Diana Copperwhite’s work stems from an idiosyncratic practice that embraces the temporal nature of painting practice. This encompasses working with large-scale wall installations, large canvases and an ongoing interest in the human portrait.  Born 1969 in Limerick, she studied at the Limerick School of Art and Design from 1987-92, received a BA in painting at the National college of Art and Design, Dublin and went on to do an MFA at the Winchester School of Art and Design, Barcelona.  Copperwhite is engaged with a sustained conceptual exploration of memory and abstraction. Using identifiable subjects, and sometimes drawing on media images, she plays with light and color to create slightly unreal dreamlike and transitory compositions. The mood of her work is generally lyrical, creating an air of ambiguity of memories transformed in the unceasing passage of time.  In a most unique capacity, she works over recognizable images, working and reworking their surface and adding rich layers, so that objects are transported in an entirely new direction into a fluid visual quality of being remembered or reimagined in singular vibrant ways.

Her work is in public collections, including Irish Museum of Modern Art; Arts Council of Ireland; Limerick City Gallery of Art; Office of Public Works; Contemporary Irish Art Society; Mariehamn Stadbiblioteque, Aland, Finland; International Red Cross Netherlands — and private collections in the US, Australia and Europe.  She has exhibited widely, including in London, Dublin, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Barcelona, New York. France and Amsterdam.  Copperwhite was awarded the AIB Art Prize in 2007, which resulted in a major monograph and touring exhibition of her work.  Her recent publication Fake New World was published to coincide with a wall drawing and recent exhibition at the RHA Gallery Dublin, it features a recent biography written by Gail Levin. She was a resident artist at the Josef Albers Foundation Connecticut (2012). She was a finalist in the Guasch Coranty Fundacio Painting Prize, Centre Cultural Metropolita Tecia Sala, Barcelona (2008) and was winner of the AIB Art Prize (2007).  Diana Copperwhite, born 1969, lives and works in Dublin.

The Brooklyn Rail – The Clock Struck Between Time (article link)

Education

1999-2000          Winchester School of Art and Design, Barcelona, MA European Fine Art

1992-94             National College of Art & Design, BA Hons, Painting

1987-92             Limerick School of Art & Design, NCEA Diploma, Painting

Solo Exhibitions

2019      

The Clock Struck Between Time, 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, New York

2017      

Crooked Orbit, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

Depend On The Morning Sun, 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, New York

2016        

Driven By Distraction, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin

2015

A Million and One Things Under the Sun, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

2015    

Solo Booth at Pulse, New York

2014      

Shadowland, 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, New York

2013     

Loose Ends, 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, New York Solo Booth at VOLTA NY, New York

2011     

An Island from the day before, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

2009    

perfect near miss, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

eclipse of a title, Highlanes Municipal Art Gallery, Drogheda

eclipse of a title, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris

2008    

eclipse of a title, West Cork Arts Centre

2007    

BLIND SPOT, Limerick City Art Gallery

2006       

In a certain light, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

2005           

Midnight, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

2001     

Galleri Kakelhallen, Aland, Finland

2000    

Panorama Gallery, Winchester School of Art, Barcelona

1998     

Rubicon Gallery, Dublin

1996     

Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin

Group Exhibitions

2019

MAKing Art:PAINTing, collection of Arts Council of Ireland, Draíocht  Gallery, Dublin

PRISM The Art And Science of Light, group show with Diana Copperwhite, Polly Apfelbaum, David Batchelor, Alan Butler, James Clar, Jenny Holzer, Brigitte Kowanz, Dennis McNulty, Emer O’boyle, Grace Weir. The Glucksman, Cork, Ireland.

2018

Bounty, two-person show with Aileen Murphy, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

Context Art Miami, 523 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel Booth, Miami

Group Show at Mark Rothko centre as part of painting symposium, Daugavpils, Latvia

HOME, More than Bricks and Mortar – Works from the IMMA collection, Draíocht, Dublin

Hells Kitchen,Thomas Jaeckel (off site), New York

Double Vision, w/Shirly Copperwhite, dlr Lexicon, Co. Dublin

2017      

Last Picture Show, w/, Mary Heilmann, Chris Ofili, Danny Rolph, Vanessa Jackson, Elio Rodriguez, Jill Levine, Rebecca Smith, Thomas Jaeckel Gallery, New York

Virtú, inc. Picasso, Giacometti, Henry Moore, Elizabeth Magill, Sean Scully, Hunt Museum, Limerick, Ireland

2016      

Winter Salon, Thomas Jaeckel Gallery, New York

2015      

Crawford Gallery, The Mall Galleries, London

The Art of a Nation, from the collections of AIB, Mall  Galleries, London

2014     

Inside the Palace, with Danny Rolph, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

New Acquisitions, RHA, Dublin

Paintings, Limerick City of Culture, Limerick, Ireland

2012     

Into the Light, The Arts Council-60 Years of Supporting the Arts Crawford Art Gallery, Cork

Anna Bjerger, Diana Copperwhite and Oliver Comerford, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

Painting Now, Ron Mandos, Amsterdam

Making Familiar; Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, curated by James Merrigan and Group show and Symposium: Temple Bar Gallery

VOLTA 8 Basel, Switzerland

Askeaton Contemporary Arts, Temporary public Art Commission

The Mind was Dreaming, the world was its Dream, Diana Copperwhite, Michael Kalmbach & Hiraki Sawa, Curated by Jacqui McIntosh, Solstice Art Centre, Navan, Ireland

2011      

The Fold, Visual Centre for Contemporary Art, Carlow

New Works Visiting Artists, Graphic Studio Gallery, Dublin

Graphic Studio: 50 Years in Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin

2010     

Collecting the New: Recent Acquisitions to the IMMA Collection, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin

Regarding Painting, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

The Marianbad Palace, Haroon Mirza, Diana Copperwhite, Laura Buckley, Jorge de la Garza, Alicja Kwade and Ian Monroe, Highlanes Gallery and Driochead Arts Centre, Drogheda Arts Festival, curated by Jacqui McIntosh

Abundance, Limerick City Gallery of Art

2009    

Above the Fold, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

Alchimie – Multiples – Papiers, Françoise Besson, Lyon, curated by Michael Woolworth, Lyon Biennale

Visiting Artists, Graphic Studio Gallery

To Have & Have Not, curated by Gemma Tipton, Kinsale Arts Week, Cork

2008    

Group Therapy, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin

Winter Salon, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin

International Painting Prize, Guasch Coranty Fundacio, Tecla Sala, Barcelona

2007    

Presence, Limerick City Gallery of Art

The Big Store, curated by Alan Butler & Rayne Booth, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin.

Group show, curated by Martin Gale Fenton Gallery, Cork

Invited artist, RHA Annual Exhibition, Gallagher Gallery, Dublin

2006    

Other Visions, curated by Aidan Dunne, Art Critic, The Irish Times, Purdy Hicks Gallery, London

2005    

A Moment In Time, Temple Bar Gallery

Reality Show, curated by Gemma Tipton, Siamsa Tíre, Tralee

Group Show, From the Liberties to Parramatta, University of Western Sydney, Australia

2000    

Aqui/alli, Can Felipe, Poblenou Barcelona

1998    

E+va, Exhibition of Visual Art, curated by Jeanne Greenberg, Limerick City Gallery of Art

Fantastic Overload, Rubicon Gallery Dublin

Site Specific Projects

2016      

Driven by Distraction, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin

2012     

Askeaton Contemporary Arts, Temporary public Art Commission

2008    

eclipse of a title, Highlanes Municipal Art Gallery, Drogheda

eclipse of a title, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris

Awards and Residences

2018     Residency at Mark Rothko Centre, Latvia

2015       Nominee, Pulse Prize, New York

2012      Josef Albers Foundation Connecticut, Invited Artist.

2008     Finalist – International Painting Prize, Guasch Coranty Fundacio, Barcelona Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, Project Residency

2007     Winner of 2007 AIB Prize

Selected Bibliography

2017      

Diana Copperwhite: Signal to Noise, Stephen Maine, Hyperallergic, January 7th, 2017

2016      

Driven by Distraction, Dr. Yvonne Scott, Irish Arts Review, Vol.33 No.3

2015      

Worlds on the brink and cosmic explorations, Aidan Dunne, Irish Times, April 2015

A walk through the art fairs, Brian P.Kelly, Arma Virumque, The New Criterion, March 10th 2015

A Scanner Darkly, Diana Copperwhite in conversation with Helen O’Leary, Professor of Painting, Penn State, Two Coats of Paint, Painters Table, April 2015

This lasted until dawn – works from the IMMA collection, Irish Times, May 2015

2014      

Pulsing Pulse, 2014 New York edition, Sharon Butler, Two coats of Paint, May 2014

What Lies Beneath, Niall MacMonagle, Irish Independent, February 2014

RHA Annual Show, Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, June 2014

2013    

Painting in Chelsea: September, Elizabeth Condon, Painter’s Table, September 2013

Highlights from Armory Week: Recap from Artist’s Point of View, Dana Nichols, Cartwheel Art, March 2013

2012    

The mind was dreaming, the world was its dream, John Gayer, The Visual Artist’s News Sheet, March –April 2012

The Hellfire Club, Maria Tanner, Paper Visual Art Journal, September 2012

2011    

The Fold: A Painting Show, Visual Centre for Contemporary Art, Gemma Tipton, Artforum Critic’s Pick

Spirits in the material world, Cristín Leach Hughes, The Sunday Times, October 2011

Carlow’s Visual Joins the Fold, Gemma Tipton, The Irish Times, May 2011

The Fold: A Painting Show, Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, February 2011

A view from the island, Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, November 2011

2010    

On a Lighter Note, Gerry McCarthy, The Sunday Times, May 2010

2009     

Diana Copperwhite: Perfect Near Miss, Kate Butler, The Sunday Times, May 2009

2008     

Spliced Realities, Alanah Hopkin, Irish Arts Review, Autumn 2008

Past, Present and Future, All at Once, Eimear McKeith, Sunday Tribune, October 2008

Eclipse of a Title, Chris Clark, CIRCA, Winter 2008

Painted from a Personal Palette, Aidan Dunne, The Irish Times, November 2008

2007     

AIB Prize, Marian O’Kane Boal, Irish Arts Review, Summer 2007

Selected Publications

2016     

Fake New World, monograph published by Royal Hibernian Academy, text by Gail Levin, Dublin, 2016

2015     

A Lonely Impulse of Desire, published by SO Fine Art, in conjunction w/ A Lonely Impulse of Desire, Dublin, 2015

A Scanner Darkly, Diana Copperwhite in conversation with Helen O’Leary, for Pulse New York, 2015. ISBN: 978-0-9560538-6-2

2012  

The Mind was dreaming, the world was its dream, Jacqui McIntosh, Solstice Arts Centre, ISBN: 978-0-9560538-2-4

The Hellfire Club, Michelle Horrigan, Padraic E. Moore, Brian O’Doherty, Askeaton Contemporary Arts, ISBN: 978-0-9558630-5-9

2011     

Creative Ireland: The Visual Arts, (anthology) Noel Kelly, Sean Kissane, Visual Artists Ireland, ISBN: 978-1-907683-11-4

2010   

Dictionary of Living Irish Artists, (anthology) Robert O’Byrne, Plurabelle Publishing, ISBN: 978-0-9563011-0-9

2009    

Eclipse of a Title, Colm Tóibín, Skye Sherwin, West Cork Arts Centre, ISBN 1-904354-20-3

2007   

Flat Earth, Kevin Kavanagh for ARCO Madrid, ISBN 978-0-9555164-0-5

Collections

National Gallery of Ireland

Rothko Centre, Daugavpils Latvia

Irish Museum of Modern Art

Allied Irish Bank

Arts Council of Ireland

Limerick City Gallery of Art

The Office of Public Works

Contemporary Irish Art Society

Bank of Ireland

Dublin Institute of Technology

Highlanes Municipal Art Gallery

Jefferson Smurfit

KPMG

Arthur Andersen Plc

International Red Cross Netherlands

Mariehamn Stadbiblioteque

Aland, Finland

The President of Ireland

Jean Cherqui Paris

Arthur Cox Solicitors

DPS Engineering

National Self Portrait Collection

Private collections in Ireland, Belgium, Finland, France, USA and UK.