Unfold 
Johnny Bugler, Rosie Cleary, Simon English, Dominic Fee, Rob Monaghan and Sarah O’ Brien
16 January to 27 February 2016
In collaboration with Cork Printmakers and Cork County Council.
 

Unfold is an exhibition featuring new artworks by six artists, resulting from a Cork County Arts Office Professional Development Project in partnership with Cork Printmakers and Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre.

Through an Open Submission Call, three professional Cork based artists and three artist members of Cork Printmakers were selected to participate in Unfold. The six artists worked together over a two week residency last summer at Cork Printmakers’ Studio, Cork City. Unfold is about professional artists discovering – or rediscovering, printmaking as a medium full of possibility. This project offered the artists an opportunity to collaborate, learn new skills and explore techniques in a professional Print Studio.

During the residency it quickly emerged that the artists had a common interest in several themes including the use of found objects, the notion of ‘everyday’, an appreciation for the importance of materials and the passage of time. The movement of time is mapped in all the artwork in some way, which echoes the process of printmaking itself. Concerns with elements such as; the multiple, the exploration of scale, layering, and the use of commonplace materials, also became apparent during the residency.

Simon English examines the notion of ‘Utopia’ and attempts to find it, while Dominic Fee seeks to record and elevate common elements of daily life, Rosie Cleary and Rob Monaghan both visually investigate memory and its relationship to identity, personal relationships and the lapse of time, as Johnny Bugler explores the sea and one of its fruits in particular - the heart urchin and Sarah O’Brien interprets the patterns that she finds present in everyday life. The exhibition takes the audience on a voyage through the artists’ experiences at once personal and universal, both real and imagined where aspects of the inherent human condition can be considered.

Following the residency period, the participating artists continued to communicate with each other as they developed new work. The acceptance of chance and surprise that can occur with the practice of printmaking and within an open – ended collaborative process, also profoundly informed the artwork.

Events at Uillinn for Unfold
Unfold Book Launch
A limited edition publication Unfold, designed by the Project Twins accompanies the exhibition and was launched on Saturday 30 January 2016.

Unfold In Conversation
The 6 artists who participated in this Cork County Arts Office Professional Development Project, discussed the nature of the residency, how the residency experience and working collaboratively has influenced their artistic practice and the resulting artwork. The format will be an informal question and answer session, chaired by Ann Davoren, Director, Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre and Valerie Byrne, Director, Cork Printmakers. Saturday 30 January at 12 noon