I'll have a collage in the upcoming Artnauts exhibition in Northern Ireland. It's opening May 22, 2024 at UV Arts in Derry (Londonderry), then will be traveling to Platform Arts Belfast in Belfast! This show is curated by the incredible Rian Kerrane & Rebecca Vaughan.
The curatorial theme Thus Far refers to this moment in time, and all that has led up to the present. It is a moment for reflection, and the present point in a story, or the pause between one breath and the next. It is the time for consideration of a future that starts now.
My work for this exhibition centers on the way history is written and whose story it tells. The reality of women throughout history in Northern Ireland & Ireland is multifaceted and complex, but often appears as a one-dimensional image in conversations about The Troubles. Typically, women are overlooked, or represented as helpless victims rather than participants with agency and convictions, when the history is written.
Ruminating on this tension surrounding identity, I used images of archetypical “Celtic*” motifs, a cross-stitch sewing pattern, an image of a handgun, vellum, and a found poem; the poem was created by cutting and re-arranging the recipe and description of Irish Broonie from a found cookbook.
By arranging these pieces together, I suggest that we investigate the rich duality that women embody and the power that they have to move forward from adversity; rather than just accepting the banal and dismissive narratives about women in histories.
The found poem reads: Cut into squares And serve warm Perfectly unusual and Grown dark
Ingredients Don't know how to separate Beat them together
A little sweet,
In this cool, wet land.
Stir in the molasses.
Test with a toothpick For doneness.
*Please note: the validity of the term “Celtic” is contested by many historians and anthropologists.