Brian Maguire, Lamentation is a solo exhibition at Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, running from 30 April – 6 July.

« We need to honour the fact that men and women die just trying to get work ». These are the words of renowned painter Brian Maguire who has committed the last forty years to revealing the impact of war, corruption and oppression on the human condition. In order to escape endemic narco-trafficking and poverty, thousands travel every year from Central and South America to often end up in the soup kitchens of major North American cities. On the way, hundreds lose their lives making the perilous journey across the Arizona-Sonoran desert in a desperate attempt to cross illegally from Mexico to the USA.  Working in this case from photographs of their unidentified remains taken between 2017 and 2019, the artist compares the act of painting to a furious cry of love and remembrance. In stark yet beautiful terms, Maguire renders visible the fate of forgotten individuals. Two short documentaries in the exhibition further contextualise his deeply invested approach. 

A screening of The Life of Brian (Maguire) will take place on Tuesday 6 May at 7.30pm followed by a discussion with the film maker Mark McLoughlin and the artist himself.