Louise Neiland is a Dublin-based visual artist whose work engages with the intangible, often elusive, nature of time, memory and perception. Neiland began her studies in fine art at Camberwell College of Art & Design, London before completing her BA at the National College of Art & Design Dublin. She returned to NCAD to pursue a master’s in fine art (painting), graduating in 2008.
Through still images and lyrical compositions, she attempts to depict the imperceptible: the movement of time, the interplay between memory and presence, and the shifting line between the real and the imagined.
Neiland’s recently opened exhibition Nowhere, Now, Here at Taylor Galleries, Dublin, presented a series of landscape paintings which blur the boundaries between memory, time and place.
The works reflect fragments of landscapes that the artist has encountered over the past few years, capturing moments of transition, change and stillness in a visual diary format.
The works reflect fragments of landscapes that the artist has encountered over the past few years, capturing moments of transition, change and stillness in a visual diary format.
Nowhere, Now, Here runs until May 17 at Taylor Galleries, Dublin; see: taylorgalleries.ie
How my artistic journey began
The headmistress at my national school was also an artist, and she ran an after-school
art class. I was 10 when I first joined. She would bring in images from old calendars for us to use as inspiration, and we worked mostly with oil pastels. At home, I loved making things out of clay and
plasticine, I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember.
plasticine, I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember.
Where the title for my current show came from
The title for this show is No- Where, Now, Here. I’m interested in the way nowhere contains within it now here. These two phrases are opposites, one suggests absence, the other presence, yet they exist within the same word, reflecting a paradox that feels central to the theme of this exhibition. Since this body of work draws from memory – of places, personal experience, and imagination, the title felt fitting.
What I want my audience to feel when viewing my work
I hope they experience a sense of suspension, a quiet disorientation that allows them to embrace the unknown. I would like them to leave with a feeling, as though they have glimpsed something just beyond reach, a world that exists in the liminal space between waking and dreaming.
I hope they experience a sense of suspension, a quiet disorientation that allows them to embrace the unknown. I would like them to leave with a feeling, as though they have glimpsed something just beyond reach, a world that exists in the liminal space between waking and dreaming.
Artists who have influenced me
The very first painting that made an impression on me was The Village School by Jan Steen. I saw it on a school trip to the National Gallery. I remember stopping and gazing at it, and feeling so sorry for the little boy probably the same age as me at the time.
The very first painting that made an impression on me was The Village School by Jan Steen. I saw it on a school trip to the National Gallery. I remember stopping and gazing at it, and feeling so sorry for the little boy probably the same age as me at the time.
Through college and later there has been Goya, Manet, Odilion Redon, the Royal Art Lodge, Peter Doig, Giorgio de Chirico, Frida Kahlo, Degas, Rodin, Edvard Munch, Carlos Schwabe.
I have a collection of
I have a collection of
I have been lucky to have the opportunity to swap my work with other artists, so I have a collection of artwork. An artist whose work I would collect if I could When I was in college in London I visited the Francis Bacon retrospective exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in 1988. It left a lasting impression and I would collect his work if I could.
A place that means a lot me
The sea. I live in Dublin, just a short cycle from the coast, and it’s one of my favourite places to be. I love standing neck-deep in the water, looking out across the horizon.
A place I’d like to visit
I have always wanted to see the churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia.
In another life I would havebeen
Another artist, it’s how I make sense of the world and what it is to be human.
I have always wanted to see the churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia.
In another life I would havebeen
Another artist, it’s how I make sense of the world and what it is to be human.