The acquisition of John Conway's "Time Cuts Like a Knife" by The Farmgate Cafe at the English Market is an example of the importance of public art. The artwork, which now has a permanent home on the outer balcony, features neon text in English and Arabic with illustrations of a dagger and an animated hourglass.
Time Cuts Like A Knife translates the Arabic phrase الوقت كالسيف ان لم تقطعه قطعك. The phrase emerged during artistic workshops with young people in a Direct Provision Centre in Tramore, County Waterford, in November 2022. While ‘Time Cuts Like a Knife’ universally speaks to the inevitability of change versus entropy, pressure and regret, it explicitly refers to the systematic harm and violence enacted over time through indifference and inaction, particularly in relation to the Direct Provision system in Ireland.
Rebecca Harte, Farmgate Café, English Market, Cork
When I first saw John Conway’s Time Cuts Like a Knife it stopped me in my tracks. With its simple yet provocative clarity, it speaks to everyone. Now hanging in public view on our outer balcony, it has been fascinating to hear how people have responded to this piece. One customer said that he cannot take his eyes off it because its sheer truth prompts him to think of his own life. The Farmgate Café is part of a wider community of exchange with customers. But if you were to strip away the art, it would only be about business. And it must be more than that. It is important to see art hanging in everyday spaces. In this case to be able to sit and have lunch – to rest your eye on something that is thoughtful, stimulating and good for the heart and the soul.
John Conway
John is a visual artist working at the forefront of socially engaged visual arts. He creates innovative context-specific artworks, marked by their artistic quality and responsiveness to the interests and needs of the communities he works with. John is a 3-year resident at Temple Bar Gallery & Studios (2025-2028). Recent public art commissions include Listening Arrays (2025); A series of permanent artworks installed across therapy and assessment rooms in The Alders Child Sexual Assault Unit in Connolly Hospital; and The Colossus (2025) – a temporary public artwork with mothers who have lost children to suicide in North Clondalkin. His artworks are held in numerous public and private collections including the Office of Public Works, the Kildare Municipal Art Collection, and the HSE. He has received numerous awards and bursaries to support his art practice including Next Generation Artist Award and an Arts Participation Bursary from The Irish Arts Council.
This is a free event but spaces are limited and booking is essential. To reserve your place please email director@
