A Message From Mermaid
While our doors remain closed, or infrequently open to small numbers, we wanted to reach out to let you know that we’re still thinking about you. In order to do this and to support Wicklow artists we commissioned artworks by Liing Heaney, Joanna Kidney, Michael Geddis, Brigid O'Brien and Alan Clarke.
Each artwork was printed on a postcard and we have sent these out to over 40,000 households in County Wicklow. This postcard is a small gift of art from us to you, as a reminder that art can bring us all a little bit of joy, intrigue or inspiration, even in these difficult times.
If you received a postcard you might like to pop this on your fridge or on a desk. These are a series of four. You can learn more about the artists behind each image below.
These postcards are a pledge to you that we will be here when we can all gather again, to inspire and entertain you in person: in our gallery, in our theatre, and perhaps in some unexpected places too.
Mermaid is a registered charity and we are always grateful for any support. If you are in a position to support us, any donation would be most welcome at the link below.
You may also consider joining our mailing list and staying in touch with us that way too.
Stay safe and well!
Julie
Julie Kelleher, Artistic Director
Liing Heaney
'Abundance' by 1iing Heaney
1iing Heaney is a visual artist from Bray, Co. Wicklow. She graduated from NCAD in 2015 with a BA in Fine Art and Visual Culture. She uses CGI, video, and print to explore virtual space as an extension of the geological world. She is interested in the future of nature and its interactions with technology. 1iing’s recent awards include the Visual Artist Bursary, Arts Council Ireland (2020), Strategic Project award, Wicklow County Council (2020), Artist Support Scheme, Wicklow County Council (2019&2016), and the Emerging Irish Artist Residency Award, Burren College of Art (2016). Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, with recent work exhibited at ‘New Irish Video’, HDLU, Zagreb (2020), ‘Nature’, ZAZ 10 Times Square’s digital billboard, New York (2020), solo exhibition ‘Hyper-‘ in Pallas Projects/Studios, Dublin (2019), and group show ‘Geological Cake’ in 126 Gallery, Galway and the Burren College of Art Gallery (2017).
1iing frequently collaborates with the artist and aerialist Emily Aoibheann, and she also facilitates workshops using Blender, a 3D modeling software in Block-T, Dublin.
Brigid O'Brien
'September Sun' by Brigid O'Brien
Brigid O’Brien is a Wicklow based artist whose work includes landscape, still life and life drawing. She has exhibited in Ireland, the UK and Australia. Mostly she carries a notebook and pen and draws wherever she finds herself, on beaches in cafes and gardens. She uses pen, pencil, water colour and acrylic paint.
Brigid O'Brien will be presenting an exhibition entitled 'Home' in Mermaid in autumn 2021.
Joanna Kidney
210 - 6 by Michael Geddis and Joanna Kidney
Joanna Kidney is a visual artist born in Dublin and currently living in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Her practice is a continual enquiry of an abstract vocabulary through drawing, painting and installation. On a quest for the non-material, it reflects on our place within the complex, infinite universe.
She has exhibited at Solo and Group Exhibtions in USA, France, Germany and Ireland. Selected Solo Exhibitions include: RHA, Dublin; List Gallery, Swarthmore College, Philadelphia (upcoming); The LAB, Dublin (upcoming); Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre; Galway Arts Centre and Mermaid Arts Centre, Co. Wicklow.
She is the recipient of Arts Council of Ireland and Wicklow County Council funding; an Royal Hibernian Academy Studio Award; a Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship and a Dublin Institute of Technology Award of Excellence. International residencies include Swarthmore College, Philadelphia (upcoming), Kiðjaberg, Iceland and Brigham Young University, Utah. Her collaborative practice includes projects with visual artists, dancers and filmakers.
She is a founding member of Outpost Studios, Bray, Co. Wicklow and the co-host of Wicklow Artists Salon, an initiative by Outpost Studios and Artists Connect. She sits on the panel for Artists Connect, a Wicklow County Council artists development initiative.
Her work can be seen in the collections of Allied Irish Banks; The Central Bank, Dublin; Office of Public Works, Ireland; University College Dublin and the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland.
Joanna Kidney and Michael Geddis will be exhibiting in Mermaid in Spring 2021.
Michael Geddis
210 - 6 by Michael Geddis and Joanna Kidney
Northern Irish visual artist/retired veterinary surgeon Michael Geddis specialises in drawing. He delights in the elegance of natural forms/patterns and finds microscopic structures particularly inspirational. His degree show (2013) drew acclaim at national level (James White Prize for Drawing at the RDS’s Annual Student Awards). Since then, his practice has developed steadily through several awarded artist residencies/bursaries, collaborations with other artists and a series of Arts Council Lottery Funded projects. His work is included in the collections of the National Gallery of Ireland, Northern Ireland Civil Service, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and Ulster University. He has exhibited widely across Ireland as well as Finland, Sweden, London and Washington DC. Geddis was awarded the Royal Ulster Academy’s Drawing Prize (2019) and the Anna Cheyne Biennial Award (2017).
http://www.michaelgeddisart.co...
Michael Geddis and Joanna Kidney will be exhibiting in Mermaid in Spring 2021.
Alan Clarke
'To be a Tsarevna is a hard, hard life' by Alan Clarke
Alan Clarke is an illustrator and sculptor. Over the years he has illustrated posters, album covers, advertising campaigns, books for children and adults, and has produced work for private commissions and public exhibitions. More recently he has begun producing sculpted portraits and large scale sculptural work. He has won numerous awards and his work has been exhibited all over the world. A large collection of his illustrations from the ‘Ross O’Carroll-Kelly’ series of books was recently acquired by the National Library for the state collection.
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