AFTER THE FIRE

After the Fire, red textured acrylic and plaster painting with a solitary central figure by Irish artist Anthony Carey
  • Close-up of layered red and orange plaster and paint beside the figure in After the Fire

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  • Close-up of the central figure emerging from the textured red surface of After the Fire

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About the work

After the Fire began with the idea of aftermath: the point at which the immediate crisis has passed, but its effects remain. The solitary figure appears to have emerged from an altered landscape, carrying within its fragmented body traces of the same colours, damage and accumulated material that surround it.


While making the painting, I was thinking about the experiences that change us—both the large-scale crises that shape a shared history and the quieter personal upheavals that may be less visible to others. We continue beyond them, but we do not return to who we were before. Something of what happened remains embedded within us.


The figure is not intended as a survivor from one specific event. I recognise something of myself in its awkwardness and vulnerability, but its identity remains open. It may be standing still, moving forward or simply enduring. The intense red landscape can suggest destruction, but the passages of orange light also carry the possibility that something new may emerge from what has been altered.


The painting was built through accumulation and removal. Layers were added, obscured and revealed again, allowing earlier marks and colours to remain visible within the final surface. After the Fire does not present renewal as a clean beginning. It considers how we move forward carrying both the damage and the surviving traces of what came before.


Artwork details
2024/26
Acrylic and plaster on canvas
30 × 40 cm


Availability on request →