"Dueling with Ghosts – A Solo Exhibition by Graham Carew

An Chéad Tíne Art Gallery is proud to present Dueling with Ghosts, a powerful solo exhibition by Kilkenny-based painter Graham Carew, curated by Mary Doyle Burke. The exhibition will run until June 26th and opens at 7pm on Friday 30th May, with an opening address by artist Laurence O'Toole. All are welcome.

Solo Exhibition by Graham Carew: "Dueling with Ghosts"

This evocative collection invites viewers into a deeply personal journey of memory, solitude, and creative reckoning. In January 2024, Graham moved into a small cottage nestled in the hills, surrounded by trees and wide skies. It was a return to stillness, to silence — and to the ghosts that had long waited for such quiet.

“It wasn’t empty — it was full of old ghosts, demons and unwelcome memories that had waited patiently for stillness.”

From walks with his dog to moments perched on a streamside rock, Graham began a slow emotional purge — a processing of bile, grief, and long-buried truths. These paintings, created over the past year, reflect that raw process.

“With each walk, I began to sense the scale of the world around me and how small I am in it.”

Nearing a landmark birthday, Graham reflects on a life more than halfway lived, and the frightening yet joyful call to dedicate himself to art. Inspired by music that stirs the soul — particularly Ed Harcourt's Duet for Ghosts — the exhibition title was born. But for Graham, these were not duets. These were duels.

“I’ve begun to accept that I’m not the centre of the universe — just another part of it.”

Dueling with Ghosts is an honest exploration of that understanding — a visual diary of reckoning, not always kind, not always clear, but deeply authentic.

Graham Carew is a professional painter, born and based in Kilkenny. He has worked professionally since 2013, primarily in acrylics, with occasional use of mixed media. His expressive, large-scale works have been exhibited in Ireland, the UK, and the US.

In recent years, Graham has received funding and support from the Kilkenny Arts Office, Artlinks, Kilkenny Catwalk Artist, Kilkenny LEADER Partnership, and Kilkenny Carlow ETB. He was Director of The Artist in the Shop Window Project at Fogarty's in Castlecomer (2019–2022), and contributed as an artist to the Festival of Lights with Castlecomer Community School (2019), and Festival of Culture (2018 & 2019).

During his time in the US, Graham co-founded and was Art Director of Wall Poems, Inc., a nonprofit mural project in Charlotte, NC, creating over 20 public poetry-based artworks. He also served as Co-Director of Artspace 525 (2013–15) and Goodyear Arts (2015–18), where he was also the Lead Design Artist.

His US accolades include multiple grants from the Knight Foundation (2016, 2018, 2020), the 2015 Neighbourhoods in Creative Partnership grant, the 2018–19 Women’s Impact Fund Two-Year Grant, and the Arts & Science Council’s Cultural Vision Grant (2018).

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