Hidden Worlds

Hidden Worlds at Westgate Heritage Centre is a Wex-Art Festival group show by eight artists from Co. Wexford and the South East, sponsored by the Arts Council of Ireland and curated by Eamonn Maxwell.

 

Having studied Fine Art in Dublin, Sarah Cogley draws her inspiration from her rural upbringing and the idyllic holidaying in Ireland during her childhood years. Recently this subject matter has led to the exploration and research of new cultures, sites and narratives nationally and internationally.

 

Elizabeth Cope’s paintings have appeared at Maison DuPoivre, Picton, Prince Edward County, Ontario 2024 and the Royal Academy Summer Open Exhibition 2024.

Bernadette Kiely’s work on the effects of flooding, fragility and decay on landscape and human lives has been an enduring theme in her practice over the past 25 years. Recent exhibitions include: ‘don’t need no country, don’t fly no flag’ at Galway International Arts Festival 2024.

 

Cristín O’Loughlin delves into the contrast between curated identities young women present online with their authentic selves, looking to capture the seamless, but superficial, perfection seen on social media while masking vulnerabilities and insecurity that can remain hidden from public eye.

 

Inspired by the rare sight of boxing hares in the Wexford countryside, Gillian O’Shea’s sculpture captures the dynamic beauty and struggle of wildlife in the face of human consumption and climate change.

 

Central to Louise Shearer is the theme of change, of metamorphosis, death, mental and spiritual awakening. Through the interplay of light and shadow, colour and form, she explores the cyclical nature of existence, contemplating the fleeting beauty and inherent impermanence of life.

 

Niamh Swanton’s art is concerned with the human condition and a personal obsession with questioning what it truly means to be human. Her goal is to build tangible forms of thoughts and emotions which make up these key events of human life.

 

Kerrie Walsh’s oil paintings are characterized by an unapologetic colour palette and require a more time-consuming, problem-solving approach. In contrast, her black and white charcoal and ink illustrations are much quicker and freer and produce a ‘rawer’ interpretation.