Cork artist features in new Covid-inspired exhibition
The work of Cork artist Fiona Harrington will be on display this summer as part of a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland: Lace, Paint, Hair.
Celebrating work created by three contemporary Irish artists in lockdown, the free exhibition opens on Saturday 25 July. Fiona Harrington studied Fine Art at Crawford College of Art and frequently works from her studio in Eyeries, Beara, West Cork.
Lace, Paint, Hair features handmade lace by Fiona Harrington, oil paintings by Cian McLoughlin and a series of mixed media artworks by Eimear Murphy.
For over 100 days this year, the National Gallery of Ireland closed its doors. Though the building was closed, work at the gallery continued.
During the gallery’s closure, conversations with artists continued. Artists’ work during this time was shaped by the ever-changing circumstances brought about by the global pandemic. Artists’ responses to the events of recent months inspired Lace, Paint, Hair.
The exhibition title references the materials embraced by the three artists while adapting to unfamiliar situations and surroundings. From Fiona Harrington’s masterful needlework to Cian McLoughlin’s pulsating ‘Crowd’ canvases and Eimear Murphy’s innovative fusion of traditional techniques with unusual media, this exhibition celebrates the art of making, and the makers of art in Ireland today.
Fiona Harrington commented: “My current research explores the economic and social value of the Irish lace industry, the country’s second largest industry at the turn of the twentieth century. Fragile Economies considers how domestic activity often led to successful female enterprise. Production Line pays homage to the countless women who would work months to produce a single garment. To echo this traditional purpose of producing ‘functional lace’, this piece when complete, will be used in a hand tying ceremony at my own wedding, postponed due to restrictions relating to the pandemic.”
Find out more at www.nationalgallery.ie.