Crawford shows off new threads

Artworks purchased to support artists during Covid-19 will go on display for the first time at the Crawford Art Gallery this weekend.

Acquired through Government funding, ‘New Threads’ showcases more than 20 artworks that have recently come into public ownership.

Displayed in the heart of the Crawford Art Gallery's historic building, visitors will have the opportunity to view these new works up close for the very first time.

The exhibition’s title plays on the idea of adding new items to a wardrobe and is derived from one of the featured artworks, ‘Ariadne’s Thread’ by Jennifer Trouton.

Trouton’s painting borrows from the myth of an ancient Greek princess who helps Theseus to escape the fabled labyrinth.

Visitors to ‘New Threads’ will also encounter an intricate ceramic work, ‘Teasel – Grey Area’, by artist Nuala O’Donovan.

In nature, the teasel plant got its common name from the use of its dried flowerhead in the textile industry to tease or raise the nap on woollen cloth.

The exhibition ranges from the inimitable humour of Stephen Brandes’ ‘Chat Show’ (2020) to the geometric colour of Tom Climent’s ‘Eden’ (2019) to the sculptural forms of Evgeniya Martirosyan.

Other works include Rita Duffy’s political ‘Guantanamo amas amat’ (2009) and ‘Meditating Tongqui’ (2020) by Stephen Doyle.

Also featured are several paintings and prints by artists working in supported studios, including Yvonne Condon, Breanna Hurley and John Keating.

In total, 225 artworks by 39 contemporary artists have been added to the Crawford Art Gallery’s collection in recent months, ranging from paintings, photographs, prints, and drawings, to sculptures, installations, digital film and sound works, textile and embroideries.