A Closer Look by Máiréad Holohan
Opening on Friday 11 September, 5.30pm to 7.00pm, until Sunday 27 September
Opening times, Thursday to Sunday, 12.00pm to 5.00pm
The Tea Houses Bateman Quay, Kilkenny
A Closer Look is a pivotal solo exhibition by Máiréad Holohan and invites a considered engagement and appreciation for the often unnoticed species in our local environment. It includes an abundance of work such as concertina books, ink drawings, printmaking and more, from a dedicated studio practice spanning years. The result is a vast collection of tests, experiments and finished pieces that forefront an embedded ecological approach and a relentless avidity.
Máiréad Holohan is an artist from Kilkenny and has a purpose-built studio on stilts on the side of the Blackstairs Mountains, looking at Brandon Hill across the Barrow Valley. She has an eco-practice and is deeply informed by her surroundings. Through a routine of walking and looking, she is drawn to the idea of the ruderal – a plant species that evades areas impacted by human disturbance such as agriculture, habitation and construction. She is specifically interested in the “the things that survive in the cracks” where the natural environment reclaims the manmade stone walls in this local area. This juncture, between the ecological and the human, presents a rich and ancient history that demonstrates the resilience of flora in adapting to these built boundaries.
Máiréad observes these overlooked edges of our environment, celebrating the wall pennywort, the bell thistle and the bellflower. She is committed to using eco-friendly materials and methods, like using a willow branch as a paint brush. She trusts ecological processes that are unpredictable, such as making natural inks and dyes from plants in her locality.
Máiréad Holohan holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Art and Ecology and a Certificate in Sustainable Exhibition Making from the National College of Art and Design (NCAD). Her studies have expanded her understanding of how environmental art can create awareness and encourage new ways of seeing and engaging with the natural world.
Alongside her studio practice, Holohan has worked for many years as a tutor with KCETB and KCAT. She has received bursaries from Artlinks and the Arts Council of Ireland, and her work has been exhibited regularly in Ireland and the UK.
Holohan participated in a cultural exchange with a botanical artist from northern Spain, as part of an immersive cultural programme organised by Carlow County Council to mark Ireland’s EU Presidency. The exchange has provided an opportunity to explore similarities and differences in cultural and artistic practices across the two countries.She has been continuing her own practice by walking the hills around the picturesque area of Teruel.
Curated by Rachel Botha. Design by Emmet Brown
Supported by Kilkenny Arts Office, Kilkenny County Council, Arts Council, Ireland, Creative Ireland and ArtLinks.
Public Programme:
- Friday 18 September, 12.00pm to 7.00pm: Culture Night, Late Night Opening & Meet the Artist
- Sunday 20 September, 4.00pm: HUDDLE with Saidhbhín Gibson
- Saturday 26 September, 2.00pm: Artist & Curator Conversation
