Mutualisms: Peter Smyth

‘Mutualisms’, Peter’s debut solo show, was inspired by the often unseen and abstract operations within plant ecology.

With this body of work, Peter considered the parallels between the natural occurrences of plant ecology, and that of his painting process – specifically, the painting’s relationship to the digital processes that are used to create them.  

As part of his process, Peter used computer generated renders as creative stimulus, and translates them into original painted works. 3D models are drawn from facets of plant ecology, above and below ground.

What we saw exhibited was a collection of colourful, abstract paintings - no digital pieces. Similar in theory to plant life, where we often see what is above the ground, not the processes underneath that initiate the growth.

About the artist:

Peter Smyth is an Irish artist based in Kildare. He graduated with a degree in Painting from the National College of Art & Design in 2017 before completing his postgraduate studies in Cultural Policy; Arts Management at UCD in 2019.