Gary Boyne
#Gerard_Dowling art piece Abbey Street, Dublin
salvaged shopping trolley painted by Gerard Dowling
Artist Gerard Dowling (1951 – 2019) was one of those people who make Dublin city what it is. He was shaped by Dublin and in turn helped shape Dublin. This piece is a salvaged shopping trolley chained to a bike rack opposite Dowling’s house.
– His Life Story –
Gerard Dowling, the visual artist, is mainly known for his decades-long, controversial residence in number 47 Middle Abbey Street, a four-storey Georgian townhouse, which was worth 2 Million Euro.
But there is so much more to him. More than can be serviced properly in this space here.
His interest in art moved up a gear aged 18 in 1969 when he was on the fringes of the arts scene on Carnaby Street in London. His day job at the time was as an Underground train driver (until he was sacked for smoking dope). In time he ended up in Paris where he was a jewellery designer, working for the likes of Givenchy and Bijou Fantasies.
Back in Dublin in the 1980’s he joined his father at his place of business in the basement of that now famous house on Abbey Street. He acquired tenancy rights on his father’s jewellery work-shop after his day and by the end of that decade eventually took over the entire building.
This is what led to the battle with Dublin Corporation (now renamed Dublin City Council).
The long legal battle ended in 2012 with Gerard forced out of the premises. He did receive financial compensation as part of a settlement and moved full-time to Letterkenny, Co Donegal where he had another studio.
– His Art –
Over the years his Visual Arts pieces have had numerous exhibitions in Dublin. Arguably, most his notable piece was “dodecagram”.
But he also used the city itself as his exhibition area.
The photographed multi-colour trolley is but one exhibit of his art on Abbey Street.
Most items were embellished finds from his mud-larking adventures. He retrieved material from the river Liffey at low tide. On Joe Duffy’s Liveline phone-in radio talk show he used the opportunity of public focus on his multi-colour trolley to publicly complain about the danger posed by those trolleys to inner city kids diving into the river. Plus, he always sought to bring attention to environmental waste and neglect. The river had become a dump.
He made his Abbey Street home stand out visually as he transformed the facade into an art installation using as a framework a contraption made of bicycles.
Many in Dublin city were familiar with him drawing large convoluted patterns with chalk on the pavement of Bloom’s Lane Square across from Templebar by Millennium Bridge.
www.facebook.com/zorrooftheliffey/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9U7N22beAE
www.totallydublin.ie/arts-culture/arts-culture-features/t...
#Gerard_Dowling art piece Abbey Street, Dublin
salvaged shopping trolley painted by Gerard Dowling
Artist Gerard Dowling (1951 – 2019) was one of those people who make Dublin city what it is. He was shaped by Dublin and in turn helped shape Dublin. This piece is a salvaged shopping trolley chained to a bike rack opposite Dowling’s house.
– His Life Story –
Gerard Dowling, the visual artist, is mainly known for his decades-long, controversial residence in number 47 Middle Abbey Street, a four-storey Georgian townhouse, which was worth 2 Million Euro.
But there is so much more to him. More than can be serviced properly in this space here.
His interest in art moved up a gear aged 18 in 1969 when he was on the fringes of the arts scene on Carnaby Street in London. His day job at the time was as an Underground train driver (until he was sacked for smoking dope). In time he ended up in Paris where he was a jewellery designer, working for the likes of Givenchy and Bijou Fantasies.
Back in Dublin in the 1980’s he joined his father at his place of business in the basement of that now famous house on Abbey Street. He acquired tenancy rights on his father’s jewellery work-shop after his day and by the end of that decade eventually took over the entire building.
This is what led to the battle with Dublin Corporation (now renamed Dublin City Council).
The long legal battle ended in 2012 with Gerard forced out of the premises. He did receive financial compensation as part of a settlement and moved full-time to Letterkenny, Co Donegal where he had another studio.
– His Art –
Over the years his Visual Arts pieces have had numerous exhibitions in Dublin. Arguably, most his notable piece was “dodecagram”.
But he also used the city itself as his exhibition area.
The photographed multi-colour trolley is but one exhibit of his art on Abbey Street.
Most items were embellished finds from his mud-larking adventures. He retrieved material from the river Liffey at low tide. On Joe Duffy’s Liveline phone-in radio talk show he used the opportunity of public focus on his multi-colour trolley to publicly complain about the danger posed by those trolleys to inner city kids diving into the river. Plus, he always sought to bring attention to environmental waste and neglect. The river had become a dump.
He made his Abbey Street home stand out visually as he transformed the facade into an art installation using as a framework a contraption made of bicycles.
Many in Dublin city were familiar with him drawing large convoluted patterns with chalk on the pavement of Bloom’s Lane Square across from Templebar by Millennium Bridge.
www.facebook.com/zorrooftheliffey/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9U7N22beAE
www.totallydublin.ie/arts-culture/arts-culture-features/t...