Brian Palm

Brian Palm
Dublin, Ireland

STATEMENT & BIO

Examples of Brian Palm’s distinctive photo collage and paint technique have been a mainstay of Irish Art exhibitions for several decades. Using black and white photos which the Artist made in Dublin as a young art student, fragmentary moments in the life of a city on the verge of massive disruption and change have been depicted with affection, humour and empathy in Palm’s collage work. City dwellers continue with their lives amidst the upheaval around them; they play, they work, they continue doing mundane chores in a rapidly disappearing environment.

Brian Palm’s original photographs made in the late 1970s and early 1980s have attained an historical significance simply by the passage of time, becoming a valuable archival document. This collection of  photos has provided the artist with an enormous depth of visual information to work with throughout his career. Many of the images of people and places that Palm photographed have become a form of highly personal vocabulary for him as an artist, providing him with numerous iconic images.

 Several characters populate the artist’s work repeatedly throughout his enormous output as an artist, moving through his body of work like a cast of actors on a stage.

A girl running with a packet of crisps appears then reappears, in a different location, or in a different season. She remains frozen in time, but the World around her continues to evolve as life inevitably moves forward. Clutching her precious cargo, she hurriedly runs past derelict houses or along deserted streets, trying to escape a sudden shower, or perhaps a coming storm.

Elsewhere, a solitary old man walks the streets in silence, he is in the far distance then suddenly he is closer, always lost in thought. He is oblivious to those he shares the streets with, he is a prisoner of his own persistent memories. The reappearance of certain characters throughout Palm’s work over time is a constant thread which connects various bodies of his work from different periods. Palm extensively explores his favourite themes again and again through the decades, developing and ultimately perfecting his unique combination of materials.

A variety of children play in the streets, addressing the viewer directly and with trust; joy is clearly visible on their faces as they are photographed. Women pause in their work for the novelty of having their picture taken, amused by the unusual relief punctuating their routine.

These are bittersweet memories from a bygone era depicted with photo collage, richly coloured with oil paint or watercolour to create evocative, atmospheric pictures. While being a challenge for the viewer technically and visually, this work is ultimately optimistic and positive. Palm’s work evokes the smells, feeling and sounds of the streets of Dublin many years ago, yet it remains fresh, vibrant and significant for today’s society as well.

The repetition of certain architectural motifs mirrors Palm’s repetitive use of figures significant to him. It reiterates the Artist’s message, and refers to the repetitive nature of the building process itself. The same non-descript spot is intentionally depicted repeatedly, at different times of day, in changing weather conditions, or with different characters acting out their roles in society. There is an intellectual content to the work, yet the artist favours straightforward communication with the viewer to deliver his observations on life and social inclusion, or exclusion.

Much of the work depicts ordinary vernacular architecture in decay, a common sight in Dublin when the Artist arrived as a student from Connecticut in 1977. Palm was awarded an Advanced Student Scholarship from The National College of Art and Design, Dublin, graduating with an Honours Degree in 1981. Palm remained in Ireland and regularly exhibited with the Independent Artists Association, The Living Art Group and in many other group exhibitions.

There is a forlorn sadness inherent in empty and derelict houses, and the ones depicted in Palm’s work wait patiently to disappear. Palm is primarily concerned with the inhabitants of the quiet, innocuous places hidden away from the main streets, where people took shortcuts through back lanes and kids played outdoors until late in the evening.

Over the course of his distinguished career, Brian Palm has developed a distinctive and immediately recognisable style which continues to find a receptive international audience today.

Brian Palm’s unique artistic vision and technique have been developed in Dublin for over four decades; his work has regularly been exhibited in prestigious solo and group exhibitions in Ireland and abroad, including the Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibitions, the Royal Ulster Academy Exhibitions, and innumerable other group exhibitions. Palm’s work is represented in numerous private and public collections in Ireland and abroad. His successful exhibition “Vernacular” in the Duke Street Gallery in 2024 followed his 2023 exhibition “Fragments From Life” in the Sean O’Casey Theatre, providing a highlight of the annual Sean O’Casey Festival. In 2022 the artist held a successful exhibition of watercolour works on paper “Verdant Transparency” in the United Arts Club, Dublin. “Propagated Palms”, an unusual exhibition of work Palm created with ten other artists in his trademark style and technique, was held in the Ireland Institute in 2021, followed by Palm’s solo exhibition “Cognitive Dissonance” in the Duke Street Gallery, which explored themes of social isolation and dislocation, also in 2021. Both of these exhibitions were held under stringent health and safety regulations pertaining to COVID-19 protocol. Previous solo exhibitions by Brian Palm were held in the Duke Street Gallery in 2019, 2018, 2016, and 2015.  

The artist has also carved out a complimentary art form which he has exhibited with considerable success. Brian Palm’s sculptural Shadowboxes of steam ships have fascinated and intrigued audiences since their first appearance in 2002. The works technically fall into the category of Bricolage, as the ships are made from found objects and scrap timber, encased in a glass fronted wooden box, illuminated by an electric bulb. The inside of the boxes are painted as seascapes and maritime scenes, usually with an image of a ship collaged into paintwork.The Artist has expressed the view that he believes these nautical artworks to be a form of three dimensional collage. Examples of Palm’s Shadowboxes are on display in the ward room of the Irish Naval Service in Haulbowline, Cork, in the Irish Embassy, Tokyo, and in numerous personal collections. Palm has been commissioned by the Irish Defense Forces to create a Shadowbox of the American Nuclear Destroyer U.S.S Churchill, for presentation to the U.S. Navy. Palm’s collage painting of RMS Leinster Exploding was used as an Irish postage stamp commemorating the centenary of loss of the Irish ship in 1918.

ARTIST CONTACT

EMAIL | SAACHI ART | FACEBOOK | LINKEDIN

IMAGES