LORCAN WALSHE

My Work

My paintings emerge from a fascination with objects that carry memory - Medieval Irish book shrines, African masks, Megalithic stone carvings, fragments of forgotten rituals. The work here spans four decades, organized into ongoing series that explore different aspects of this conversation between past and present:

The Artefacts Project (Since 1997)

These paintings and drawings respond to ancient Irish artefacts —croziers, bells, shrines—held in the National Museum of Ireland.  It is a reconnection with Ireland’s indigenous visual culture by means of contemporary painting and drawing. Works from this series have been exhibited at the National Museum and the Hunt Museum in Limerick.

Hidden Tribe (Since 2008)

What gets lost when one culture overtakes another? These works explore the suppressed spiritual traditions of post-colonial cultures, revealing unexpected connections with African masks and indigenous ways of perceiving the world.

The Shadow (Since 1987)

Sometimes, painting is the only adequate response to cruelty. This series confronts the darkness in the human. These works have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Ireland, England, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

The Wounded Fool (Since 2017)

Excerpts from my forthcoming illustrated book, exploring the intersection of spiritual seeking and psychological truth. The fool in mythology is sometimes the wisest figure, as truth often enters the soul through a wound.

— Lorcan Walshe