Within and Beyond
Ita Freeney & Cathy Dorman
21 May– 13 June 2026
Opening reception Thursday 21 May, 5.30-7.30pm. Wine by Bubble Brothers
Artists in conversation with art critic, broadcaster and author Cristín Leach, Saturday 30 May, 12pm
Lavit Gallery presents a two-person exhibition by painters Ita Freeney and Cathy Dorman. Their respective sources are landscapes and interiors, while for both, the work lies between abstraction and representation. Although no humans appear in the paintings, their presence is implied. Both artists go through a very considered process of experiencing, observing and investigating light and shape, and distil, emphasise and manipulate these elements in their paintings.
“Light, atmosphere and a quietness are often key characteristics of my landscape inspired paintings. I have always been interested in both the division of the canvas into shapes and the creation of mood/atmosphere. I gravitate towards looking for abstract forms within the landscape - playing with diagonals, horizontals and verticals while also being equally drawn to light, atmosphere, distance and subtle transitions of colour. This series of work has been in the making since my last solo shows in 2024 and follows on with some similar themes to that previous Water’s Edge series. Again, I am mostly drawn to the coast even if the sea sometimes only appears as a narrow strip or small rectangular patch. Piers, walls, and roads are prominent in this series. The definite shapes of walls and piers against the airiness of sea and sky (emptiness and activity) are explored. I am interested in the way these definite shapes interact with this ‘emptiness’ of sea and sky- surrounding, cradling, anchoring, forming boundaries and giving way to openings. The shapes of roads, paths and walls act as lead ins- creating turns, and directional pulls through the canvas. The majority of these paintings have been inspired by North Mayo, while other inspirations have come from West Waterford, Kerry and Germany. Time is spent immersing myself in places through repeat visits, observing what interests me from different vantage points and in different lights and taking photographs, notes and thumbnail drawings back to the studio. The paintings come about through many light layers of paint, constantly re looking and subtly shifting colour and tone.” Ita Freeney
“My work explores and responds to site specific domestic spaces. The domestic setting of a home plays a significant part in the shaping and sustenance of who we are. Our home becomes a storehouse of our existence. It holds our memories, our fears, our aspirations, embodying the unique experience of each occupant. Modern architecture has changed the definition of home by accommodating its occupants in spaces that reflect their activities and values. My work to date has responded to specific iconic modern houses exploring how they redefined domesticity through their vision of a new way of living that was both physical and spatial and which held profound political and social implications. My work process begins by making models to explore spaces within these houses, a slow and pains- taking journey. Through black and white photography of the models, I investigate light and shadow within the space breaking it down into a series of planes, offering an intensely palpable experience. Using these images I construct my compositions and the paintings gradually emerge through the manipulation of materials with layering, patterning and constant reworking of paint. There is always something liminal at play in the work, small shifts of focus, an uncertainty and otherness that never quite explains itself. The depiction of furniture, architecture and inanimate objects in my work creates a sense of calm or frenzy, sadness or gaiety, a weighty stability or aerial lightness” Cathy Dorman
Dublin born, Ita Freeney graduated from Crawford College of Art and Design with a BA Honours degree in Fine Art (1994). She now lives in Cork. During 2023 and 2024, solo exhibitions of her series of paintings – Water’s Edge, have taken place at South Tipperary Arts Centre, Custom House Studios & Gallery (Westport) and The Paul Kane Gallery (Irish Architectural Archive, Dublin). Other solo exhibitions have included Outer Edges at The Lavit Gallery, Cork (2019), A New World, Paul Kane Gallery, Dublin (2008), New Paintings, Fenton Gallery, Cork (2006), the Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick (2002), Strata, Paul Kane Gallery (2001). Recently her work has been included in the following group exhibitions - From Source to Sea, curated by Michael Waldron at the Crawford Art Gallery,2024; Visual Presence, Boyle Arts Festival, 2024; the Ballinglen Biennial Exhibition at the Ballinglen Museum of Art, Mayo 2023 and the 192nd RHA annual exhibition( 2022). She has exhibited with the Paul Kane Gallery since 1998, with several solo and two person exhibitions and many group shows there. Her work features in many collections including: Ballinglen Museum of Contemporary Art, Mayo; Cork Co. Council; Crawford Art Gallery, Cork (as part of the National Collection); Dental Hospital, Dublin; Department of Finance; The Office of Public Works and University College Cork.
Formerly a practising architect, in 2020 Cathy Dorman graduated in Fine Art from NCAD where she was joint recipient of the Fine Art Student of the Year award and shortlisted for the RDS Awards. In 2021 she was a recipient of the IPUT/RHA Wilton Park Studio award. Her first solo show ‘Domestic Planes’ took place at the Ashford Gallery, RHA in March 2022. Dorman exhibited as part of a two person show ‘Double Bounce’ at the Copper House Gallery, Sept 2023. Her second solo show ‘Step Away Closer’ was at the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar in March/April 2024. Dorman’s work has been included in group exhibitions at RHA (2020,2021), Dunamaise Arts Centre (2019) (2024), Hang Tough Gallery (2021, 2022), Outset Gallery Galway (2022) and Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray (2023). In September 2024 Dorman exhibited in the Wilton Park Studio exhibition at the RHA and recently (January 2025) completed the first segment of her fellowship at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle.
The 2026 Cork Arts Society t/a Lavit Gallery visual arts programme is kindly supported by Arts Grants from the Arts Council of Ireland and Cork City Council.
Lavit Gallery
Wandesford Quay, Clarke's Bridge, Cork, T12 E26D
021 4277749
www.lavitgallery.com
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10.30 – 6.00pm
Cork Arts Society T/A Lavit Gallery is a Company Limited by Guarantee | No. 243114 | CHY. 13297