Quick Facts
Biography
Niall McCormack (born in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland in 1960) is an Irish painter. Since the 1980s, he exhibited in England, Italy, Sweden, Washington, and Ireland.
Education
McCormack is deaf from birth. In 1964, he received his special education at Mary Immaculate School for Deaf Children run by the Daughters of the Cross of Liege in Stillorgan, South Dublin. Six years later, he was transferred to Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s School for Deaf Boys, Cabra in North Dublin. He was one of two first pupils to sit the Leaving Certificate examination in 1980.
He studied Architectural Drawing at Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street, Dublin. He secured a place to study Art Foundation course at Dun Laoghaire School of Art, Dublin in 1982 and was awarded a NCEA certificate in Visual Education. In 1983, McCormack studied Fine Art Painting at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. He obtained a NCAD diploma in Painting in 1986 and a BA(Hons) degree in 1987. He was a first deaf student to study Fine Art at NCAD. He earned a diploma in Arts Management from Birkbeck College, University of London.
Career
In 1988 McCormack taught deaf children Art on a part-time basis in his old school, Mary Immaculate School, Stillorgan for two years. He also worked from his studio in Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin. In 1990, He moved to London where he continued to pursue his painting career. He had a number of exhibitions in London and the UK. He ran a number of Art workshops and classes, gave a series of talks on Art and Deaf Art. He worked as a freelance gallery guide giving gallery talks to both deaf and hearing audiences at a number of London galleries including Tate Modern and the Whitechapel Art Gallery. In 2002, he was invited to participate in Deaf Way II, World Deaf Arts and Culture Festival in Washington DC where he exhibited his seven paintings along with invited deaf artists from all over the world. He delivered a lecture on European perspective on Deaf Art at Galluadet University, Washington DC.
In the same year 2002, He was asked to have a solo exhibition at the Custom House Studios, Westport, Co. Mayo. Mr John O’Donaghue, the Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism officated the opening of the new Arts centre where he was the first artist to have an exhibition there.
In April 2007, He left London to move back to Ireland. Since 2007, He has exhibited at the RHA regularly. He is represented by the Molesworth Gallery, Dublin where he had three solo exhibitions in 2008, 2010 and 2012. In 2011, he had a solo exhibition at the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, his birthplace.
He is included in the dictionary of Living Irish Artists.
He currently lives and works in Westport, Co. Mayo. He has two black and white cats called Bento and Domino.
Solo Exhibitions
2015 "Ocular Mantra", Molesworth Gallery, 16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2
2012 "New Work", Molesworth Gallery, 16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2
2012 "Exhibition of Portraits", Westport Arts Festival, Westport, Co. Mayo
2011 "The Incidence of Light", The Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
2010 "Inside Out" Molesworth Gallery, 16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2
2009 Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, Co. Clare
2008 "Gothic Pastel" Molesworth Gallery, 16 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2
2005 Custom House Studios Gallery, Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland
2002 Custom House Studios Gallery, Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland
1998 Solo show, Diorama Art Gallery, London.
Collections
- AXA Insurance
- Westport Town Council
- Mayo County Council
- DeafHear, Dublin
- University of Limerick
- Gallaudet University, Washington DC
- See Hear, BBC, London, England
- Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants, Dublin
- Mary Hare Grammar School, Newbury, Berkshire, England
- private collections in Ireland and abroad.