Anchorage Orlagh Spain 27th October – 17th November 2011

 

Each year Limerick Printmakers Studio and Gallery award a BA Graduate from the Printmaking Department at Limerick School of Art and Design a Bursary Award in the form of a year’s membership and a solo exhibition at the end of that year. The aim of the award is to promote printmaking as a viable career choice and to support graduates through provision of specialist facilities and to build a community of innovative printmakers in Limerick City.
Our 2010/2011 award winner is Orlagh Spain.

Anchorage is the bursary show for 2011 and Orlagh’s first solo show since graduating with first class honours from LSAD in June 2010.

“There are 6.5 billion people in the world. There are 90 billion dead; Most of these were killed by mosquitos.
Modern humans have existed for less than 200,000 years. The current world order has existed for less than 200 years. 
The common cockroach has existed, virtually unchanged, for over 350 million years.
In approximately 5 billion years the Sun’s core will exhaust its supply of hydrogen and become a red dwarf. When this happens the Sun’s borders will expand, engulfing the earth.
This is inevitable.
After mosquitos, the highest killer of human beings is other human beings.
Whether we are wiped out by our own stupidity, natural calamity or natural selection makes little difference.
Eventually time will rid itself of us in its own unreasonable way”

This exhibition is made up of traditional prints and drawings on paper, which Orlagh has then mounted and framed herself within reclaimed wood. Much of the imagery for the work is pulled from the world around us, both natural and man-made.  Works include a holy elephant, A sainted Hyena, a V-2 Rocket and origami animals.  One of the pieces featured in this show is a beautifully intricate silkscreen of a rook.  Extremely intelligent and resourceful, crows and rooks have traditionally been portrayed (perhaps undeservedly) as harbringers of death and guides to the afterlife. This delicate work is contradicted by the handmade chunky wooden backings and frames.  This contrast between the textures and materials used, creates a balance of beautifully presented work.

By incorporating religious imagery into her work, the artist seeks to create a new ideal of the sacred and profane.  The inspiration for ‘Anchorage’ come from many sources including pre-historic, religious and mythological iconography, the novels of Philip K. Dick and the raw materials she works with. 

“Anchorage is the beginning of something new for me, I’m finding more of a balance in the way I work and nailing down what really moves me to make work, empathy, fear and human stupidity.” Orlagh Spain

LSAD lecturer Des Mac Mahon will officially open the exhibition at 8pm on Thursday the 27th of October and the show will close on the 17th November 2011
For further information on this exhibition, please contact Limerick Printmakers Studio and Gallery at the details below. The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 11am to 5.30pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm. All are welcome. Admission is free.
 
Limerick Printmakers Studio and Gallery Ltd. gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Arts Council.