An Islands’ Retrospective – Céiliúradh & Buíochas, is an exhibition featuring the work of artist and designer-craftsman Derrick Hawker which has recently launched at the Galway City Museum.
Hawker has been involved with the community and landscape of the western islands of Connemara since the 1960s. This exhibition is a celebration of his love of the people and the place and charts his relationship with both – from his early paintings and design work through to his later paintings. It includes material relating to the founding of Peigín, a crafts co-operative, in the early 1980s which resulted from his deep admiration for the survival and craft skills of the local people.
His paintings have an authenticity that denotes a deep understanding and respect for their subject matter. They offer a complex and unique response to his environment, through the exploration of the constantly changing colours, patterns and shapes. He has spent the last 12 years making a series of 12 paintings that focus symbolically on Ballinakill Lake in Gorumna. This is the first time they have been exhibited.
The exhibition will run until October. Admission is free.
