An exhibition by Brianna Hurley
The Tea Houses is delighted to invite you to the opening of Castalia: An Unfolding Story, an exhibition by visual artist Brianna Hurley, on Saturday the 9th of May at 3.00pm.
Hurley’s vivid paintings conjure an imagined planet of hot red earth, lush and towering forests. Working with acrylic paint, pencil and acrylic marker, the artist constructs landscapes of striking chromatic intensity, alive with oases of colour and calm. Look closely and you’ll find the artist herself painted into the landscape, a small figure absorbed into an environment far larger than herself.
But Castalia is not simply a paradise. It is a world under threat. The indigenous peoples of this imagined land, and the landscape they are part of, face the pressures of human encroachment, a tension that speaks directly to questions we encounter in our own world. She invites us to think about how we live in relationship with the land around us and those who inhabit it. The artist’s work opens up space to ask: what do we owe to one another, to those unfamiliar to us, and to the natural world?
The exhibition title is inspired by Hurley’s artist book, The Story of Castalia, published in 2022 and launched at KCAT Art Centre. It will be on view and available for sale. Diving deeper into the world of Castalia, it tells the story of the imagined planet colonised by humans, and of the indigenous people who fight for their freedom.
Brianna Hurley has been a studio artist at KCAT since 2018. She works with acrylic paint, pencil and acrylic marker, and has exhibited widely in Ireland and internationally.
Curated by Shannon Carroll, as part of the Kilkenny County Council Arts Office Programme.
All are welcome.
Exhibition Opening Times:
Thursday 14th, Friday 15th & Saturday 16th of May
Thursday 21st, Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd of May
11.30AM to 5.00PM
About the Artist
Brianna Hurley has been a studio artist at KCAT since 2018 and has exhibited widely in Ireland and internationally. Brianna often works with a combination of acrylic paint, pencil and acrylic marker to depict scenes from the imagined planet of Castalia. Many of her paintings present lush natural environments with blue flowing rivers and seas, the rich red earth of a hot climate, and beautiful trees frequently coated in with a mass of white buds. There are also numerous stunning white cliff edges as well as various planets and moons in the sky. The life and activities of Castalians are often conveyed as deeply rooted within nature. The artist herself appears in several works, dressed in her customary basketball clothing, as when she is shown running through a forest in She Crossed Rivers and Forest (2021).
