17/07/2023
THE ADULT AND CHILD SEAT IN ST CATHERINE'S PARK [AN INTERESTING BRONZE SCULPTURE BY JIM FLAVIN]
St Catherine’s Graveyard Park also includes a sculpture, Adult & Child Seat by the artist Jim Flavin (1961 – 2004).
Taking much of its form and colour from the headstones in the park, which was formerly a graveyard; this artwork in the form of a bronze curvilinear seat celebrates the continuation of life. The abstract flowing forms of this sculpture are typical of Flavin’s work.
Flavin was primarily an abstract artist, interested in the fluidity of bronze and the forms and textures he could create with the material and patina. He favoured soft, flowing shapes and focused on the different sections of each artwork and the way in which he bought them together to achieve the form and texture he desired. The site of the piece is of particular significance.
As part of the 1988 Sculpture Symposium the selected artists were given a list of sites to choose from and in this case Jim Flavin chose St. Catherine’s despite it not being one of the listed sites.
Jim Flavin was born in Limerick in 1961. He attended the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and the Crawford College of Art in Cork. He then went to live at Lasallian International Art and Culture Centre outside Florence. It was here that the found his true expressive medium and from there on he was fascinated by the art of bronze cast- ing. This fascination soon turned to dedication and following his return to Ireland he founded the Bronze Art Ltd. foundry in Dublin. Flavin was also a member of the executive board of the Sculptors Society of Ireland from 1992-93.
