Daithi Magner

From a cupboard to the RHA’s Summer Exhibition for Daithi it has been quite the fantastical journey. Our first meeting, was magical, in a Harry Potter sense, when we came across his work during a Wimbledon Studios open day. His particular studio, was so small in fact, that he had had to take off the door, so visitors could see his work and him. But from small acorns come great things. This was the setting then where we first encountered this dedicated lover of architecture, history and materials old and new. A few year later, Irish born and bred, Daithi is now gracing Ireland’s equivalent to Britain’s world famous Royal Academy, Summer Exhibition. For us this is no surprise. Daithi’s art always has had flair, sometimes so much so that it demands to be centre stage. Yet behind the flair and drama, there are messages which are frequently complex but also totally relatable. This makes his art easy to into dive into, whatever your background, and after a little time in the shallow end, you can diver deeper into the tempting depths. The superficial and the deep elements for us starkly link the art to how we live and have lived our ordinary lives. The great fun in Daithi’s work though is the search, the hunt for the clues, the signs (sometimes literally) and the asides which open the door to realties we can understand and often much more. At AOR it is these elements, which we draw into focus and highlight. The carefully crafted intricate elements which live in Daithi’s structures take you back to the past, present, future or even the other worldly. Centred many times around a concept of the home, the works gives us a familiar starting point, to enter his commentary on our societies . Given his background, often the references are to Ireland’s unique mix of religion, folklore, domesticity and rapid social change. Yet, wherever you are based, you will see him tackling universals issues and truths. His canvas is both parochial and universal to us. So go explore, dive in and enjoy. You will be rewarded, time and again.