Ballina Arts Centre to host family workshop

Last weekend, Ballina Arts Centre opened two new and very different exhibitions, one of which forms the basis of a Family Art Workshop at the centre, which will take place this coming Saturday, April 12.

Children, and the child inside all of us, will be entranced by ‘Brain and Wind’, an exhibition of floating, colourful, fantastical creatures and sculptures, which represent the emotions and feelings inside the head of the artist, Seiko Hayase.

“At 2am, a wind of emotions blows endlessly in my brain," said the artist. “Mysterious objects appear. They take shape in my dreams and appear, floating in the air."

In this exhibition, Seiko invites the viewer to take a stroll inside her head and enjoy the way the pieces impact their own emotions. Much like Seiko herself, this exhibition is playful, energising and fun to be around.

The event on Saturday, from 2pm to 3.30pm, will be an art workshop for families based around this exhibition. The session will begin by viewing the current artworks and then, by taking them as inspiration, participants will create their own collaborative pieces using techniques such as collage, mark making and painting.

This workshop is suitable for children age from three and upwards, and children must be accompanied by an adult. The cost of the workshops is €12 for one adult and child. The cost for additional children is €5.

The other exhibition currently on display in the centre is Hina Khan’s ‘Neither Yours nor Mine/Na Teri Te Na Meri’.

These works explore the futility of war as a means of exerting ownership on the land. Hina takes the stance of an observer looking at land being destroyed in the name of honour, country, religion or nation.

“Even after we have spilt enough blood to fill the oceans, the land will remain ‘Na Teri te Na Meri’, so why are we at war over it?” asks Hina.

Both exhibitions can be viewed free of charge until May 31. Booking for the workshop can be made via the Ballina Arts Centre Box Office on 096-73593.