Mayo's social history is focus of new art exhibition
Pictured at the opening of 'An Iarthar' were, from left: managing director at Ballinglen, Úna Forde; artist and Ballinglen board member, Randall Exon; artist, Dame Barbara Rae CBE RA RSA; author and illustrator, Brenda Exon and artist and Ballinglen board member, Mick O'Dea. Picture: Nuala Clarke
A new exhibition that takes a deep look at the social history of county Mayo has opened at the Ballinglen Museum of Art in Ballycastle.
'An Iarthar' is a body of work from Barbara Rae featuring artworks created over the past 23 years during her almost annual visits to Mayo, highlighting her deep long-standing connection with the area. The exhibition opened on June 21.
The exhibition features original paintings and prints which explore these layers, inspired by Rae’s countless journeys through County Mayo, uncovering its depths.
Working in varying climatic conditions, most often in the winter months, when the sun casts long shadows and reveals hidden features, Barbara captures the shifting character of the terrain in a way that the summer light conceals.
Ancient settlements and field patterns emerge in the low winter sun, telling quiet stories that recall the memory of the land.
Barbara is particularly interested in the layered history of how the landscape has been used over the centuries, how it holds traces of those who came before.
She is much less concerned with topography than with the histories of place and its people and abstract expressionist themes are given maximum intensity in her work.
When Barbara travels to paint, she immerses herself as fully as possible in the locations she visits, returning often to them. While on site, she fills sketchbooks with observations to develop later.
The west coast of Ireland has been a constant in her work for over 20 years, reflecting her deep commitment to understanding and uncovering the social history embedded in each place she paints.
This work comes alive at the Ballinglen Museum of Art in the 'An Iarthar' exhibition, running from now until August 18.
