TODAY SEES the launch of three solo exhibitions at the Galway Arts Centre: Black Milk by Japanese artist, Miho Ohtsubo; and two shows by Irish artists - Lúthchleasa by Mícheál Ó Catháin and Currency Exchange by Kevin Gaynor.
Spanning the three floors of Galway Arts Centre, each of these exhibitions highlight the diversity of contemporary art practice.
Black Milk will be the first time that Miho Ohtsubo has exhibited in Europe, and there is an Irish connection with her work, given that it is inspired by the poetry of Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.
By engaging with Ní Dhomhnaill’s ‘Immram’ sequence, and her poem ‘Dubh’, through the Japanese translations of Mitsuko Ohno, Ohtsubo has responded to the underlying themes of migration and displacement in very personal and powerful ways.
The exhibition runs until December 15. It is hosted by the Republic of Conscience: Human Rights and Modern Irish Poetry and the NUI Galway Research Project.
The ancient Irish harp in a tech world
.
Fusing the ancient and the modern, Lúthchleasa, in Gallery 1, is an exhibition of new generative artwork by Mícheál Ó Catháin, showcasing his process of engaging with the early Irish harp tradition.
For more than a decade, he has been exploring the shapes and sounds produced by the metal and wood of this instrument, and the lúthchleasa patterns encoded in the notes penned by Edward Bunting at the famous 1792 Belfast Harp Meeting.
Interpreting the Bunting manuscripts for a contemporary audience, Mícheál employs computer code to both represent these patterns in visual form, and expresses his emotional response to the music.
The exhibition runs until December 22. There will also be a solo concert by Mícheál on harp, vocals, and electronics on Saturday December 18 at the Nuns Island Theatre. Tickets are available via eventbrite
Identity and art
.
Currency Exchange by Kevin Gaynor is in Gallery 2. The recipient of the Galway Arts Centre and Engage Art Studios Emerging Artist Award 2020, Gaynor’s work mostly explores the international state, and the mechanics that support it.
Focusing on the EU as a centralised power, and Ireland’s role within it, his practice reflects on the classification of groups through the lens of geography. Using a combination of active-sculptural installation, and social engagement, this show explores geography’s effects on identity and the homogenisation of people.
For more information see www.galwayartscentre.ie
