In this video interview, Irish artist Sean Shanahan reflects on the origins of his distinctive visual language and the central role that colour and form play in his work. Speaking from Waddington Custot on the occasion of ‘The Shape of Colour’, Shanahan discusses how his use of MDF and monochrome palettes create subtle perceptual shifts.
Shanahan shares insights into his inspirations - influenced by his long and current residency in Italy - and explains how a philosophical engagement with painting drives his exploration of ‘colour as an object’ and its emotional force when orchestrating it’. With a deep sensitivity to materials and a consistent emphasis on reduction, his works resist easy categorisation, oscillating between painting and object.
