Curated by Richard Malone
at Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford
4th April – 13th May 2022
Opening Reception: Friday 1st April, 6pm
Guest Speaker: Curator Richard Malone
Featuring work by Sara Flynn, Laura Gannon, Mainie Jellett, Nellie Malone, Richard Malone, Niamh O’Malley, Ceadogan Rugs, and Mourne Textiles.
Wexford County Council in partnership with Wexford Arts Centre is excited to present Making and Momentum: In Conversation with Eileen Gray, a touring exhibition curated by award winning Irish artist and designer, Richard Malone. The group exhibition, which celebrates the work of Eileen Gray and the influence of Irish art and design worldwide, launched at Roquebrune, France in June 2021 and travelled to the National Museum of Ireland last September. It will run at Wexford County Council from Monday, 4th April to Friday, 13th May, 2022.
The exhibition ambitiously places equal importance on the artist, artisan and maker – observing the creative spirit present in developing an independent visual language; removing the rigid definitions and categories of art making, much like Eileen Gray’s own practice. Gray, who was born in Brownswood, Enniscorthy in 1878, was a pioneer of the Modernist movement and one of the most celebrated and influential designers and architects of the last century.
As part of this exhibition, Wexford County Council in partnership with Richard Malone and supported by Creative Ireland, will host a programme of workshops, talks and events for the general public and various communities of interest to engage with contemporary craft in Wexford focusing on work that is inspired by Eileen Gray’s legacy.
Artist and designer, Richard Malone, collaborated with Association Cap Moderne (the custodians of E-1027) to curate and exhibit some of Ireland’s leading visual art makers. The exhibition is in celebration of Gray’s phenomenal global influence across artistic disciplines – from weaving and rug making to metalwork and painting. Each artist and artisan has been selected for their multidisciplinary and experimental approach to making. The group represents an award winning selection of some or Ireland’s most prominent artists with numerous accolades amongst them, such as the Royal Hibernian Academy commission, the Loewe Craft Prize and the International Woolmark Prize.
The works presented in the exhibition are by Richard Malone; ceramicist Sara Flynn; sculptor Niamh O’Malley who represents Ireland at Venice Biennale 2022; artist Laura Gannon; rugmakers Ceadogán and Mourne Textiles; Nellie Malone, the late grandmother of Richard Malone, and an archive work by the late abstract painter Mainie Jellet.
Collectively their work is held in some of the world’s most prestigious museums and institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) Dublin, The Design Museum London, the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) Melbourne and the Design and Crafts Council Collection Ireland.
The craft and skill visible within each body of work acknowledges age old skills and making techniques alongside radical modernism. The exhibition aims to prove that these skills and Gray’s own legacy, are part of our present, not our history.
Eileen Gray
truth, love, myth, magic, legend
essay by Richard Malone
Image (top): textile work by Richard Malone, 2021
Images (bottom): Making & Momentum: In Conversation with Eileen Gray, Villa E-1027, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, exhibition shots
Making & Momentum: In Conversation with Eileen Gray will run in Wexford County Council from Monday 4th April to Friday 13th May, 2022.
This group exhibition is run in partnership by Association Cap Moderne and generously supported by Wexford County Council, Creative Ireland, Arts Council of Ireland, Design & Crafts Council Ireland, and Culture Ireland.
For further information on the exhibition please contact Catriona O’Sullivan, Assistant Staff Officer, The Arts Department, Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford on +353 (0)53 9196369 or email catriona.osullivan@wexfordcoco.ie.
Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford, Y35 WY93
T: +353 (0)53 9196369 / E: artsoffice@wexfordcoco.ie / W: www.wexfordcoco.ie
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm
