CABINET OF WONDERS #6

Linenhall Arts Centre

Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

http://www.thelinenhall.com

10 April 2018 – 31 August 2018

Devised, curated, installed and managed by visual artist Ian Wieczorek

 

THE ARTISTS:

Declan Byrne’s colourful encrusted sculpture, decorated with dried up acrylic paint patiently collected from the palettes of fellow studio members, echoes the visual language of his paintings;
Michelle Colfer’s work is inspired by childhood memory and the idea of catching hope, the origami cranes (a traditional Japanese symbol of hope) suggesting fleeting yet vivid moments of utopia;
Fiona Harrington celebrates the complexity of the traditional craft of Irish lacemaking and proposes its future sustainability, propelled by the notion that preservation is possible through adaptation and reinvention;
Dympna Heanue reflects on the dichotomy between the beauty of nature and its imminent destruction;
Rebecca Lyons brings together the colours and technique of childhood folded ‘fortune teller’ geometry with ‘ephemeral’ zoomorphic forms, resulting in works that are curious yet familiar…
Lisa McLurg’s work is a personal response to the feeling of not having a child, exploring the notion of motherhood and questioning whether it is in our human nature to bear children;
Noel Molloy creates a pithy visual allusion to the association between State and religion;
Jane Queally’s work is concerned with the notion of the universal appeal and attachment to good luck charms or talismans, and the wonder/value of found objects;
Fiona Reilly, with her assemblage comprising every bus ticket from every journey taken on Dublin Bus since 2008, creates a simple yet eloquent physical representation of the usually ephemeral nature of the everyday;
Ian Wieczorek explores the serendipitous nature of artistic process, in this case based on the subject of the heart.

THE WORKS:

1. Rebecca Lyons
Giant Alien Urchin (post-it notes, sweet wrappers)

 

2. Noel Molloy
Flag 2016 (holy water bottles, paint)

 

3. Lisa McLurg
Seedbed (dandelion seed heads)

 

4. Fiona Harrington
Under Observation (handmade lace, card, Petri dish)

 

5. Jane Queally
Himalayan Luck (photograph, pony shoe, Himalayan stones)

 

6. Rebecca Lyons
Origami Cocoon (post-it notes, sweet wrappers)

 

7. Dympna Heanue
Eleventh Hour (clock, stones, seaweed, shells, feather, bird skull)

 

8. Michelle Colfer
Catching Hope 1-5 (hand printed origami, glass jars)

 

9. Fiona Reilly
Time Spent (bus tickets, blu tac, double sided tape)

 

10. Rebecca Lyons
Amoeba (post-it notes)

 

11. Declan Byrne
Encrusted Shoe (shoe, acrylic paint)

 

12. Ian Wieczorek
All Heart (photograph, drawing on paper, plaster of Paris, battery, canned heart)

THE CABINET OF WONDERS #5

Linenhall Arts Centre

Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

http://www.thelinenhall.com

3 October 2017 – 20 January 2018

Devised, curated, installed and managed by visual artist Ian Wieczorek

Cabinet of Wonders #5 takes books as its theme, and is a response to the Wild Atlantic Words Literary Festival and RoolaBoola Children’s Arts Festival.

Previous online catalogues may be viewed here:

The Cabinet of Wonders #1

The Cabinet of Wonders #2

The Cabinet of Wonders #3

The Cabinet of Wonders #4

 

THE ARTISTS:

Erin de Burca’s painted book covers – from the series A Story in Every Home – portray the home as a reflection of the emotional and psychological life that goes on within;

Belinda Deutinger’s work engages with our sense of belonging, how we fit into our surroundings and how we deal with misalignments;

David Flynn presents a literary evocation of Charon, the mythical Greek ferryman who conveyed the souls of the dead to Hades;

Terri Mitchell offers an insight into the rich diversity of the natural world;

Mary Morris explores ‘fictional truth’, and questions the reality of human-animal relationship;

Susie Quinn explores the past through personal memories of family;

Benita Stoney offers a playful alphabetical bestiary of prints.

 

THE WORKS:

1. Belinda Deutinger
A Book – The Beginning (book, mixed media)

2. Benita Stoney
Alphabestiary (woodcut on Arches paper, faux fur, leather)

3. David Flynn
Charon (book, wood base)

4. Erin de Burca
12 Invermore Grove (oil on clothbound book)

5. Belinda Deutinger
A Book, Part 2 – A Journey (book, mixed media)

6. Erin de Burca
St Anne’s (oil on clothbound book)

7. Susie Quinn
Memories 5 (photoetching 1/1)

8. Terri Mitchell
Creativity in Flower Arrangement
(book, bird’s nest, branches and paper)

9. Mary Morris
From Fictional Truth series (mixed media)

10. Mary Morris
From Fictional Truth series (mixed media)

11. Erin de Burca
22 Sutton Grove (oil on clothbound book)

12. Susie Quinn
Memories 4 (photoetching 1/3)

The Cabinet of Wonders #4

Linenhall Arts Centre

Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

http://www.thelinenhall.com

23 June – 23 September 2017

Devised, curated, installed and managed by visual artist Ian Wieczorek

The fourth manifestation of the Cabinet of Wonders is now on display in the Linenhall Arts Centre foyer.

Previous online catalogues:

The Cabinet of Wonders #1 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_1

The Cabinet of Wonders #2 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_2

The Cabinet of Wonders #3 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_3

 

THE ARTISTS:

Cecilia Bullo entwines pain and pleasure in cutlery that evokes the psychological conflicting processes associated with eating disorders;

Lorcan Cassidy submits fictitious archaeological artefacts of Sonnunrec, a god of death, pestilence and famine;

Jenny Fox transforms a humble and undesirable everyday object into an arresting visual curiosity full of pithy verbal associations;

Pauline Garavan presents a metaphorical meditation on the ubiquitous nature of grass as a covering of the earth;

Maree Hensey continues her exploration of the relics of past and present lives;

Julianne Knowles captures the essence of two mirrored houses, “memories collected, subjective and sincere”;

Morwenna Lake offers an enigmatic and uncomfortable object allegedly procured by her Great-grandfather Aloysius Whipple during his gap year in the Alaskan wilderness;

Fiona Maye proffers a set of potion bottles made by the late ‘Queen of Connemara’ Bina McLoughlin which may just have inspired the work of renowned artist Christo…

Sandra McCall explores the often subtle dialogue between natural and man-made objects;

Áine O’Hara evokes the physical and psychological space of her grandmother’s living room;

Caroline Walshe presents a visual sonic score of sound poetry used in performance by sonic flâneur the Dowager Marchylove…

 

The Cabinet of Wonders is an ongoing project devised and curated by Ian Wieczorek.

 

THE WORKS:

1. Pauline Garavan

The Coat (grasspaper, dried grass, thread, wood)

 

2. Cecilia Bullo

Holy Anorexia (cutlery, thorns)

 

3. Morwenna Lake

Unholy Crown (birch bark, cotton thread, oak galls, pins, cotton canvas)

 

4. Julianne Knowles

House no. 21 (cotton-printed photographs, stitching, ink)

 

5. Caroline Walshe (An Snag Breac)

The Many Coney Islands of My Mind – Traveling Case for the Dowager Marchylove

(wood, cotton, brass, stones, glass, cork, cardboard, paper)

 

6. Julianne Knowles

House no. 22 (cotton-printed photographs, stitching, ink)

 

7. Sandra McCall

Unseen small things forgotten

(Egg Cases of the Common Whelk shell (Baccinum Undatum) & found sea rope)

 

8. Áine O’Hara

Mary’s House (mixed media)

 

Maree Hensey

Introspective (museum glass containers with ash and suspended metal)

 

10. Fiona Maye

Bina’s Bottles (mixed media)

 

11. Lorcan Cassidy

Amulet of Sonnunrec (cast lead), Follower Coin #1 & #2 (cast brass)

 

12. Jenny Fox

Rose Bowl (burst plastic ball, rose thorns, gilding)

 

LAYOUT:

Online catalogues of previous Cabinets:

The Cabinet of Wonders #1 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_1

The Cabinet of Wonders #2 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_2

The Cabinet of Wonders #3 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_3

THE CABINET OF WONDERS #3

 

Linenhall Arts Centre

Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

http://www.thelinenhall.com

1 February – 20 May 2017

Devised, curated, installed and managed by visual artist Ian Wieczorek

The third manifestation of the Cabinet of Wonders is now on display in the Linenhall Arts Centre Foyer.

THE ARTISTS:

Paul Bokslag applies the elegance of mathematics to a discarded Coke bottle;

Cecilia Bullo offers a meditation on the boundary between art and science, and investigates addiction as a way to exorcise inadequacy and pain;

Stefania Corbelli commemorates a subversive take on the message-in-a-bottle, and the destruction of bridges in Serbia  in 1999;

John Gayer evokes the etherial lightness of a cloud;

Maree Hensey explores memory, loss, the unknown, subliminal and haunting relics of our past and present lives;

Annabel Konig presents an aesthetic reaction to concerns about the many ways in which people are losing their place of residence;

Chris Leach gives us a startling, unexpected and quietly provocative depiction of a major city;

Cecilia Moore offers two contrasting explorations of hidden energy in the natural world;

Cosette Olohan explores the fluidity of text in terms of meaning – intended meaning, hidden meaning, new meaning.

The Cabinet of Wonders is an ongoing project devised and curated by Ian Wieczorek.

THE WORKS:

1.    Stefania Corbelli
First (& Last) Pigeon Launch (mixed media)

2.    Cecilia Bullo
Carnu Carnivorous (bee’s wax, horn, sheep hair)

3.    Paul Bokslag
Vessel (PET bottle and embroidery thread on oak base)

4.    Cosette Olohan
Text, context, subtext (found book, glue, paper letters)

5.   John Gayer
Cloud 2016 (from the series ‘Dreams of a Missing Landmark’) (polyester fill)

6.    Annabel Konig
Peter’s Nest (text, nest and small booklet)

7.   Chris Leach
Denmark, Copenhagen (graphite, crayon, chalk, scalpel & gesso on oak)

8.   Cecilia Bullo
Hugs (teddy bear, Citalopram drug leaflets)

9.   Maree Hensey
Mother Missing (museum glass containers with ash and text)

10.   Stefania Corbelli
Stari Most (wax, gauze, cloth, photographs)

11.   Cecilia Moore
Light Heart (xray, bronze, copper, LED bulb)

12.   Cecilia Moore
Incendiary (peat briquette, old light switch, plastic tube, model lightbulbs)

LAYOUT:

Online catalogues of previous Cabinets:

The Cabinet of Wonders #1 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_1

The Cabinet of Wonders #2 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_2

THE CABINET OF WONDERS #2 – in situ

THE CABINET OF WONDERS #2

Linenhall Arts Centre

Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

http://www.thelinenhall.com

2 October – 31 December 2016

Devised, curated, installed and managed by visual artist Ian Wieczorek

The second manifestation of the Cabinet of Wonders is now on display in the Linenhall Arts Centre foyer. An online catalogue of The Cabinet of wonders #1 can be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_1

THE ARTISTS:

Saidhbhín Gibson explores the containing of the non-human, and Man’s control of the natural world;
Margaret McDonnell engages with environmental issues, our interaction with the animal kindom past and present, and the spectre of extinction;
Cecilia Moore investigates wood both as a material and with reference to its former existence as a living thing;
Peter Nash wryly explores aspects of the fallibility of the human condition;
Jane O’Sullivan offers a series of eloquently poetic and personal meditations, “making new meaning from the everyday and transforming matter to a different space and narrative”;
Verona Stellet explores the concept of the oceans and shores “as both anthropogenic and natural environments”.

THE WORKS:

1.    Cecilia Moore
Resuscitate (beech mallet, bronze)

2.    Peter Nash
I Wanted To Say I Love You
(timber, clockwork motor, rubber skull, galvanised wire)

3.    Margaret McDonnell
This Little Piggy (clay, fabric)

4.    Saidhbhín Gibson
As little as possible and as much as necessary
(holly leaves, lace thread)

5.    Jane O’Sullivan
truth is my identity (mirror, toy cupboard,
porcelain figurine, coral beach, lace scrap)

6.    Saidhbhín Gibson
Pavo glas fragmenta (glass, peacock feathers, toy soldier)

7.    Jane O’Sullivan
that is where I am located presently
(bird’s nest, doll’s dress, ceramic doll and rabbit, paper, coral beach, leather case)

8.    Peter Nash
Portrait 2 (clockwork motor, steel wire, pine wood)

9.    Jane O’Sullivan
for ever (is that one word for ever ?)
(metal box, coral beach, victorian dolls arm, legal string)

10. Margaret McDonnell
Remains (clay, twigs, rabbit fur)

11. Margaret McDonnell
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (clay, fabric, picture frame)

12.  Verona Stellet
Beach Balls (found shore debris)

 

LAYOUT:

 

THE CABINET OF WONDERS #1

Linenhall Arts Centre

Linenhall Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

http://www.thelinenhall.com

21 June – 25 September 2016

Devised, curated, installed and managed by visual artist Ian Wieczorek

Cabinets of Curiosities (also known as Kunstkabinette or Wunderkammern), were collections of unusual objects which offered insights into the rich and often curious diversity of the natural world and beyond, spanning everything from antiquities and religious relics to natural ‘freaks’, medical curiosities and other uncategorisable items.

Inspired by the empirical approach of Classical thinkers such as Aristotle and Pliny the Elder, Cabinets of Curiosities found their beginnings in the time of the Renaissance. Initially seen as both edifying and as markers of status for their collector-curators, they offered a cocktail of learning and entertainment. The Cabinets remained a mostly exclusive preserve of the rich and influential, until in the 19th century the likes of showman PT Barnum’s American Museum introduced a more public and often sensationalist sensibility.

While the fashion for Cabinets of Curiosities no longer holds currency, they paved the way for the more formal and rigorous museum model that we are familiar with today.

Taking its inspiration from the Cabinet of Curiosities, this Cabinet of Wonders presents a series of objects mined from the creative imagination of a selection of contemporary visual artists. Inspired by the eclectic approach of the original collector-curators, it offers a range of works that will hopefully intrigue and engage the passing viewer.

The Cabinet of Wonders is an ongoing project devised and curated by Ian Wieczorek.

THE ARTISTS:

Fiona Coffey presents a wry contemporary take on a religious relic;

Sandra Corrigan Breathnach invites us into a world beyond the purely physical, where materials take on new associative significance;

Medbh Gillard presents a true domestic curiosity – or is it?…

Sarah Lundy offers an arcane reconfiguring of the familiar into an esoteric echo of pagan ritual;

Bennie Reilly’s works explore the phenomenon of ‘manufactured’ curiosities, a fashion that was prevalent in the Cabinet of Curosities’ heyday;

Mary Ryan offers an object of intrigue, with a clear yet elusive back story that we can only guess at;

John Waid entertains us with the impossible, somewhere at the crossroads of perfection and complete impracticality;

Ian Wieczorek asks us to consider the implications of Science today, where everything seems possible.

THE WORKS:

1. Bennie Reilly – Siamese Crab (crab, rock)

2. Sandra Corrigan Breathnach – Perception (willow, beetles); Three (wishbones);  Untitled (fired spheres with copper)

3. Fiona Coffey – St Abbain visits West Cork Arts Centre (bronze, steel, cotton)

4. Bennie Reilly – Seashell Sheepstooth (large and small shell)

5. John Waid – False Teeth For The Perfect Man (dental plastic, dental plaster)

6. Bennie Reilly –  Untitled (sheep jaw with gold tooth, black box)

7. Ian Wieczorek – Specimen Tree (twig, moss, acrylic paint, glass jar)

8. Sarah Lundy –  -Seacht- (seven crows claws and prosthetic eye on board)

9. Medbh Gillard – Dirty Little Fecker (oak box frame with glass; fleece; glass eye and cat gut; found rusted padlock)

10. Bennie Reilly – Blue Moon (disco ball with seashells)

11. Sandra Corrigan Breathnach – Untitled (bone, hair)

12. Mary Ryan – Bad Feng Shui Bottle (broken turquoise botttle, glass display dome)

LAYOUT:

An online catalogue for The Cabinet of Wonders #1 may be viewed at: https://issuu.com/linenhallartscentre/docs/cabinetofwonders_1