The Molesworth Gallery is delighted to present an exhibition of recent work by Jennifer Trouton. As an artist, Trouton is drawn to the oft-overlooked banalities of human existence, giving dignity to the little losses that life inflicts; the lost generations and their culture; childhood innocence subsiding into adolescence; and community-based everyday rituals that are usurped by individualism and isolation. This 'vanishing present' is the constant theme in her work.
With tremendous skill and dexterity, Trouton paints fabric and wallpaper, not just as a mirror of the real world but also as part of a broader narrative, incorporating symbolism and folk-historical imagery into the work. Her mastery of the formal techniques of painting and image-making overlays these subtle narratives, allowing them to emerge slowly over time as the viewer is drawn back into the work again and again.
Her latest exhibition consists of two large signature works in oil on canvas, as well a grid of 50 A4-sized, mixed media works, conceived as a single installation in a gallery setting but also as standalone pieces to be hung independently of each other.
Trouton has exhibited extensively throughout Ireland and internationally. Previous solo exhibitions include Still (2009) and Home (2011) at The Molesworth Gallery, as well as shows at the 18th Street Gallery Los Angeles, Spectrum Gallery London, The RHA Ashford Gallery, Dublin and The Fenderesky Gallery Belfast. Her awards include RHA Keating/McLaughlin Medal, a residency at the 18th Street Art Complex in Santa Monica, USA, the COE Adjudicators’ Prize awarded by Andrea Schlieker from the 4th Plinth Project, Trafalagar Square, and a Golden Fleece Award. In 2007, Trouton was shortlisted for Ireland’s prestigious AIB Artist of Promise Award.
Her work is held in numerous public and private collections including the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, The University of Ulster, Belfast HSC Trust, ESB Ireland, The Office of Public Works and the David Roberts Collection, London.