Exhibition Launch: Culture Night, Friday 20 September, 5.00pm to 7.30pm
Opening Times: Thursday to Saturday, 11.30am – 5.30pm
Exhibition dates : Friday 20 September to Saturday 26 October 2024
Location: The Tea House ,Bateman Quay, Kilkenny[near the Market Yard bus stop]
Toil and Moil is a solo exhibition by artist Emma Swan, alongside a showcase of the Celebrate People’s History poster series, a project initiated by Josh MacPhee.
Toil and Moil is an exhibition featuring painting, sculpture and sound, exploring the significance of time and labour in the work environment. Swan investigates how the introduction of the Henry Ford assembly line revolutionised manufacturing, industry, and society by accelerating productivity. By looking at the repetitive and monotonous nature of industrialised labour, Swan references these practices to protest against the regimented structure of the working day, highlighting the limitations imposed and its prevailing influence.
This exhibition prompts a conversation about labour and workers’ conditions, while facilitating an opportunity to platform strike action and global protest. The Celebrate People’s History poster series demonstrates a DIY tradition that centralises principles of democracy, inclusion and collective action. The project has been organised and curated by Josh MacPhee since 1998, he is a founding member of the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative and Interference Archive, a public collection of cultural materials produced by social movements based in Brooklyn, NY. Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative is a decentralised network of 41 artists from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, committed to social, environmental and political engagement. The collection is kindly borrowed from artist and organiser Kate O’Shea. This exhibition is curated by Rachel Botha. Design by Emmet Brown.
Emma Swan is an installation artist based in Dublin, Ireland. She holds a BA in Fine Art from Technological University Dublin. Her multimedia practice is focused on labour and social hierarchies. Recent exhibitions include GRADX, TU Dublin (2024), PLUID PROJECT, the Cowshed Gallery, Farmleigh Estate (2021). She was selected for RDS Awards’ longlist (2024).
Public Programme
Join us for an artist lunch on Saturday 21 September at 1.00pm. A casual gathering for local artists to catch up in the newly opened building. It’s potluck style, so bring a dish or something to share. We will be joined by Elinor O’Donovan from Praxis: The Artists’ Union of Ireland. Book via Eventbrite.
The Tea Houses are situated by the River Nore in Kilkenny city centre and have recently been acquired by the Kilkenny Arts Office to be activated as visible spaces to host a public art programme. Over the next few months these spaces will be used as a gallery, a curatorial office, a studio, a residency, a production space, a workshop space, a meeting place, a library and more. Art Gatherings is a visual arts project with a multidisciplinary approach that encourages a sense of community and active citizenship. This project is founded by the Kilkenny Arts Office.
