No Photos...No Recordings...No Notes...

Brian Flynn: Repainting The Troubles

As a witness to colonial and sectarian violence in Northern Ireland –an era known as the Troubles— AUArts Alum Brian Flynn, Dip '92, Painting has confronted some of the harshest realities of the human condition: fear, conflict and uncertainty.

The outcome is a series of paintings based on both the first-hand experience of civil war, and extensive research, including interviews with former members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Flynn’s artworks are augmented with a collection of material culture including original newspaper photographs, folk art, ammunition, and street furniture.

Drawing on memories of hushed family gatherings, ambushes outside his Catholic Grandparents’ cottage, and stories of militia business conducted in domestic settings, Flynn’s leanly figurative paintings are at once compelling yet unsettling. In a time of global instability between superpowers, and a renewed uncertainty over the border status between the United Kingdom and Irish Republic, No Photos… No Recordings… No Notes…  confronts many dark forces.

Unquestionably brooding, his canvases and auto-ethnographical oeuvre have value for everyone: overcoming adversity is an important step on the path to acceptance. This continuum is expanded with Repainting the Troubles being curated by an English Anglican, Dick Averns. As a witness to IRA bombings and police searches in England during the Troubles, and more recently an official Canadian war artist, Averns partnership with Flynn presents a powerful testament to navigating conflict through art.

Curated by Dick Averns. Organized by Nickle Galleries.

Exhibition extended to May 20, 2022.

Brian Flynn "The Undertaking", photo by Dick Averns