Through Line
Paul Bokslag

Exhibition Opening: Saturday 10th May, 3.00pm - 5.00pm. All Welcome.

Butler Gallery is very pleased to present a solo exhibition by the Kilkenny-based Dutch-born artist Paul Bokslag. Painting, works on paper, mural and papercut art are included in this exhibition of abstract linear compositions.

Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, geometric structures and abstract visual vocabularies have been timeless methods of conveying meaning and gaining visual literacy. From prehistoric times, triangles, squares, and circles have been elemental and universal principles in all visual arts, forming the foundation of a shared visual language indicative of our enduring commonality.

My practice focuses on our perception of space and how we can change it using accessible tools and materials: a few buckets of paint, a ball of sisal twine, paper sheets or rolls of tape.[1]

Bokslag’s multi-coloured mural Parallels, created in situ during the week of the installation, unfolds across the 95 sq. metre gallery wall. It is a powerful celebration of line and colour. The horizontal and vertical lines and repeated layered shapes twist and turn, conveying dynamic movement and a sense of energy and vibrancy throughout the gallery space.

Using scalpel on white paper, Bokslag expertly employs great skill in realising his exquisitely layered papercut works. He delivers the monumental in Balance, 2025, in the form of a large-scale suspended paper installation, and the intimate in framed works that invite us to examine the fragility and elegance of this particular art-making process.

Paul Bokslag is passionate about participative and inclusive arts practice, and was a founding member of the inclusive KCAT Arts Centre in Callan in 1999. Through Line invites us to go on a personal journey with the artist to experience his own practice celebrating line in a multiplicity of elegant ways of seeing.

[1] A quote by Paul Bokslag from the accompanying fold-out publication designed by Bokslag with a text by Catherine Marshall.

About the Artist

Paul Bokslag is a Visual Artist, Facilitator and Graphic Designer from the Netherlands and is based in Callan, Co. Kilkenny. His arts practice encompasses gallery exhibitions, public murals, installations and collaborative projects. He has exhibited widely in Ireland and the Netherlands including Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin; VISUAL, Carlow; Facebook offices, Ballsbridge; National Design & Craft Gallery and County Hall, Kilkenny. Bokslag worked for many years with KCAT Arts Centre, Kilkenny, is an associate artist with Helium Arts, and regularly works with Workhouse Union, Callan. He has been the recipient of many artist residencies and awards. Bokslag’s work features in several public Collections including the OPW State Art Collection and many private collections in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Australia, UK and the USA. https://paulbokslag.com/

Learning & Public Engagement Events

Artist Talk: Thursday 5th June, 6:00pm. Paul Bokslag in conversation with Catherine Marshall, art historian and curator, and Anna O’Sullivan, Director and Chief Curator of Butler Gallery. Book your free ticket here.