PLAY OF FORMS AND MATERIALS
The Centre Culturel Irlandais invites master sculptural designer Joseph Walsh and ceramic artist Sara Flynn to share an exhibition that unites their creations in a poetic and ethereal interweaving.
From his studio workshop near his family farm on the south coast of Ireland, Joseph Walsh is all about innovation and experimentation, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for handcrafted products. Over the years, this self-taught designer and carpenter has become one of the most influential figures in vernacular design. His works, with their Latin-sounding names, are sculpturally beautiful, with organic, futuristic geometries. Many of her works have been exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in New York and the National Gallery of Ireland.
The same can be said of the work of her counterpart Sara Flynn. Over the past twenty-five years, this Irish artist has made a name for herself in the field of artistic ceramics, deploying her mastery of porcelain. With refined simplicity, her singular pieces express her love of form, line and volume, using a variety of colors and glazes. This eminent figure was a finalist for the Loewe Foundation's Prix de l'Artisanat in 2017, and several of his works have joined the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin and the Art Institute of Chicago.
UNDULATING WORKS
These two natives of rural County Cork meet again sixteen years after their first group show, "Réalisations", in 2008. Here, they lend a hand at the Centre Culturel Irlandais (CCI) in Paris, which decided to bring them together. In this art of sculpting design, this exhibition, coinciding with Art Basel Paris and Design Miami Paris, offers a harmonious interplay between wood and ceramics.
Joseph Walsh presents 12 wall sculptures from his iconic Enignum series, supporting as many porcelain vases by Sara Flynn. Other works are sublimated on the ash burl surface of the artisan-designer's iconic dining table. "The unique pieces presented by the two artists demonstrate an intuitive use of materials and a deep commitment to expressive forms, highlighting the synergy between materials and high craftsmanship", emphasizes the CCI, which has become Ireland's leading center of artistic excellence and influence on the European continent since its arrival in the capital in 2002.
The combination of their creations, between organic sculptures and ceramics, continues to push back the boundaries of poetic dialogue thanks to the fluid, slender, expressive and undulating forms of their creations.
"JOSEPH WALSH & SARA FLYNN"
CENTER CULTUREL IRLANDAIS - 5, RUE DES IRLANDAIS, PARIS 5E
FROM SEPTEMBER 21 TO OCTOBER 26, 2024
CENTRECULTURELIRLANDAIS.COM
