Eastern promises come to Ennistymon

A new exhibition by Ennistymon artist Tessa O’Connor opens at the Courthouse Gallery on Friday.
The exhibition, Bábushkas & Bábochkas, is inspired by Tessa’s experiences in Belarus, and will be on display in the red couch space, showcasing until November 16.
Tessa explained that she has been involved in the Burren Chernobyl Project for a good few years.
“I’ve always had an interest in Belarus and in the Russian language and culture. In college in LSAD, Limerick, I studied fine art printmaking and became very interested in Russian folk art and began to research wood cuts from the 17th and 18th century. Last September, I moved to St Petersburg in Russia for eight months in search of the originals of these prints, called Lubok. They were a very simple art form and it was very popular and affordable for peasants as well as upper classes to have art in their homes. The print content would vary from fables and biblical scenes to satire or general advice for the home. The main idea of the body of work in this exhibition is to depict the people and the friendships that I have come across in Belarus in their native style of art,” she said.
The institutions and orphanages that Burren Chernobyl Project works with are for children and adults with special needs.
“They are usually outside of the public eye, at times even situated in the middle of forests. Often the people living in the nearby town aren’t even aware that there is an institution with 300 people a mile or so from their home. It’s as if the country wants to hide these people and is ashamed of them. Basically I wanted to bring them to the spotlight and show that they are caring people with a lot to offer society. The work isn’t about the sadness that can be seen over there but more the strong friendships and happiness that persevere,” she added.
Tessa has been living and working in Russia and Belarus for the past year and has been volunteering in Belarus every summer for the past eight years. The work draws on the style of Russian iconography and wood cuts from the 17th and 18th centuries that she was able to experience firsthand in the archives and museums of St Petersburg and the villages of Belarus. The body of work is in lino prints and stained glass.
“My work is a testament to the people that I have met in the orphanages and adult institutions in Belarus and the caring friendships between them. These people are often pushed to the shadows of the country. In the works I am attempting to depict them in the place of respect that I feel they deserve. They have a warmth and strength that amazes me,” she concluded.
The exhibition was opened last Friday in the Ennistymon Courthouse gallery.
Also showing at the gallery in Ennistymon is a joint exhibition showcasing an installation by Elaine Byrne and photographs by Nuala O’Sullivaen. Their exhibition, entitled They have Eyes, asks the question, who or what are they? Elaine Byrne is interested in memory’s role, including the collective unconscious memory, in helping us accept the problematic nature of life without being defeated by it.
Through video, photography and installation the duo investigates the state of the inner psyche, focusing on the notion multi-layered identity. In examining this, she looks at the experiences which shaped us, exploring the psychoanalytic model of the human personality, in which stories and memories carry important messages to the conscious and the unconscious mind.
Meanwhile, Nuala O’Sullivan shows photographs which explore themes relating to identity and self-image. Together, they question how the mass media influence our self-image today and also consider the background and unseen financial forces that often manipulate how we see ourselves and how we spend our money.
In the series of photographs, Nuala uses paper dolls that form a human chain and although dolls are childhood images, here they address more complicated adult issues.
The Courthouse Gallery opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 12noon to 5pm.