Emo Court hosts the first solo exhibition by Ellie Dunne

The Dower House Gallery in Emo Court is hosting the first solo exhibition of abstract artworks by young artist Ellie Dunne. 

Ellie’s abstract work is striking and graphic, with an exceptional sense of colour and a strong sense of pattern. She is an intense, focused worker - it is as if her art emerges from deep within. Her ambition is to work at an ever-increasing scale.

Amongst the artists who inspire her are Anni Albers, William Crozier, Richard Gorman, Keith Haring, Mainie Jellett, Agnes Martin, Bridget Riley, and Sean Scully. 

Last year Ellie collaborated with Miriam Cushen, a sixth-generation weaver from the family-owned Cushendale Woollen Mills in Co Kilkenny, to produce a limited edition of blankets using indigenous Irish wool from the fleece of the protected ‘Galway’ sheep. She is currently working on designs for more blankets to be released later this year.  

Ellie has been drawing and painting for more than a decade, but during Covid lockdown she had the opportunity to devote more time to her art, and to experiment with new paints and materials.

She was born in Dublin in 1999 and lives in Dublin City Centre. She is currently a student on the Art Portfolio course at Stillorgan College and she hopes to progress to art college in the future. 

The Office of Public Works were delighted to announce the  first solo exhibition of abstract artworks by Ellie, who has Down Syndrome. The exhibition runs until Sunday,  May 29.