Stephen Doyle
14 February – 21 March, 2019
This body of work continues to explore Doyle’s interest of gender identity in contemporary society. The work challenges society’s preconception of binary gender categories and suggests that gender is more complex than simply, male or female. Although representation of the gender debate crops up in mainstream media from time to time. Terms such as queer, genderfluid, non-binary etc. causes confusion due to the lack of education and open dialogue around the subject matter in wider society. Doyle invites the public to an overdue conversation around gender ‘norms’ and poses the question, ‘Should a system that suits the majority be a system worth keeping when it can cause harm to the minority?’
Doyle uses fabric as a metaphor to describe our individualism through shape, colour and pattern. From birth we are conditioned to view our environment in binary terms and thus see floral patterns and bright colours as being feminine and geometric shapes and dark colours as being masculine. According to Doyle he subverts these beliefs by surrounding the spectral figures in his paintings with a variety of material thus rendering each figure neutral. Furthermore, he brings the fabric into the physical space opening up a public discourse and allowing the viewer to readdress their ideology on identity. We are fortunate that we can interact and view these works by this talented painter as he continues the gender discussion in the public domain.
Doyle has wasted no time since his graduation from Crawford College Cork in 2017, where he received the ‘Student of the Year’ award with a solo show at the Lavit, Cork. Abroad he won both the Ashurst Emerging Artist Award, and the Sunny Art Prize. Most recently he was shortlisted for the Zurich Portrait Prize at the National Gallery, Ireland.
Click on the thumbnails below to see larger images of the works.
