For this exhibition at the Stronach Gallery in Ballycroy National Park Visitors Centre in Ireland, I created a panel of nine separate works on the subject of County Mayo. This technique enables each photo to “talk” to the others. For instance, where one focuses on an animal, another (shown here) records an impending storm and a third, although seemingly bucolic, highlights nature’s unstoppable conquest of a long abandoned estate. When viewed together, these nine photos create a cacophony of dissonance and communality.
Ballycroy Visitors Park
Ballycroy National Park was established in November 1998. It is Ireland’s sixth National Park and is located on the Western seaboard in North-West Mayo. It comprises 15,000 hectares of Atlantic blanket bog and mountainous terrain, covering a vast uninhabited and unspoilt wilderness dominated by the Nephin Beg mountain range. Between Nephin Beg and Slieve Carr, at 721 metres above sea level, the highest mountain in this range, lie the Scardaun Loughs. To the west of the mountains is the Owenduff bog. This is one of the last intact, active blanket bog systems in not only Ireland but also Western Europe. It is therefore of international scientific and scenic importance. https://www.ballycroynationalpark.ie
And finally…
I’m delighted that the exhibition has been included in the blog of the Polranny Pirates’ website (https://www.polrannypirates.nl/en/5701-2/). For many years now the Polranny Pirates Foundation have provided cost price artists residencies and I have benefitted enormously from being able to stay in this extraordinary environment, which has inspired an important part of my work.
The show will run until mid-May.
