The respectable and serene Irish Museum of Modern Art is transformed into a meeting house for young and struggling artists on Wednesday evening who are there for the opening of the Glen Dimplex Artists Award Exhibition. The wine disappears fast and there is no problem spotting the mothers and fathers among the daring artists.
David Phillips and Paul Rowley, whose collaborative work is included in the exhibition, do not think it strange for two people to be working on the same piece. It's fun to work together, they can share tasks and bounce ideas off each other. They are based in San Francisco and Phillips is from Memphis, so what about returning to Ireland fulltime? The weather wouldn't be a problem and Dublin is great, says Phillips but the cigarette-issue might be a sticking point for the nicotine-free west-coaster. "I think I'd have to wash my clothes more often," he says, and judging by the fact that half the guests are outside the museum in the drizzle puffing away, today's gear could probably do with a tumble in the washing machine.
Clare Langan, another artist on the awards shortlist, is off to Namibia soon to shoot a film based on a town being eaten away by the desert. It's a far cry from her present exhibit, which depicts a new Ice Age in Iceland. She agrees that weather extremes are more interesting than chilly, wet days in April. Langan's friend Eoin Foyle, who runs various trendy drinking holes, is here to see her work. He is not at all sorry to have left the lean world of art after years at art college and unashamedly says he did so to make money. He won't be going to any after-exhibition parties, however, as he is spinning discs in one of his venues. His work as a DJ is "just for fun", says the young entrepreneur.
But life as an artist isn't always fun, says Austin McQuinn. "It's still difficult - not to be whingeing about it," he says adding that he's off to Hanover for a spot of studio work next week. Marie Foley agrees that artists have it hard but that she wouldn't give it up for anything.
One artist who seems to be enjoying herself regardless is Petah Coyne, whose work is also in the exhibition. She's happy to be in Ireland and feels everything is so familiar it's as if "I went to school with everyone". She reckons in Ireland there is a "soft spot in everyone, which is rare", but admits she has never been in rush-hour traffic.
Rush is what Ivana Bacik is all about these days being barrister, university lecturer and all-round media darling. She's late for the opening and is here at the invitation of college friend Paul Rowley. She admits her life as a socialite has taken a bit of a nosedive because of the other activities she is involved in, but manages to make up for it among friends at the exhibition.