Leaning on the Line

Leaning on the Line: 26th April – 31st May, 2025

Graphic Studio Gallery is pleased to curate Leaning on the Line, an exhibition of original compositions in print media by artists that use line as an essential element in their work.  Whilst the term Line is frequently used in reference to print making, the curators of this exhibition (Peter Brennan, Graphic Studio Gallery, and Catherine Daunt, British Museum) were after something else.

‘Leaning on the Line focuses on the rhythmic, pattern-based qualities of line as a compelling component in the selected compositions.’ – Peter Brennan

The exhibition, at Graphic Studio Gallery, is selected from studio members of Print Network Ireland, which comprises Ireland’s largest print studios: Graphic Studio Dublin, Cork Printmakers, Black Church Print Studio and Limerick Printmakers. 

‘The exhibition showcases the work of around thirty artists who lean on the line in a variety of ways, from using dominant lines to achieve definition, modelling and texture in a figurative work, to creating abstract compositions underpinned by the grid or a series of parallel lines.’ – Catherine Daunt

Among the selected artists, Yoko Akino, and Conor Gallagher, use strong rhythmic lines to define their landscapes or seascapes, while John Graham and Ann Kavanagh rely on parallel, often crossed lines to create delicately balanced abstract images that resemble woven fabrics. In contrast, Derval Carroll and Shane O’Driscoll take a more graphic approach to their printmaking, using the line in a way that draws on the traditions of Minimalism and Op Art. 

There are many internationally recognised artists that lean on line in their work, including some known for abstract work, such as Park Seo-Bo, Gene Davis, Sol LeWitt, Agnes Martin and Bridget Riley or figurative artists including Keith Haring, David Hockney, Antony Gormley and Lucian Freud, as well as many other modern masters. Some of the most celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st centuries are known for their line-based compositions, be they minimalist in approach or more calligraphic or expressive.  It’s exciting to see how artists from Ireland’s largest print studios contribute to this dialogue.

Leaning on the Line runs from the 26th of April until the 31st of May.

Leaning on the Line features work by:
Anita Geaney, Ann Kavanagh, Cecilia D’Alessandro, Clodagh Twomey, Conor Gallagher, Derval Carroll, Dominic Fee, Dylan Buckley, Eileen Kennedy, Feargal Cunningham, Grainne Cuffe, Helen O’Sullivan, John Graham, Kate MacDonagh, Ludmilla Kalinka, Marie-Louise Martin, Mary O’Connor, Matthew Gammon, Melissa Ellis, Monika Crowley, Niamh Flanagan, Nick Boon, Paula Fitzpatrick, Rachel Merrigan, Shane O’Driscoll, Sharon Lee, Sinead McGuinness, Sophia O’Sullivan, Yoko Akino, Tomasz Knapik.