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London based artist Conor Harrington returned to his hometown of Cork for Ardú 2021.
His work draws a fine line between classical and contemporary art, and masterfully creates a world within those boundaries. A former graffiti artist, he not only still enjoys painting huge outdoor murals but consistently tackles new, inventive forms of art, often in a gallery setting.
Conor utilizes realistic images of people in his pieces, incorporating abstract elements to accompany his painted subject. His illustration of the human form is mesmerizing: he skilfully hones in on certain parts of the figure while obscuring others through the use of bold line work, superb shading and bursts of colour within his creations.
Harrington has painted numerous street pieces across the world such as in New York, Miami, Paris, London, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Aalborg, Mallorca, Sao Paulo, San Juan and the Bethlehem Wall.
Conor Harrington’s first large-scale painting in his hometown is located at the Grand Parade entrance of Bishop Lucey Park.
Conor’s favourite part of Cork is the English market. He used to do as much of his shopping as possible there when he lived on Tower Street, before moving to London. And every time he’s home he’s always sure to have a stroll through and soak up some of the atmosphere.
Conor used the English Market as a starting point for the mural, the gate of which is opposite this wall. It was built in 1788 and has seen us through famine, boom and bust.
In the painting, a man sets a table, a composition of fruit and veg in the manner of a lot of still life paintings from the 18th Century, when the English market and much of the Grand Parade and Patrick’s Street was built. The table is overflowing with fruit, an abundance of fresh produce that has been available in the market for years. Harrington included a doll’s house on the table to illustrate how Cork is a city built on food and how our culinary scene is one of our greatest assets. He also included a fire extinguisher on the table as a reminder of the Burning of Cork 101 years ago, and that although the market was mostly spared, damage was still done.
In the mural, Conor plays with proportion and inverted the traditional scale of figure and dwelling to exacerbate the idea of the Georgian figure as a looming power or Lord over his domain. In his work he examines the role and legacy of the empire, and tries to find parallels in contemporary culture. By including the doll’s house as a reference to home, housing and the current crisis in Ireland and the abundant fruit table which is in a state of overflow and collapse, he asks the question - to whom does power and plenty belong? Despite this historical foundation, Conor’s mural is ultimately about the balance of abundance and excess, and the fall which inevitably follows.