Lift Not the Painted Veil By Sebastian F. Mahon

The Darkroom presents Lift Not the Painted Veil, a solo exhibition by Dublin-based artist Sebastian F. Mahon.

Lift Not the Painted Veil by Sebastian F. Mahon

July 2-11, 2021

Opening Night: July 2nd, 6pm-8pm

Eventbrite link:

https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/lift-not-the-painted-veil-exhibition-tickets-160752203167

Sebastian F. Mahon (b. 1992, Dublin) is a lens-based artist, primarily working with photography to create visual narratives centred around ideas of Impermanence.

 Sebastian’s interest in photography arose from a desire to preserve some sense of what was.

The further the artist explored the medium, the clearer it became that this drive to ‘fix’ memory may be unachievable. This idea was the starting point for his newest body work Lift Not the Painted Veil (2021). Developed as part of an artist-in-residence programme for The Darkroom and supported by The Facebook Arts Department. 

Using the analogue photographic processes, Sebastian directly engages with his experiences of grief, trauma, and memory. Using a 4x5” large format camera to photograph the wounds embedded in the landscape, the contortions of plant life, and the solidity of stone. The images depict the constant state of change that occurs in nature as a way of reflecting the artist own state of mind. Capturing moments of peace and tranquillity in chaotic woodland, the compositions are busy but hint at a sense of order. Paralleling these images of the landscape, the photographer creates still life images constructed in studio, as a way of creating a new narrative and reclaim a sense of control over one’s thoughts when faces with loss. 

By using the analogue process, the mechanical exposure to light, the chemical creation of images and the physical nature of printed matter, the artist questions his desire to fix experience before memory drifts into uncertainty.  

Sebastian graduated in 2020 with a BA in Photographic Media from Griffith College Dublin (GCD). Most recently he completed an artist-in-residence programme with The Darkroom, Dublin. He is a founding member of AGORA Collective, a Dublin-based art collective that work with emerging creatives in visual arts and literature to produce printed media. His work is part of the State Art Collection managed by The Office of Public Works (OPW).