Hughie O’Donghue’s exhibition ‘Artists' Laboratory 05: Hughie O'Donoghue RA - Painting/Memory' at the Royal Academy explores themes of war, humanity and history. The five
works within this exhibition reflect the personal experiences of O’Donoghue’s father, Daniel O’Donoghue, during the Second World War and developed as a consequence of sorting through his father’s personal effects after his death.
Seeking in his art to remember events that he did not witness himself, to put flesh on the bones of history, O’Donoghue unites this immersive investigation in personal and public archives with his preoccupation with art history, artefacts and mythology, creating poetic and moving works of universal significance.
“Looking backwards is still engaging with the present. The works in my ‘Artists’ Laboratory’ show engage with the idea of remembrance as opposed to memory. Remembrance is a creative act and you have to work at it.” – Hughie O’Donoghue, RA Magazine, 2012