CAG.3250 Mags Geaney, Irresistible Force, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 40.5 x 30.5 cm. Purchased, 2023. © the artist.  

WORK OF THE WEEK! 

Irresistible Force (2019) by Mags Geaney possesses a magnetic quality as the subject regards the viewer with their almond-shaped brown eyes. 

The gender of the figure is ambiguous and may be intentionally fluid, echoing the artist’s (at times) rapid brushstrokes. She captures and communicates a deep psychology, that we may guess at, with economy and painterly relish, while a surreal flourish also pervades the work. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it comes from a body of work that ‘explores the recognition of gesture and the art of “giving face”.’ 

Created for her solo show, Penumbra (2019), at Sternview Gallery, this painting was subsequently displayed at The Counting House (Beamish & Crawford) in Cork as part of STAMP Festival (19-21 May 2023). 

Making the work following a personal loss, Geaney recalls: ‘With a mug of tea I stared at this piece, a portrait of a woman. Most people read it as a man. The undercurrent of androgyny revealing itself in this series. A new energy, in the midst of grief.’ 

Mags Geaney explores themes of grief, loss, identity, adoption, mortality, and health through figurative work, particularly portraiture. Her practice is primarily as a painter, but also encompasses drawing, performance, video, and installation. A graduate of both Limerick School of Art and Design and Crawford College of Art & Design, she is currently a member of Sample-Studios. Her work is represented in the collections of Bank of Ireland, Crawford Art Gallery, Lithuanian National Museum of Art, and private collections across Ireland and USA.  

Irresistible Force (2019) by Mags Geaney is featured – along with the artist’s Minimal Chic (2019) – in ALL EYES ON US until 24 March.