Current Exhibitions
Stephen Brandes The Death of Socrates
19 November 2026 – 31 Janury 2027
Limerick City Gallery of Art is delighted to present Stephen Brandes’ Solo Exhibition The Death of Socrates.
The exhibition features paintings, drawings, collage and sculpture, presents an allegorical universe where the moral and critical judgement of the eponymous ancient Greek philosopher and the world around him have degenerated beyond reason.
At its core is a monumental sculptural installation which re-imagines the last moments of Socrates life, as he prepares to face execution, alongside a post-Bauhaus, folk-horror cast of characters staged as a children’s play set that’s gone horribly wrong. Whilst the title and its principal theme draws from this largely forgotten, but momentous episode in classical antiquity, the subject matter frequently wanders off in tangential directions with an irreverent disregard for either factual or historical accuracy. It is nevertheless deliberately awake to the zeitgeist of our present times.
Almost by contradiction, the exhibition celebrates the joys and weirdness of making both objects and images; often in contradictory ways where form and story-telling struggle for supremacy. The work also attempts to explore the emotive spaces that exist between tragedy and comedy, considering our shared histories and future with a measured mixture of poignancy and humour.
Queries to artgallery@limerick.ie