.artireland.net/sys-tmpl/upcomingexhibition3/ | accessdate= 2007-07-22]
*June - Solo show at the Fenton Gallery, Cork
*Cork City Council residency - 'The Criteria Residency'

External links

* [http://www.johnbyrne.info John Byrne's web site]
* [http://www.recirca.com/reviews/2006/johnbyrne/jb.shtml Circa Art Magazine - This is serious: reflecting on John Byrne’s exhibition at the Fenton Gallery in Cork, June 2005]

ee also

*List of Northern Irish artists

References