ABOUT ANTHONY
Bio
Anthony Carey is a Dublin-based Irish artist. Working between abstraction and figuration, he creates layered compositions that invite reflection, offering spaces where personal experience and memory quietly intersect.
Carey trained as a graphic designer and later taught graphic design for more than twenty years. Painting became a sustained practice following the death of his wife in 2008 and gradually assumed a central place in his life. Carey later returned to education, completing a BA (Hons) in Creative Arts with the Open College of the Arts in 2026.
His work has been exhibited in Ireland and internationally and is held in private collections in Ireland and abroad. In 2022, he received the Abstract Category Award at the Chianciano Art Biennale in Italy.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My paintings begin through making rather than with a fixed image. I often allow diluted acrylic to move across the canvas, turning it until figures or other forms begin to suggest themselves. I respond by building with plaster, drawing and further layers of paint, then scraping back, covering and reconsidering what is there. Forms appear, disappear and sometimes return, leaving traces of earlier decisions within the surface.
I avoid refining the emerging figures too completely. They remain partial, fractured and often positioned at thresholds or within uncertain spaces—reflecting my lived experience after an accident and the effect this had on my sense of self. That identity shifted again following the death of my wife. Their incompleteness feels more truthful to me than an idealised or fully resolved body.
Memory, loss and belonging enter the work indirectly. I am interested in how experience is transformed by time, what remains after people, relationships and places change, and how absence can continue to be felt as a form of presence. The paintings do not illustrate particular events or tell fixed stories; they remain open to the memories and associations viewers bring to them.
SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Solo Exhibitions
Belonging: A Quest for Home, Scariff Library Gallery, Co. Clare (2024)
Small Talk, Icon Factory, Dublin (2022)
Joint Exhibition
Between the Shores, Dublin (2024)
Selected Group Exhibitions
Art for Gaza, The Copper House Gallery, Dublin (2024)
Chianciano Art Biennale, Museo d’Arte di Chianciano, Italy (2022)
London Art Biennale, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London (2021)
Showcase: 30 Years, Gallery@OXO, London (2018)
Award
Abstract Category Award, Chianciano Art Biennale, Italy (2022)
Selected Project
Connection — participatory art project, installation and artist book (2018)
Education
BA (Hons) Creative Arts, Open College of the Arts — completed following a return to education later in life (2026)
Collections
Work held in private ownership in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece and Belgium.
"While Monet painted the changes within the work itself; Carey records the reverberations directly on his work… both sharing a core appreciation for color, texture, light, shadow, and transitions. I hope you enjoy his day in this moment."
- Jennifer Gillie Cutshall, Curator, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Questions about the work
What is a textured painting?
A textured painting has a physically built surface, with layers, ridges and marks that respond differently as the light changes.
Texture is not simply decorative in my work. It allows the painting to retain a record of what has been covered, changed or left behind, becoming a way of holding memory within the surface.
For me, painting texture is a way of holding memory. It can suggest what has been covered, changed, repaired, or left behind. Hanging a heavily textured painting brings a changing presence to your space. You can see this quality in many of my selected works.
Should abstract art have meaning?
Abstract art can carry meaning, but it does not need to have one fixed interpretation. Colour, texture, rhythm and atmosphere can communicate feelings or ideas without explaining them literally.
My paintings often grow from personal experiences of memory, loss, belonging and place. However, they are not intended to be decoded like puzzles with one correct answer.
I leave space for viewers to bring their own experiences, emotions and associations, allowing each person to form a different connection with the work.
How do I know if a painting is right for me or my home?
A painting may be right for you if you feel a personal connection to it and can imagine living with the atmosphere it brings into your home.
Rather than trying to match a painting exactly to your furniture or décor, consider how you want the room to feel—calm, energetic, warm or contemplative. The scale of the wall, natural light and surrounding colours are also important.
If you continue returning to a particular work and it holds your attention, that lasting response is often a better guide than whether it matches the room perfectly.
Why buy original art directly from the artist?
Buying directly from the artist gives you a closer connection to the work and its story. You know where the painting comes from, how it was made, and that it is authentic.
When you purchase artwork directly from my Dublin studio, you are supporting contemporary Irish art from the source. Every original painting is packaged and shipped worldwide, arrives with a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and you are welcome to contact me with any questions before purchasing.
To make the process easier for collectors, my original Irish paintings on canvas arrive wired and ready to hang, whether framed or unframed. shop available works
How do figures and landscapes come together in your work?
Figures and landscapes come together in my work as ways of exploring the relationship between human experience, memory and place.
The figures often suggest vulnerability, absence or displacement, while the landscapes hold atmosphere, distance, weather and memory. I am interested in how places shape us and how we continue to carry them within us after we have left.
The figure and the landscape are therefore not separate subjects; together, they allow me to explore belonging, loss and our emotional connection to place.
Should I buy an original painting or a limited-edition print?
Choosing between an original painting and a limited-edition print depends on your budget, available wall space and the kind of connection you want with the work.
An original painting is entirely one of a kind. It carries the physical texture, layered surface and individual marks of the artwork as it was made in the studio. Each original is supplied framed or unframed as stated on its artwork page. Unframed canvases have finished edges and are ready to hang unless otherwise noted.
A limited-edition print offers a more affordable way to own the image while retaining a degree of scarcity through a restricted edition.
Prints are signed and numbered and supplied unframed, either flat or securely rolled depending on their size, allowing you to choose framing that suits your home.
View Full CV
Anthony Carey
Born in Dublin, Ireland
Currently lives and works in Dublin, Ireland
Email: hello@anthonycareyart.com
Website: www.anthonycareyart.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/anthonycareyart
EDUCATION
2026 — BA (Hons) Creative Arts, Open College of the Arts, UK.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 — Belonging: A Quest for Home, Scariff Library Gallery, Scariff, Clare, Ireland.
2022 — Small Talk, Icon Factory, Dublin, Ireland.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 — Members Exhibition, RoCo Art Centre, Rochester, New York, USA.
2025 — 6 x 6, RoCo Art Centre, Rochester, New York, USA.
2024 — 6 x 6, RoCo Art Centre, Rochester, New York, USA.
2024 — Art for Gaza, The Copper House Gallery, Dublin, Ireland.
2023 — Open Studio, Dublin, Ireland.
2023 — Art at the Mill, Berkeley Gallery, Grennan Mill, Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland.
2023 — Summer of Love, Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, Co. Clare, Ireland.
2023 — Mountshannon Arts Festival, Mountshannon, Co. Clare, Ireland.
2023 — 6 x 6, RoCo Art Centre, Rochester, New York, USA.
2023 — 10th Annual Abstract Sanctuary, Verum Ultimum Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA.
2023 — Art Is, Kefi Art Gallery, Toronto, Canada.
2023 — Group Show, GalleryX, Dublin, Ireland.
2022 — Chianciano Art Biennale, Museo d’Arte di Chianciano, Tuscany, Italy. Award in Abstract Category.
2022 — Art at the Mill, Berkeley Gallery, Thomastown, Kilkenny, Ireland.
2022 — The Garden of Loss and Triumph, Artaviso, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2022 — Door to Door, Artaviso, Lite-Haus Galerie & Projektraum, Berlin, Germany.
2021 — Art in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Art Cave, New York, USA.
2021 — Pluid Project, The Cowshed, Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland.
2021 — Sculpture in the Garden, Berkeley Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland.
2021 — Newsprint, Three Works, Scarborough, UK.
2021 — London Art Biennale, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, UK.
2021 — Newsprint Exhibition, Three Works, Scarborough, UK.
2021 — Hope, Fragmented Collective, Glasgow, UK. Virtual exhibition.
2020 — Door to Door (UK & Europe), Artaviso. Virtual exhibition.
2020 — Art & Architecture: Uncovering Libraries & Collections, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin, Ireland.
2020 — Artist Spotlight, Sauvage Gallery. Virtual exhibition.
2019 — The Christmas Fair, Icon Factory, Dublin, Ireland.
2019 — Art & Architecture: Uncovering Libraries & Collections, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin, Ireland.
2019 — Sculpture in Context, National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, Ireland.
2018 — Showcase, 30 Years, Gallery@OXO, London, UK.
2018 — Art & Architecture: Uncovering Libraries & Collections, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin, Ireland.
2018 — Trasna 8, Courthouse Gallery and Studios, Co. Clare, Ireland.
FILM
Story, a one-minute experimental film, has been officially selected as a finalist or nominee at film festivals in London, Berlin, Tokyo, Lisbon, Rome, Los Angeles, Bali, Toronto, and Vancouver.
2021 — Imagine Rain Independent Film Awards, California, USA. Best Experimental Short — Winner.
2021 — Great Message International Film Festival, Mumbai, India. Best Smartphone Film — Winner.
2021 — Tagore International Film Festival, West Bengal, India. Best One Minute Film — Winner.
2021 — Art Film Awards, Skopje, Macedonia. Best Super Short Film — Winner.
2021 — Art Film Awards, Skopje, Macedonia. Best Poster — Winner.
2021 — World Film Carnival. Best Experimental Film — Winner. Best One Minute Film — Winner.
2021 — Virgin Spring Cinefest, West Bengal, India / Singapore. Best One Minute Film — Winner.
2021 — Druk International Film Festival. Best One Minute Film — Winner.
2021 — 1st Monthly Film Festival, Belgrade, Serbia. Honourable Mention.
2021 — Lule International Film Festival, Luleå, Sweden. Semi-Finalist.
FUNDRAISING
2025 — ArtHouse, in aid of Outhouse Dublin.
2024 — One in Four, Dublin.
2024 — ArtHouse, in aid of Outhouse Dublin.
2024 — So This Is Early Onset Bowel Cancer, The Loft Gallery, Brisbane, Australia.
2023 — One in Four, Dublin.
2023 — Twitter Art Exhibit, supporting Urban Native Youth Association, Vancouver, Canada.
2023 — Outside the Box, RHA, supporting Scoop Foundation, Dublin, Ireland.
2022 — ArtHouse, in aid of Outhouse Dublin.
2022 — Incognito, in aid of Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.
2022 — Twitter Art Exhibit, supporting The Encephalitis Society, The Hiscox Building, York, UK.
2021 — Incognito, in aid of Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.
2021 — ArtHouse, in aid of Outhouse Dublin.
2021 — Twitter Art Exhibit, in aid of LINC, Cheltenham, UK.
2021 — Pluid Project, Dublin, Ireland.
2020 — Inside Out Homeshow, in aid of The Coombe Children’s Hospital.
2020 — ArtHouse, in aid of Outhouse Dublin.
BOOKS
2018 — Connection, Anthony Carey, Dublin, Ireland.
2020 — Letters from Dublin, Anthony Carey and Stephen Carey, Dublin, Ireland.
2020 — Ask Me Arse and Other Useful Phrases, Anthony Carey and Becca Carey, Dublin, Ireland.
2025 — Ask Me Arse and Other Useful Phrases, Second Edition, Anthony Carey and Becca Carey, Dublin, Ireland.
REVIEWS
Whelan, Ken. Finglas Connection, Northside People Sunday, 2 September 2018.
Whelan, Ken. Author Writes Letters from Dublin, Northside People Sunday, 7 January 2020.
PUBLICATIONS
2021 — Red Sails in a Covid Urban Landscape, Artists Responding To, Issue 6.
2021 — Opinion, Haus-a-Rest, Issue 13: The Uncanny.
COLLECTIONS
Works held in private collections in Ireland, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, the UK, Germany, and Greece.