Natural environment at the heart of Anne’s work in Kamera 8 art show
‘Vibration: Embracing a Higher Connection to Our Planet’ is the title of an exhibition running at the Kamera 8 Gallery in Rowe Street, Wexford until January 30.
It’s the artist’s first major solo show since she graduated with a Masters Degree in Fine Art from CIT Crawford College of Art & Design in Cork last January.
She also has a BA (Hons 1st class) in Art from the Wexford Campus School of Art & Design at IT Carlow.
Anne lives and works on Bree Hill. Her practice revolves around painting, photography and printmaking, sometimes in combination with sculptural elements.
Central to the work are themes of sexual and cultural identity that relate to our natural environment and reference a range of topics taken from history and mythology.
Environmental issues are never far from her concerns, such as the fragmentation of our ecosystem due to the greed of humanity.
Her research involves an examination of geomagnetic ley-lines, ancient sites, Sheela-na-gig and rituals such as divination.
She likes to engage in quiet conversation with nature, gleaning knowledge from an intimate connection with the elements and then using this experience to produce art which invokes a sense of spirituality and/or an awareness of ongoing environmental issues.
Anne is interested in colour, the layering of paint and different forms of mark-making, working intuitively on canvas, board or paper.
Her printmaking process is kept as organic as possible, using collagraph, woodcut and dry-point and the subject matter remains earth related.
She considers photography to be an integral part of the process while also serving as a way of documenting her more ephemeral artwork.
Through her intuitive work, she tries to create an alternative way of seeing and evokes a sense of being grounded for both herself and the viewer. A physical and spiritual connection to the earth, and an awareness of environmental issues, remain at the core of all her artwork.
The artist has participated in several groups shows in Ireland during 2019 and was involved in a joint exhibition, Force/Effect/ Response in The Creative Hub, Wexford from December 14 to January 12, 2020.
She is also one of eight artists taking part in The Living Arts Project 2019/20.
The Kamera 8 exhibition is curated by Anya von Gosseln.