An Irish artist based in Brussels, Colm Mac Athlaoich’s paintings deal with ideas of materiality, process and perception. Inspired by his early career as a printmaker, illustrator and musician, his works sit between figuration and abstraction, exploring the space between. His latest exhibition—The solemn geography of human limits, on display at Dublin’s Glovebox—is based on photographs sourced from sports photography, specifically photo-finish images which capture the finishing stage of a race.
The last thing I saw and loved… a modern Irish wedding, my cousin’s little daughter finally feeling settled as she sat on her dad’s lap during their ceremony, happily watching the onlooking crowd. It was beautiful.
The book I keep coming back to… there are two actually – Ways of Seeing by John Berger and The Years by Annie Ernaux. I’m not a consistent reader so both are always within reach and are forgiving of my lack of commitment as you can drop in on any page.
I find inspiration in… the creative process of others and by that I mean learning more about the person through their artform. It might happen during a studio visit or over a drink but it’s always reassuring and fascinating when someone shares this intimate side of themselves.
My favourite film is… that’s an impossible question to answer but with lines like “As a youth I used to weep in butcher shops” and “We’ve gone on holiday by mistake”, Withnail and I is up there.
My career highlight is… a solo exhibition which was held in Made store in Powerscourt Dublin in 2016. It wasn’t my best show, but it marked the start of my career as a full-time artist and would sow the seed for the shows that followed.
The song I listen to to get in the zone is… “The Hours” by Philip Glass.
The last piece of work I recommended is… I recently caught Dorothy Cross’s show—Veins of Other—at the Kerlin Gallery. Twelve hand carved human feet sculptures made of various marble from around the world. She always manages to mix the poetic with the political so sensitively, and this work, loaded with socio-geological symbolism, is so silently poignant.
I never leave the house without… checking the hob is turned off and continue to doubt myself as I cycle down the road.
The performance I still think about is… I recently saw the dance troupe La Horde perform in their home town in Marseille. My mind was blown. They performed an amazing work by Oona Doherty during their showcase. Stylishly subverting ballet while dropping viral dance references.
The best advice I’ve ever gotten… let a dog sniff your hand before petting it; measure twice before cutting once; food is social currency, learn to cook, people will love you.
The art that means the most to me is… Francis Bacon’s Royal Academy of Art show Man and Beast from 2022. This was a perfect show for me at the time and still resonates today. A collection of his most powerful pieces, spotlit and imposing. Large-scale bangers, each and every one of them.
If I wasn’t an artist, I would be… spending more time in the studio recording music and pushing my project Domino Hex with fellow painter friend Jacopo Pagin.
The magic of art to me is… making a living from applying pigment on a stretched piece of fabric.
The solemn geography of human limits by Colm Mac Athlaoich at Glovebox will run until September 1. Glovebox Gallery has moved with Allta to the Docklands. All the artworks can be viewed at www.glovebox.space.
Imagery courtesy of Colm Mac Athlaoaich
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