Tonight, VMTV on its Twitter page interviewed the artist Adam Doyle on the meaning of his painting on April 2023. This interview has generated numerous responses from Eoin O’ Brion and many others across the social media space. Eoin O Broin, Sinn Fein T.D. for Dublin Mid-West on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, tweeted “No words needed” on his page, as he reads the painting in a way that is politically inclined.
No words needed (credit Mála Spíosraí) pic.twitter.com/JK6NVcFNeU
— Eoin Ó Broin (@EOBroin) April 1, 2023
There were mixed reactions over Sinn Féin’s Housing Spokesperson, Eoin Ó Broin, and his tweet about the Eviction Ban. “No Words Needed” was the caption accompanying a piece of artwork by SpiceBag.Exe, aka Mála Spíosraí, aka Adam Doyle depicting a famine era eviction with the Gardaí present. This painting gave various meanings to different people across the media.
This piece generated different people’s views on Garda’s involvement and criticized it. While others may have agreed with his thoughts, there are massive comments on the media’s Twitter page, and the minister’s page as well. Some of the reactions were closely related to the police picture added to the painting.
What about my client the self employed man with a family home and one rental property where the mortgage payments across both has risen by an unsustainable 850e per month? So his rental property destroys his credit history and takes down the family home? Have u a solution ?
— ken murray (@cionnai) April 1, 2023
Minister,TDs Media coverage of this image has not really been thought through would seem to be only enforcing image in people's minds
— Teresa (@get12_ter) April 3, 2023
The picture shows a revamped edition of Daniel MacDonald’s 1850s painting The Eviction, a Famine-era scene depicting a peasant family being removed from their cottage. The reworked piece superimposes masked gardaí and private security officers over the original’s 19th-century bailiffs. The contemporary images are taken from the Frederick Street evictions in 2018.
This maltreatment has been considered inhumane by different groups and so many others have decided in their own way to fight for the masses.
Human rights concerns have become increasingly prevalent in Garda civilian interactions in recent years. Most people have suffered lots of maltreatment from the police when it comes to the eviction process in Ireland in the past.
Below is the video on Newstalk Breakfast about the comment.
Video by Newstalk Breakfast on YouTube.
Mr Goldbrick, the landlord that allowed the painting to hang on his wall, said because he believed in the course and promotes the wellbeing of citizens. He said it is time for Gardai to find another way of evicting people.
Ha, they have the artist of the eviction pic Adam Doyle (spicebag) on #TonightVMTV.
— Dáithí K (@tvcritics) April 3, 2023
Well done Eoin Ó Broin.
"No words needed" pic.twitter.com/kOB0mQaUvQ
Daithí, a TV critic sees the painting as a political satire, and as a way of getting to the government and telling them their incompetence to correct the abnormalities.
The painting explains the Garda’s conduct in incidents like the Frederick St. eviction, which the force admittedly regrets. Their name badges and IDs were covered up at the eviction.
Doyle explains that “People seem to be really wound up about it as if it’s like it’s some sort of fantastical thing,”. People have suffered trauma, and pain from eviction at different times.
"[If] you get upset about the fact that the Gardaí are in it – that might not be the correct emotional response to a bunch of people getting thrown out of their home"
— TonightVMTV (@TonightVMTV) April 3, 2023
– Visual Artist Adam Doyle, also known as Spicebag, on his eviction image retweeted by @EOBroin #TonightVMTV pic.twitter.com/fE9oaZ1eD4
Painting is a tool for communication, to correct some societal misdeeds. Many a time, the truth will be exposed through paintings, while in some the truth is at the surface level. Past events are brought back to the present, by showing events in the past to make the past enliven as well.
I would like to thank the Gods of Discourse for bringing me a discussion of art’s place in society wrapped inside a discussion of homelessness and the power of landlords, wrapped inside a man demanding deference to authority from a man named Spicebag live on Telly.
— Simon McGarr @Tupp_ed@mastodon.ie (@Tupp_Ed) April 4, 2023
Whenever some events are becoming unbearable in society, an artist can use their artistic prowess to educate, inform and entertain the people. Government attention is drawn to people’s inadequacies, to get their attention and increase their reactions as well.
