F.E McWilliam Gallery & Studio, Banbridge Showcase cross-border art collaboration with new exhibition
The F.E. McWilliam Gallery and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council are delighted to present Constellations: Selected Work from Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. A free exhibition celebrating creativity across the island of Ireland. This unique showcase brings together artists from North and South of Ireland, highlighting the strong cultural ties between the two regions.
Featuring the work of 14 artists working throughout the island of Ireland, the exhibition highlights the rich holdings of contemporary art in the Crawford Collection.
Presenting established figures including Nick Miller, Amanda Coogan, Corban Walker, and Ireland’s representative at this year’s Venice Biennale, Isabel Nolan, Constellations also introduces the work of many of the rising stars of Irish art such as Laura Fitzgerald, Dragana Jurišić, Niamh Swanton, and local artists Jennifer Trouton and Michael Hanna.
Linked by vibrant colour and themes including nature, domesticity and gender, the artworks in this exhibition often share a sense of playfulness and humour that combine with more serious concerns about freedom, power and agency. Ranging in media from Aideen Barry’s film Not to be Known (2015) to Declan Byrne’s Encrusted Dog and Laura Fitzgerald’s drawings made with ‘Tesco Sharpies’, the exhibition showcases the diversity of Crawford Art Gallery’s collection and of contemporary art in Ireland.
Several of the art works included in Constellations are recent acquisitions, made during the Lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic. They are some of the 225 artworks that were acquired for Ireland’s National Collection in 2021 as part of a major acquisition fund provided to Crawford Art Gallery and the Irish Museum of Modern Art by the Irish Government. Reflecting those difficult times, works including Michael Hanna’s A Living Colour Index and Dragana Jurišić’s Hi, Vis both multi-part photographic works, have a surreal, dream-like quality that echoes a period when normal life came to a halt.
Constellations: Selected Work from Crawford Art Gallery features contemporary artworks by Aideen Barry, Declan Byrne, Tom Climent, Amanda Coogan, Laura Fitzgerald, Michael Hanna, Katie Holten, Ronnie Hughes, Dragana Jurišić, Nick Miller, Isabel Nolan, Niamh Swanton, Jennifer Trouton, and Corban Walker.
This exhibition is the latest instalment in an ongoing cross-border relationship between the F.E. McWilliam Gallery and the Crawford Art Gallery which began in 2013, when both institutions and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, collaborated on the groundbreaking touring exhibition Analysing Cubism. Three art works by Newry born artist Margaret Clarke from the Crawford Collection were included in the major retrospective Margaret Clarke: An Independent Spirit, which toured from the National Gallery of Ireland to the Banbridge gallery in 2017.
The Crawford collection also includes a cast of F.E. McWilliam’s most iconic sculpture Woman in a Bomb Blast (1972) one of the few examples of his sculpture in a public collection in the Republic of Ireland. These past connections, are strengthened by shared ambitions as both museums are currently involved in major redevelopment projects which will see them double in size to engage with new audiences, care for and grow their collections and improve access to art for all.
F.E. McWilliam Gallery is located just off the A1, the gallery is perfectly positioned for those travelling between Belfast and Dublin, making it an ideal cultural stop for day-trippers and tourists. Visitors can enjoy the exhibition, relax in the on-site café, and explore Banbridge’s vibrant town centre or nearby attractions such as the Game of Thrones Studio Tour and Solitude Park. With free admission and easy parking, it’s a must-see destination for anyone planning a day out in the region. The exhibition is on display from now until 2 May. Free admission, open Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm.