Flashback: back catalogues of a life, ideas and memories made tangible in a new exhibition at Hunt Museum

FLASHBACK is an exhibition of new paintings by Gillian Kenny Shinnors and Gerry Burke launching on Thursday May 16 continuing until June 30 at Hunt Museum (Café Space). 

Gillian Kenny Shinnors, a native of Limerick, honed her craft at the Limerick School of Art and Design, earning a first-class honours degree before completing her MFA at the University of Ulster, Belfast. Her vibrant palette draws inspiration from Kodachrome and Technicolor film, showcased in exhibitions across prestigious galleries such as Spectrum Gallery London, The Phatory New York, and the Engine Gallery Toronto. Critically acclaimed for her crisp and expertly painted works, she operates from her studio within the Wickham Street Studios collective space.

Meanwhile, Gerry Burke, raised in Dublin, initially contemplated a career as a painter under the guidance of esteemed portrait artist George Collie, RHA, before pursuing medicine. Serving as an obstetrician and gynaecologist for over twenty-five years in Limerick, Burke returned to painting in 2020 after a hiatus of nearly five decades, setting up a studio in the city centre.

His oil paintings, marked by their slow and deliberate process, evoke a sense of detachment from the present, resembling flashbacks that transport viewers back in time, capturing snippets of life’s narrative and memories.

Both artists share a commitment to resurrecting electronic imagery into the timeless medium of oil painting. Their works, influenced by family photos, film footage, and social media, undergo an iterative and empathic artistic process, elevating seemingly ordinary subject matter into profound expressions through the intimate touch of brush and hand. 

In an era dominated by artificial intelligence and digital reproducibility, these paintings offer a unique perspective, inviting viewers to engage with the essence of the source material in a wholly different light.