Nothing like a basket of giant fruit and veg to add a dash of the surreal. Little wonder that US ambassador Michael J. Sullivan seemed a tad startled by the metre-high apples, plums and celery on Monday evening at the Solomon Gallery's exhibition of bronze sculpture by category defying Florida art collective Popliteo.
While their contemporaries do busts and innocuous trinkets, Luis Montoya and Leslie Ortiz are more interested in creating huge food in bronze. They were in Dublin for a European tour arranged by Anglo-Irish art dealer Theo Waddington, son of the renowned Victor Waddington.
Theo was in jolly humour. The opening, the first presided over by the new US ambassador, went swimmingly. He also plans to exhibit work by Wicklow-based artist Conor Fallon in the US.
Suzanne Macdougald of the Solomon Gallery flitted between British ambassador Ivor Roberts and Brazilian counterpart Armando Sergio Frazao while extolling the virtues of Wicklow sculptor Rupert Till whose wire sculptures she puts on display next August. Mary Bowe of Marlfield House, Gorey, and classical singer Deirdre O'Callaghan, looking forward to her upcoming appearance at Westport Arts festival, also attended.
Film censor Sheamus Smithhis thoughts on the new Star Wars movie, fixed us with a scowl worthy of Darth Maul and indicated that his position forbade him dispensing cinematic opinions willy nilly. He did seem rather keener on Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut which he announced has been passed with no cuts. Although he clearly wouldn't have minded discussing the flick in greater detail, convention precluded him from elucidating further. More a case of mouth wide shut then.