Niall Conlon - More is More

MORE IS MORE

Niall Conlon

Niall Conlon is a self-taught Irish artist whose journey from professional rugby player and Cambridge Blue to full-time artist is as unique as his work. After leaving a lucrative career in London’s financial district, Conlon pursued his passion for art, answering a deep inner calling to explore creativity and expression.

Niall, born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, draws heavily from his hometown’s urban landscape and social fabric. His dynamic, mixed-media pieces skilfully bridge chaos and order, reflecting the city’s often gritty and complex life. His signature style, with its bold, energetic brushstrokes, gestural lines, and vivid colours, evokes a raw, visceral quality that is both captivating and intriguing.

Niall’s process often involves building layers of paint, collage, and text, creating rich, textured surfaces that invite exploration and interpretation. Through this layering, he adds depth and meaning to his works, engaging the observer to uncover the nuances within each piece. Recurring motifs such as dogs and skulls form part of his visual language, symbolising deeper themes and offering a continuity across his work.

His art recalls the spirit of great American expressionists like Basquiat and De Kooning, blending the intensity of the external world with his own interior experiences. This emotional resonance makes his pieces stand out for their boldness and complexity.

Niall works from his studio in the heart of Belfast, where he continues evolving his artistic practice and challenging conventional boundaries.

More is More

Niall Conlon’s latest exhibition, More is More, is a powerful expression of raw emotion and intense energy. The featured piece, with its bold, chaotic strokes and bright, vivid colours, encapsulates a world of passion that resonates with the viewer. A fierce red figure dominates the canvas, exuding an almost primal intensity, while the background teems with repeated words like “More Peace,” “More Love,” and “More Empathy,” stirring the viewer’s emotions.

Through these powerful and deliberate contradictions, Conlon challenges the viewer to confront the complexities of contemporary existence. His work invites us to reflect on the desire for harmony in a world marked by fierce, untamed forces. His characteristic layering technique, combined with jagged lines and vibrant textures, conveys a message that is urgent and timeless. It’s a call for peace, love, and understanding amidst chaos, which resonates with the human condition across generations.

More than just a display, More is More invites the audience to become active participants in a visual dialogue. It explores the human desire for more emotion, connection, and empathy. Conlon’s work, with its refusal to be confined, embraces an aesthetic of abundance, making a bold, powerful statement on the human condition today. It’s a statement that demands not just attention, but also active reflection and engagement.

This exhibition will feature several more striking pieces, each a testament to Conlon’s belief in art’s ability to transcend, challenge, and speak louder than words alone. We invite you to immerse yourself in this bold exploration of the excesses of human emotion and interaction.