Cork artist who draws inspiration from Google Maps to exhibit work at St Peter's

AN exhibition by a Cork artist, whose sought-after paintings draw inspiration from Google Street View amongst other sources, opened in St Peter's on North Main Street this week. 

Still On The Land features eight new paintings in an ongoing series by city centre based artist, Emmet Brickley.

Emmet, whose work has been acquired for public, private, and corporate collections, operates out of a studio above Singer's Corner.

With a ceiling not much taller than his largest canvas, the young artist says his studio “gives the fantastic feeling of being in the city centre, while simultaneously being a million miles away” when he paints.

The views of the city from within the studio mirror the unusual perspectives often captured in his paintings.

His latest exhibition includes paintings from the different subsections of his body of work; the ‘Spectacle Series’, the ‘Islanders Series’, and the ‘Street View Series’.

Speaking about his use of Google Street View as a source material to The Echo in a previous interview, Emmet said the inspiration struck him out of nowhere.

“I was just using Google Maps one day and I was suddenly very drawn to this kind of vulnerable, candid experience of the world.

“Going from social media and that curated world on the internet over to the app, displaying its own version of the real world- it brings up a lot of ideas about the impact of the digital age.

“There’s a vulnerability to it, the candid look at the world and the gestures. But that’s not clear to a passer-by looking at my paintings which is nice," he explained.

The ‘Islanders Series’ is the most recent addition to Emmet’s practice.

“During the period that we found ourselves restricted and unable to leave our homes, I found myself researching the islands of Ireland, the people, the legends and the folklore,” he said.

“References such as the fictional documentary, Man of Aran filmed in 1934 and photo albums from that period of those who lived on the islands have informed the atmosphere within the paintings.

“I found it interesting to indulge in the parallels of uncertainty being felt in the early stages of the pandemic - and the sense of fatigue to the uncertainty - with the seasonal uncertainty that must have been experienced by the people who inhabited these islands when crops, medicine and other concerns were always on the horizon.

“I found great strength in understanding their resilience and desire for life that people expressed -ultimately in harsher circumstances,” he continued.

Still On The Land is open to the public in St Peter’s until April 1, 10am-4pm Monday to Saturday.