Local artist Brian Farrell launching Fine Art Exhibition in Derry's UV Arts Centre

Well known local artist, Brian Farrell, is launching his latest Fine Art Exhibition in UV Arts Centre - Garden of Reflection Gallery.

Titled 'Moods & Monochromes', the exhibition launches this Friday (May 30) and will be on display until June 19 2025.

In this, Farrell's most recent body of work, he bares his soul on canvas, using bold strokes to reveal his innermost secrets and vulnerabilities through an uncompromising, frenetic brush that reflects a journey through his own mental health marked by anxiety, paranoia, and depression. 

Unusually, his images are paired down to their essence; to emphasise the importance of the lines of his chosen vocation, where black and white ignite his internal emotions.

On display on the walls of this gallery are Farrell’s paintings, born from a dark place, lay bare the emotional state of a man struggling to keep a grip, echoing a frantic, doomed existence and moments of feeling utterly alone.

This body of work that is authentic to his own experience of life, often left unfinished like the final pieces of artists who died too soon, hinting at a dangerous proximity to death. 

Drawing from the rawness of Käthe Kollwitz and the abstract expressionism of Franz Kline, these works transform terrible circumstances into something more positive and meaningful which offer the viewer a stark, authentic reflection of Farrell's current emotional reality.

Each painting is very personal, a part of the artist, a constant observation of heads, eyes, and movement, capturing moods and meanings with endless possibilities, where the process itself reinforces the vitality. 

The launch of the exhibition will take place on Friday night (May 30) from 7.00pm - 9.00pm.

The UV Art Gallery, located at 16 Bishops Street, is open to the public Wednesday to Saturday from 12noon - 5.00pm. The exhibition runs until June 19.