Graham Gingles (b.1943)

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos

Mixed media box

37cm x 48cm x 20cm

Courtesy of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Graham Gingles studied at Belfast College of Art where he specialised in painting and silver-smithing. He went on to study at Hornsey College of Art and at the British School at Rome. He was appointed an Academician of the Royal Ulster Academy in 1986 and a Member of the Council in 2005. He was awarded the De Veres Award by the RHA in 2010. He has participated in both solo and group exhibitions worldwide, and his work is held in public collections such as The Arts Council NI, Ulster Museum and IMMA.

This work is reflective of the artist’s sculptural practice, creating mixed media sculpture works encased in wooden and glass boxes. Gingles works with a range of materials including wood, metal, glass, oil paint, natural materials and photography. He has made over 100 box sculptures to date and his practice is unique in this respect, being one of few artists adopting this approach. The work is multi-layered, containing fragmented stories from his own personal history addressing a range of human emotions and alluding to wider historical contexts. There is a sense of theatricality to the work and an exploration of memory as a constructed narrative.