Kevin Wolahan
he/him
Dark House
This body of work explores revelation through decomposition.
The setting is an abandoned reformatory in County Offaly. Originally constructed as a military barracks, the institution metamorphosed throughout its ignominious 246 years before finally closing in 1973. Its derelict rooms evoke the anguish and hope once experienced by former occupants — darkness intermittently pierced by intruding light.
Through painting, I explore moments of revelation that emerge from gradual decomposition, heightened by incidental light within a building slowly returning to nature through neglect. The encapsulated touch, breath, and utterances of its occupants — absorbed into the fabric of the structure over centuries — are now released through the exfoliation of its decaying walls and surfaces.
The work focuses on the interplay between penetrating light and stark, deteriorating spaces and textures. The darkness of the building’s history is juxtaposed with the presence of light and colour, offering a fragile yet persistent sense of hope.
Dark House #1, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 cm.
Dark House #2, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm.
Radiator, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm.
On-Off, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 cm.
Peeling Study #1, acrylic on board, 60 x 50 cm.
Peeling Study #3, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 cm.
Peeling Study #4, acrylic on board, 50 x 40 cm.
Peeling Study #5, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 cm.
Wall study #1, acrylic on board, 50 x 40 cm.
Peeling Study #6, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 40 cm.