Belfast-born artist Eamon O’Kane will exhibit his work at 126 Gallery on Queen St, beginning June 13.
The exhibition, titled Carbon, will focus on the scientific element carbon. This element is the 15th most abundant in the earth’s crust, and the fourth most abundant in the universe. It is present in all known life forms, and its reactions with other organic compounds make it the chemical basis of all known life.
O’Kane’s work examines the molecular and crystal structure of carbon and other elements through a series of charcoal animation and a site-specific installation.
The work on show will also explore the legacy of Frederich Froebel, the inventor of kindergarten, and the effect of his education techniques on society, especially in regard to creativity. Froebel, a trained crystallographer, designed educational toys including Froebelgaben, or Froebel’s Gifts. These geometric building blocks have inspired many artists and others, including architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier, artist Piet Mondrian, and designer Charles Eames.
The exhibition also explores O’Kane’s childhood in Donegal. He studied in the National College of Art, and has received MFAs from the University of Ulster and the Parsons School of Design in New York. He has exhibited in the Rare Gallery, New York, Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, and Economist Plaza, UK. He has participated in ev+a in Limerick seven times and his work is held in collections worldwide, including Deutsche Bank Burda Musuem in Germany and Aspen RE in London. He has receieved numerous prizes including the Fulbright Award. He currently lives between Bergen in Norway and Odense in Denmark.
Carbon will run from June 13 to July 7. A preview at 126 wll take place at 7pm this Saturday June 9. For more information see www.126.ie or www.eamonokane.com
