This short film was produced during John Sheehy’s exhibition at Studio Voltaire. Sheehy’s first institutional survey of his work was presented on a large–scale display system, which the artist entirely painted during the final week of the exhibition. Documenting this process, the film interweaves music and poetry readings by the artist.

With reference to both rural Ireland and London street scenes, Sheehy’s works detail seemingly familiar or everyday moments that, when repeated across numerous works, gain a talismanic, otherworldly character. In particular, the recurring image of a watchful rider on horseback functions as a dominant representation of the artist himself. Rather than nostalgic, Sheehy’s works are a record of lived experience, cumulatively insisting on the artist’s own presentness.

Read more about John Sheehy’s exhibition