Focus on visual arts at Ballina centre
Bryan Gerard Duffy's ‘Hung Out to Dry’ insinuates foul play towards someone who has been left in a difficult and vulnerable position.
There is a strong focus on visual arts in Ballina Arts Centre for the next few weeks with a class in painting miniatures, a series of free children’s drop-in art workshops and two new exhibitions as well as the centre’s ongoing life drawing and children’s art classes.
On Saturday, May 31st, Hina Khan, whose current exhibition is on display in the centre’s main galley, will deliver a workshop on Mughal Miniature Painting.
Rooted in the royal courts of the Mughal Empire, this refined Indo-Persian art form is known for its intricate detail, vibrant colours, and rich storytelling. The workshop introduces participants to the cultural significance of Mughal miniatures, while familiarising them with the use of traditional materials and techniques. Participants will learn Vasli making, paper preparation, treatment of paper using natural pigments, and how to layer colours and brushing techniques. Learn how express personal creativity within this art form’s classical constraints. The workshop, priced €25 plus booking fee, is suitable for adults (over 16) and takes place from 1 to 4 pm.
On Saturday, June 7th, as part of the Cruinniú na nÓg 2025 celebrations, the centre will open its doors for a series of free drop-in art workshops for children. Led by two experienced artists, the workshops will offer children, aged 4 to 12, the opportunity to try their hand at drawing, painting, and working with clay from 2pm to 3.30pm and 3.40pm to 5pm. Admission is free.
There will also be a series of free workshop for teenagers, on the same day, in DJ skills and Music Production. The workshops take place from 2 to 2.45pm, 3 to 3.45pm and 4 to 4.45pm. Teenagers will be able to use the latest DJ and music production equipment, and to record their own mixes and tracks in a studio. Once again, admission is free, but booking is essential.
Another opportunity for children to get creative takes place on Saturday, June 14th, when families can create their own art together. Parents and children will use a range of materials including paper, pastels, glue, and paint, and try out techniques such as collage, mark making and painting. The workshop will take place from 2 to 3.30pm and is suitable for ages three and over. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The price is €12 (plus booking fee) for one adult and child plus €5 for additional children.
The following week on Saturday, June 21st, the centre will also open two new exhibitions. The first, ‘Year of Fear’, is a series of art illustrations and cartoons by Joan Geraghty which explores the year 2020 and Covid-19. The exhibition is built around her news-based, year-long, sketch diary of the rollout of this historic global event, alongside daily news stories covering themes of politics, economics, the UK Brexit deal and HSE public health management. These ink and pen drawings, and digital illustrations, highlight the curtailing of freedom of movement for the entire Irish population throughout the pandemic, as well as the sensational nature and global impact of Covid-19 on society.
The title of the second exhibition, by Mayo artist Bryan Gerard Duffy, is ‘Hung Out to Dry’, and insinuates foul play towards someone who has been left in a difficult and vulnerable position. The exhibition links the collapse of biodiversity in our Irish waterways with the exploitation of Western Sharan communities, where natural resources are illegally extracted for use in Irish horticultural phosphates. These phosphates then leek into our waterways causing algae blooms which choke the ecosystem.
Gerard has extracted plant samples from the borders of local rivers, focusing on the River Moy, and manipulated them with staining chemical agents, before placing them on glass slides under his microscope. The resulting sealed glass slides inform his vibrant air bubbled paintings, dripping sculptures and otherworldly photographs.
"Duffy’s playful attitude to materials and situations counterbalances a serious social conscience and political intent. His themes include post-colonialism, media, cultural appropriation, and social, individual and collective responsibilities," said Alice Maher.
Don’t forget you can also still catch the two current exhibitions: Hina Khan’s ‘Neither Yours nor Mine’, and’ Brain And Wind’ by Seiko Hayase, until May 31st. The centre's regular life drawing and children’s art classes will also continue throughout June. For further information, and to book any of the above, contact the box office on 096-73593.
