Referencing Botanical Illustration
Michael Canning was born in Limerick in 1971 and he studied sculpture at the Limerick Scholl of Art & Design and the School of Fine Arts, Athens. He received his Masters Degree from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 1999.Canning is a contemporary painter whose works seem to conjure references to Renaissance/traditional paintings as well as botanical illustration. Building up his paintings in layers, using oil paint and wax as well as ground earth, ash or soot he creates an atmospheric and melancholic tone.
View “The May’ within the Collection
The May by Michael Canning
Questions Memory and Experience
“My practice is as concerned with the manipulation of materials in order to question memory and experience as it is with addressing representation, classification, order, disorder, landscape and northern European painting heritage. I am interested in the transformative processes in the making of the work. Every action that contributes to the end image is loaded and part of a process of unearthing meaning from memory.[….] I find these plants on daily walks near my home in County Limerick. The names of the plants are not important to me. Many of them I know by local names. Some of them are known to be poisons or remedies. Others have had traditional uses as fabric dyes or colourings. I often find plants I do not recall having seen before. When I’m out I’m not always looking for revelations, apparitions. I’m just looking for that which I feel I should have seen before, but never did.” – Michael Canning
Resume
National College of Art and Design, 1997 – 1999
Limerick School of Art and Design,1995 – 1996, 1989 – 1992
School of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece, Greek Government Scholarship,1992 – 1993,
Selected One Person Exhibition
Waterhouse & Dodd, London, 2012
Ballinglen Artists Foundation, Mayo, 2012
Catherine Hammond Gallery, Cork,2012
Hillsboro Fine Art, Dublin,2011
Waterhouse & Dodd, London,2010
Waterhouse & Dodd, London, 2008
Vangard Gallery, Cork,2008
Waterhouse & Dodd, London,2007
Vangard Gallery, Cork,2006
Hallward Gallery, Dublin, 2006
Vangard Gallery, Cork,2004
Hallward Gallery, Dublin,2003
Vangard Gallery, Cork,2002
Bourn-Vincent Gallery, University of Limerick,2002
Limerick City Gallery of Art, 1997
Galway Arts Centre,1996
Arts Council of Ireland, Dublin,1994
Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick,1994
Gallery 7, Athens,1993
Selected Group Exhibitions
SO Fine Art, Dublin, 2013
Hillsboro Fine Art, Dublin, 2012
The Original Print Show, Waterhouse & Dodd, London,2012
Interlude, Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin,2011
Hillsboro Fine Art, Dublin,2010
RHA Open Exhibition, RHA Gallagher Gallery, Dublin.2009 , Also 1997-99, 2001-2008
Ballinglen Artists Foundation, Mayo,2009
Hillsboro Fine Art, Dublin,2007
Presence, Limerick City Gallery of Art,2007
Pallas Contemporary Projects, Dublin,2007
Into Landscape, Macroom, Co. Cork, Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda
Co. Louth, Bourne Vincent Gallery, Limerick, Galway Arts Centre, Sligo Art Gallery, 2007
Irish Art, John Martin Gallery at Lalique, New York,2006
An Irish Landscape, John Martin Gallery, London,2006
From Landscape, Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Limerick City Gallery of Art,
Galway Arts Centre, Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork,2005
Éigse International Arts Festival, Carlow,2005
Stephen Lacey Gallery, Art2004 London, London,2004
Art of the State, Office of Public Works, Touring Exhibition,2004
John Martin, London,2003
Vangard Gallery, Cork,2003
Size Matters, Stephen Lacey Gallery, London,2002
EV+A 2001, Limerick (Selector, Salah M. Hassan),2001
Éigse International Arts Festival, Carlow, 2000
International Drawing Biennial, Chateau du Puget, Alzonne, France, 1999
EV+A 1999, Limerick (Selector, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn),1999
Lingua Occulorum, Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick,1997
Victor Treacy Award Exhibition, Butler Gallery, Kilkenny,1996
EV+A 1995, Limerick (Selector, Maria De Corral), 1995
EV+A 1994, Limerick (Selector, Jan Hoet),1994
Quadrant, Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick,1993
La Maison des Pages, Bibliotheca Wittockiana, Brussels,1993
EV+A 1993, Limerick (Selector, Gloria Moure),1993
Awards
Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship, Co. Mayo,2007
The Oriel Gallery Award, Royal Hibernian Academy,2007
Fergus O’Ryan RHA Memorial Award, Royal Hibernian Academy,2006
BIDA Silver Award, Best Solo Exhibition, ArtLondon 2004,2004
Hennessy Craig Award, Royal Hibernian Academy,2003
Arts Council of Ireland,1996
EV+A Open Award, Limerick,1995
Arts Council of Ireland,1994
Greek Government Scholarship,1992
Selected Articles and Reviews
Peter Crack, The Original Print Show, Apollo, December,2012
Jonathan Jones, Michael Canning, The Guardian, March 23rd,2012
Sue Hubbard, Michael Canning, Irish Arts Review, Autumn,2010
Aidan Dunne, Review, Irish Times,April 12, 2006
Paul O’Reilly, Traces of Utopia, Irish Arts Review, Spring, 2006
Mark Ewart, Review, Irish Times, October 30,1998
Marianne Hartigan, Aspects of Love, Sunday Tribune, November,2003
Aidan Dunne, Review, Irish Times, November 21st, 2003
Paul O’Reilly, Hennessy Craig Scholarship, Irish Arts Review, Autumn, 2003
Aidan Dunne, Review, Éigse, Irish Times, June, 2000
Mark Ewart, Review, Collision, Irish Times, August, 1998
Dougal McKenzie, Review, Lingua Occulorum, Circa No.81, Autumn,1997
Tom O’Reilly, Review, Irish Times, October, 1996
Tom Duddy, Review, Circa No.78, Winter, 1996
Luke Clancy, Review, Irish Times, February, 1995
Aidan Dunne, Review, Sunday Tribune Magazine, February, 1995
Louise Masterson, Review, Circa No..69, Autumn, 1994
Brian Coates, Review, Irish Times, June, 1994
Contact Information
Website: http://www.michaelcanning.net/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/michael_canning_#
Twitter: Twitter: @canningmichael