Ballina-born artist features in international exhibition

A Ballina-born artist currently running an exhibition in his hometown has had his work featured at an art exhibition that opened at a museum in The Hague.

Eamonn Mullarkey, a native of Quignalecka, Ballina, who now lives in Dublin, has had two paintings selected for an international exhibition called ‘Carrying the Songs’, which opened on July 4 at the Pulchri Studio at The Hague in the Netherlands.

The exhibition was organised by the Irish Embassy and the Hamilton Gallery, Sligo and is based on the poem of the same name by Irish poet Moya Cannon. It is a moving meditation on music and song as among the few things people carry with them when forced to leave their homes.

Eamonn, an abstract-style painter, told the Western People that he focused his work in this regard on looming horizons across the sea.

“I’ve broken the surface down into little horizons joined up like shipping lines to divide the canvas up into sections,” he said.

“The idea was that it would represent the ships going from country to country, looking to the horizon and not knowing what awaited you out there in your new future.”

Eamonn said being included in The Hague exhibition is a proud moment in his career and he is over the moon about it. 

Closer to home, Eamonn also has an exhibition currently open at the Ballina Arts Centre since June 13, running until August 1.

‘Beyond the Horizon’ consists of 25 paintings that are oil on canvas and are influenced by the light horizons on the Atlantic Ocean, the diversity of shape and ever changing light and colour in the environment where he grew up and continues to spend a lot of time.

He said he had fond memories of growing up in Ballina where he attended the Vocational School (now Moyne College). He credits art teacher Frank Hourigan, who was originally from Cork, as a big influence on his career.