Biography
Born in 1961, Donagh Carey is a native of West Cork, Ireland. He moved to Dublin in 1979 where he worked in advertising as an illustrator and graphic designer for 20 years. He has also lived and worked in Canada, England, France and Spain.
In 2008, he returned to West Cork, where he completed a four year DIT Visual Arts degree course. Freed from the commercial restraints of the past, he works almost exclusively in oil paint and the focus of his work is often immersed in his locality that is the environment and its historical context. The rural landscape and its relationship with its inhabitants, both ancient and contemporary, is frequently referenced. Donagh's home faces out to the Atlantic Ocean 100 metres away and inevitably his work acknowledges the ever changing state of the sea and land in light and weather.
The epic and ongoing series of 'Skellig' paintings explores the hardship and endurance of monks who created a habitat and way of living on the hostile landscape of Skellig Michael Island, off the coast of Kerry.
Donagh Carey has been the Visual Arts Co-ordinator for the Skibbereen Arts Festival since 2013 and is a board member of Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen. He was appointed a curator of the Blue House Gallery, Schull in 2017 and 2018.
Exhibitions
2019 ‘Waterland’, Two Artist Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2019 ‘Sherkin Show’, Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2018 ‘Anseo | Here’, Group Show, Skibbereen Arts Festival (also curator)
2018 ‘Elements: West Cork Landscapes’, Group Show, Catherine Hammond Gallery, O’Driscoll Building, Skibereen Arts Festival
2018 ‘Tribal’, Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2017 'New Work', Two Artist Show, The Aisling Gallery, Ballydehob
2017 'From Schull To Skibbereen', Group Show, Skibbereen Arts Festival
2017 'Three Towers', Solo Show, Blue House Gallery
2017 'Facing West', Group Show, Boyle Arts Centre
2017 'Islands', Group Show, Blue House Gallery
2017 'Interiors', Group Show, Blue House Gallery
2017 'Skelligs, Solitude', Solo Show, Lennons @ VISUAL, Carlow
2016 'MÓR - An Exhibition Of Large Paintings', Group Show, Skibbereen Arts Festival
2016 'Take 3', Group Show, The Aisling Gallery, Ballydehob
2016 'Landscape' Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2016 'The History Show' Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2015 'VUE 2015' with Catherine Hammond Gallery, RHA Gallery, Dublin
2015 Dublin Gallery Weekend Artist's Talk 'Skelligs - From Sea To Summit' Origin Gallery, Dublin
2015 'New Work', Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2015 ‘Mixed Media’ Group Show, Skibbereen Arts Festival, opened by Robert Ballagh
2015 'Maritime' Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2015 'Skelligs - From Sea to Summit' Solo Show, Origin Gallery, Dublin, opened by Nial O Donoghue, Dept of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht
2015 Three Artist Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2015 'Gallery Artist', Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2014 ‘Mixed Media’ Group Show, Skibbereen Arts Festival
2014 Three Artist Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2014 Group Show, Blue House Gallery, Schull
2014 ‘The Road Home' Group Show, Residence Members Club, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin
2013 ‘Seanachi’ Group Show, also Curator, Cill Rialaig Arts Centre, Kerry, opened by Maurice O’Connell
2013 ‘Mixed Media’ Group Show, Skibbereen Arts Festival
2012 ‘Ascension’ Solo Show, Origin Gallery, Dublin
2012 Solo Show, Ballinskelligs Abbey, Kerry
2012 Group Show, The Grainstore Gallery Schull
2012 'Out There" Graduate Exhibition, West Cork Arts Centre
2012 'Entrophy and Relic' Degree Show, Sherkin Abbey, Sherkin Island
2012 'Museum of Miniature', Group Show, Skibbereen Arts Festival
2011 'Pier to Pier' Group Show, also co-curator, Skibbereen Arts Festival
2011 Group show, The Grainstore Gallery Schull
2011 ‘Inspiration’ Four Artist Show, Urban Retreat Gallery, Grand Canal Basin, Dublin opened by Minister for Arts, Jimmy Deenihan
2009 Group Show, The Grainstore Gallery, Schull
Donagh Carey's work is on show in public and private collections, including the OPW.