Exhibition Review

Written By Maria Noonan-McDermott

Thank you for the lovely review by Professor Harry McMahon on my solo exhibition, 'Time-Lapse', currently on show in the Abbey Arts Centre, Ballyshannon, Co.Donegal.

‘Time-Lapse’

A solo exhibition by Maria Noonan-McDermott

‘Presence’ and ‘absence’ seem at first thought to be two different things, two sides of the same coin, related but separated, never to be encountered together. It’s either one or the other; either the object of contemplation, whatever it is, is there, or it is not.

Maria’s exhibition explores this boundary between presence and absence in a profoundly personal realm, her experience of and reaction to her mother’s protracted journey from life, through the onset and overwhelming burden of Alzheimers, into death and beyond.

Some of the paintings shout out the pain experienced on contemplation of her mother’s absence. The empty chair is still with Maria, there to be sat upon and brought to life again as a place of rest; but the chair is unoccupied, full of nothing but memory. Her mother is present in that chair, and absent, at one and the same time. In a second painting, a beam of soft light illuminates the chair …. an artistic gesture there for a purpose. But what purpose, to bring her mother back, or allow her to leave? These are paintings dealing with profoundly difficult questions, and with a tenderness that must not be left unseen.

Other paintings evoke the presence of others, others in her mother’s presence. Are they angels? Are they relatives? Are they old friends? Or are they witnesses to the pain that Maria and her mother have gone through separately and together?

Whether we like it or not, we all are witnesses to the pain of others. We react in different ways: some turn and move away; some sympathise from afar; some empathise and offer support; others stand alongside in solidarity and bear witness.

Maria’s paintings bear witness to the private pain she and her mother have gone through. They also speak a universal truth, that sufferers of Alzheimers, and their carers, cannot be left to suffer on their own. They cannot be absent from our lives. They are present.

Professor Harry McMahon

Feb 13th 2022

Maria Noonan-McDermott

Irish Artist Maria Noonan-McDermott Bio


Originally from Donegal, Irish artist and poet Maria Noonan McDermott now lives and works from her studio in Kinlough, Co. Leitrim.


Heavily influenced by the impressionist movement, her work focuses on the study of light and form in Irish landscapes.

With a love of folklore and story-telling, Noonan McDermott's influences lie in rural Ireland, it is in these magical places that share a colloquial history where stories and the people are often ingrained into the landscape.


I began my artistic career in Dublin in 1985 and qualified in Fashion and Design. I returned to college and completed a certificate in visual education before continuing on to study Fine Art. In the year 1990, I had my first solo exhibition of paintings. The feedback and encouragement I received helped direct me on my current path.


My work has always been influenced by a deep connection with the natural environment, the beautiful rugged Irish landscape with its endlessly changing skies and dramatic seas. I am equally fascinated by the people that the land holds so tightly and am firmly bound in kinship with their poetic writing, their stories and soulful lyrics.


I've always been in awe of the storyteller, those gifted people who so fluidly guide you into their fantasy worlds, who submerge you so deeply, you cry, laugh and often seethe with anger and frustration. To me, this is true magic, possessing the rare skill of creating something from nothing, evoking such passion and emotion.


Growing up I found words didn't come so easily to me, art and writing became my outlet. I was transformed into the 'Cailleach Feasa', the storyteller. I recorded and recollected all the tales from times gone by, breathing life back into places and quirky characters I met along the way.


I was raised in a small village in Donegal and like most small communities in Ireland, it was filled with the most amazing characters.


As a child, my head was filled with fantastical stories told and dramatised by neighbours and family, the gatekeepers of local history. These tales, were, of course, exaggerated and embellished with such fun and gusto, like only true Irish seanchai can, that I couldn't help growing up with a great love of the people around me and all their fascinating antics.


In my work, I narrate the stories with colour and humour as over the years they've formed and shaped in my memory.
My paintings become the text and you the reader and as the reader, you are challenged to participate and choose your own journey. Thus, enabling the story to live all over again!


This attachment is ingrained in my work and I strive to bring forth its warmth in the most honest and pure way I know how.

https://www.marianoonan-mcdermott.com
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