Cecilia Danell (b.1985) is a Swedish-born, Ireland-based painter with a multidisciplinary practice which also involves sculptural objects, film and textiles. Her work is process based, where research into landscape and the psychology of place is coupled with a strong interest in materiality and making. Treating the landscape as an extension of the Self, the starting point for her work is always a first hand encounter with nature and she returns to the area of Sweden where she grew up to gather research materials. The experience of being in the landscape, along with the physical process of painting in the studio, results in works that detach themselves from the photographic source material to create new narratives. ‘Wood Anemone’ and ‘Bluebell Lane’, were especially made for this exhibition and stem from spring walks in the Swedish and Irish nature where she was particularly drawn to the vivid colours of the spring plants and foliage and how these could be captured through spray paint and oils. Danell’s large paintings present the viewer with vibrant forest scenes where the depth and scale makes the viewer feel as if they could step into the painting. In contrast, her small paintings focus in on tightly cropped details in the landscape, creating snapshots of select objects and textures that compliment and act as counterpoints to her larger works.
Cecilia Danell is the 2022 recipient of the Hennessy Craig Award from the Royal Hibernian Academy, Ireland’s largest prize for a young painter, the 2024 Merrion Plinth Award, a 2017 Next Generation Award from the Irish Arts Council, the ESB Keating Award and Medal at the 190th RHA Annual exhibition and several bursary and project awards from the Irish Arts Council. A major solo exhibition of her work, ‘These Magnetic Magnitudes’ curated by Brenda McParland, runs at Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, Ireland from mid-June to mid-August 2025 and will be followed by a new hardcover publication. Other recent exhibitions include ‘The 195th RHA Annual Exhibition’, Dublin IRL (2025), ‘Salong Östergötland’, Linköping Konsthall, Sweden (2025), ’Kevin Kavanagh presents Cecilia Danell’, Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise, IRL (2024), ’What the Plants Know’ Galway International Arts Festival, 126 Gallery IRL (2024), Following Threads’ Crawford Art Gallery, Cork IRL (2023), ‘A Stillness Expanded’ (solo) Claremorris Gallery IRL (2023), ‘Brush Lightly Through Fireweed Forests’ (solo) Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin IRL (2022), ‘GENERATION2022: New Irish Painting’ Butler Gallery, Kilkenny IRL (2022), ‘Parklife’ The Glucksman, Cork IRL (2022) and ‘Mise en scène’, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris FR (2021). Residencies include: Monson Arts, ME USA (2024), Áras Éanna, Aran Islands, Ireland (2024), Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ireland (2021), Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris (2020) and Nordic Artists’ Centre Dale, Norway (2016). Her work is in the collections of The Irish State, The Irish Arts Council, Trinity College Dublin IRL, University College Cork, IRL, Region Kalmar SWE, Galway City Council IRL, Wexford County Council IRL, Motala Municipality SWE and private collections in Ireland, UK, Sweden, Norway, France, Canada and Spain.