Neil Carroll - Working Backwards
When I walk into The Joinery on Arbour Hill, Carroll is, quite literally, putting together his show. A couple of rough lengths of wood lie on the floor, potentially the final grace notes of the two large artworks that dominate the front room. Drawing on his experience in the construction industry as a woodworker and decorative painter, Carroll “builds paintings”, echoing the shapes and geometric lines of the canvas with angular constructions of wood, block and metal. In the back room, a shrouded mannequin is being watched by a similar figure within the painting, displaying a strange mirror to the real space of the room. Like with work by Oscar Tuazon, you walk in and around the spaces created by the piece: whether the piece ends up walking in and around your (head) space depends on how much you engage with it.
Originally published in Le Cool Dublin, February 2011
