With Intent/ Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland 2001

With Intent/ A five-room installation at Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland 2001.

Below-the-Surface Homecoming

This exhibition could be described as a below-the-surface exploration or excavation, for his created some of the work in the basement and between the walls of the gallery. The subterranean, dense quality, found in much of Kearney’s work, is never more clearly demonstrated than in the exhibition and installation. In taking cognisance of the place, he forces examination of a personal history which includes issues of identity and sexuality - both central tenets of the artwork.

A particular joy in Kearney’s work is his ability to maintain overall control of complex concepts and large-scale visualisations through rigorous design and execution. This ability to deal with complex issues, using a myriad of technologies while retaining a coherent holistic effect, is a particular strength and confidence he brings to contemporary art practice. The ambient nature of his installations speaks of Kearney’s ability to create theatre and embrace his audience. While the work is not bombastic, it does have a particularly haunting and lasting appeal. Kearney’s negotiation, relationship and place with the art world, his hometown and his sexuality are as ambiguous and opaque as his work.

Foreward by Mike Fitzpatrick, (Limerick City Art Gallery Director/Curator 2001)

Essays by Professor Simon Ofield-Kerr and Professor Aoife Mac Namara part of the catalogue Profile/ serious Andrew Kearney 2001.

Curated by Mike Fitzpatrick