Turning it Over

'Turning It Over' was a solo painting exhibition presented by Melissa O'Donnell at the Ashford Gallery, RHA, curated by RHA director Patrick T. Murphy. Produced during Covid, the work represents an intensive period of exploration — spanning from the real to the otherworldly, harnessing the material and illusionistic qualities of painting to walk the tightrope between fantasy and fiction.

Below: 'Turning It Over' Solo Show Ashford Gallery, Royal Hibernian Academy Dublin, Melissa O'Donnell 2022.

In her critical review for Visual Artists Newsheet (March–April 2022), Carrisa Farrell describes a "fully primed arsenal of semi-abstract paintings that whirr, pop and detonate mini efflorescent explosions of squelchy paint" — capturing the energy and ambition at the heart of 'Turning It Over'.

Critical review: Turning it Over

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