Arty Types Strike Back

Over the past couple of days, I've checked out both the National College of Art and Design and Institute of Art, Design & Technology degree shows and have been bowled over by the calibre of work on display.

I'm far from being a connoisseur of fine art but even I could see that there are some very talented artists about to be unleashed into the real world, specialising in areas ranging from painting and sculpture to fashion and visual communication.

The above image was inspired by a tongue-in-cheek piece in 'Le Cool' magazine that suggested the competitiveness between both these Dublin-based art colleges runs deeper than any rift between UCD and Trinity. Students I spoke to from both colleges dismissed notions of any such competition and the crossover of people I saw at the exhibitions suggests that, if anything, students from both colleges have a 'we're all in this together' mentality.

With so much work on display and so many people trying to see the exhibits, it was practically impossible to see everything at each show. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go back during the week and get a better look.

IADT Graduate Show runs until June 11th at IADT, Dun Laoghaire.

NCAD Graduate Show runs until June 14th at NCAD, Thomas Street, Dublin 8.