Emerging Dublin Artist Fiach McGuinne: A talent to watch out for 

Dublin”s own Fiach McGuinne’s muse is the urban landscape of this bustling city we know and love.

McGuinne is inspired by his mother Geraldine O’Neill’s passion for art and the ever-evolving Dublin City, his home place. His artistic journey is a testament to the deep impact of family and place of creative expression. 

“From living in Dublin City I have been influenced by the urban setting as well as the impact humans have on our landscape,” he says. 

“I have been influenced by lots of artists, my Mam is also a painter and this has been a huge influence on me since I was a kid. I was lucky enough to be able to go to her studio and also do my own paintings or drawings when I was younger.” 

McGuinne has been painting from a young age and his creativity even trickled into his learning when studying for exams in secondary school.

“I’ve always been more of a visual learner and I understood things through doing them.”

McGuinne is now pursuing art at higher level in NCAD which has been very beneficial to his journey.

 “In college we have always been pushed more towards artistic expression, we are always discussing and sharing ideas which is a great environment to develop. “

Growing up in Dublin also pushed McGuinne to want to engage with those in disadvantaged communities, and he hopes to incorporate this engagement into his art.

“I hope to engage with the community in my near future. I would like to do projects with organisations such as TUSLA to engage with others and organise workshops.”

Although known for his award winning paintings at just age 21, he hopes to branch out into other areas of art.

“I hope to continue to paint but also develop skills in other mediums such as sculpture and print-making as well this way I’ll be able to be more well rounded.”

McGuinne captures beauty in forgotten everyday objects.

“I tend to paint objects that have been discarded or left out abandoned, I began painting sinks during covid. I loved painting the surface of the porcelain sink. I enjoy painting different Surface textures learning the different techniques I can use to depict them.”

McGuinne’s latest work is a series of paintings of banana plantations in Tenerife. “This jungle-like setting was made for and built by humans. A giant constructed forest hidden inside an even bigger tent. Metal bars ropes and all sorts of other objects left by humans were there. I have painted three large scale paintings the biggest 120 × 160 cm and the smallest 100× 135 cm.”

His work varies but he has some ideas he returns to.

“There are many recurring themes in my work. I have always been very interested in humans influence in our world. I have painted lots of commodified landscapes in this sense.”

McGuinne’s upcoming exhibitions include The Hennessy Craig and Homan Potterton Award Exhibition, RHA Gallery, 2024, and BFA degree show, NCAD, 2024.

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