TRIO EXHIBIT IN LONDON
KILPEDDER ceramicist Laura O’Hagan is one of three artists to have held an exhibition at the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith in London, along with painter Eve Parnell from Dublin and calligrapher Frances Breen from Wexford.
Eve also has a connection to County Wicklow, being descended from Charles Stewart Parnell, of Avondale House in Rathdrum.
They showed the collection ‘Fáinleog’ from January to just last week, in collaboration with the Irish Embassy, as part of the celebrations for St Brigid’s Day.
The word Fáinleog means the swallow and little wanderer, paying homage to both the environment and the Irish Diaspora.
They hope to bring the collection to Ireland for further showings this year.
Eve was invited to curate a three-woman show in London.
‘I had actually seen the work of Laura and Francis before I knew them, and always really liked it,’ she said. ‘The opportunity arose and I had to think about who to offer it to,’ she said.
‘I wanted to create an exhibition that would be visually interesting and the artist would be addressing issues, not just showing pretty pictures or ceramics, but a collection with meaning behind the work.’
She said that their goal was that when a visitor walked into the gallery there would be a vibrancy in the room, and they wouldn’t feel jaded when leaving.
‘Laura does the most beautiful ceramics,’ said Eve. ‘She does everything herself, including using the kiln, firing and finishing the pieces.’
She described one of Laura’s sculptures as two whales jumping out of water. ‘They are stunning,’ she said.
She said also that the three artists worked hard to a deadline to install the collection in London, but nevertheless had a great time doing so and enjoyed each other’s company very much. ‘Everything just fell into place,’ she said.
Eve said that the exhibition was part of a much wider series of events arranged by the Embassy of Ireland in London.
The theme was creativity in woman and women’s emerging role in society.
There was an evening of talks, panel discussions, poetry and music, including actress Siobhán McSweeney of Derry Girls fame, and singer Lisa Lambe.
Chairman of the Irish Cultural Centre, Peter Power-Hynes, said that the collection pays homage to the talent of women within the diaspora, looking at the bravery it takes to leave one’s home, the memories that are cherished, and the beauty of our environment.
Laura O’Hagan was born and educated in Ireland, graduated from NCAD in 1986.
Her medium extends from clay sculpture to large scale mosaics, working mainly to commission and sometimes as an educator.
Her sculptures Sunken Forrest in Denmark and those included in the permanent collection of the International Museum of Ceramic Art, China capture the landscape of the Irish coast through O’Hagan’s expressive approach to clay.
She was recently invited by the Chinese Minister for Culture to come and present her work to an international forum and to some four thousand Chinese Artists, also discussing the future of Chinese artwork and how it might incorporate the traditions of the past.
Currently she is working towards an international ceramic exhibition and a plan for a solo show in Dublin in 2020.
Both Eve and Francis also studied at NCAD. Eve also completed an artist’s residency in Sicily and has exhibited widely across Europe.
Frances Breen was born in Wexford and lives and works in Australia and Ireland.
She received scholarship awards to study Lettering with Professor Friedrich Neugebauer in Austria, Book Arts at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and Lettering with Martin Andersch in Hamburg.
Since 1986 she has been a visiting tutor for Lettering and Book Arts in NCAD Dublin in the Department of Visual Communication and Faculty of Education.