Ballaí Beo - Living Walls
Living Walls
Siobhan Mullen, Christine Bowen, Pamela Hamilton
Chuir triúr d’ealaíontóirí an Tank Gallery i mBéal Feirste .i. Christine Bowen, Pamela Hamilton King agus Siobhán Mullen léiriú i láthair ar an fhreagairt phearsanta a bhí acu ar an taithí saoil a fuair siad in Dubrovnik, Pompeii agus i Maidrid. Coincheap uaillmhianach a bhí ann de bhrí go n-oibríonn an triúr acu ar bhealaí atá an-éagsúil óna chéile, agus i dtrí shuíomh difriúla, agus dá bharr sin cha rabhthas cinnte fán toradh a bheadh ar an tionscadal.
Trí phictiúr théagartha ar chanbhás - agus iad ceithre troithe fá cheithre troithe go leith – na príomhshaothair a tháinig ó Christine. Tá taibhseacht ag rith leo, agus tá na dathanna gléineach agus, b’fhéidir, scéiniúil. An teachtaireacht atá le sonrú uathu ná an leithlis, an ghéibheann agus an deighiltiú – feiniméin an chogaidh iad sin. Agus í ar chuairt go dtí an Chróit thug sí faoi deara ‘na coilm a fágadh ar cheantracha áille’. Scigmhagadh físiúil atá sa roghnú a rinne sí de dhathanna spleodracha ar an bhréagtharraingteacht a bhronntar ar an chogaíocht, ar an mhórthaibhseacht agus ar an nós atá ann gaiscí rannpháirtithe na cogaíochta a cheiliúradh ag searmanais.
Tá Pamela ag leanúint léi ag inniúchadh a bhfuil i gceist le dromchla. Baineann sí leas as glónrú sofaisticiúil den olaphéint thrédhearcach ar ‘bhonn-achar Veinéiseach’, meascán casta de olaí agus de ábhair dhatha éagsúla ar mhaithe le dromchla a bhfuil braithstint an tsíoda ag baint leis a chruthú. Chuirfeadh a leithéid ballaí áille alfresco Phompeii i gcuimhne do dhuine. Tá canbháis s’aici mín bog réidh, íostach agus ciúin ar aon dul leis na dathanna a roghnaíonn sí .i. an glasghorm agus screamhóga geala bána in áiteanna ar leith.
Tá Siobhán fillte ar an líníocht mar an príomh-mheán a chleachtaíonn sí, agus tá tús curtha aici le machnamh a dhéanamh ar thúsphointí na staire ina teaghlach agus ar an glúnta éagsúla ann anuas fríd am. Cúig líníocht atá aici sa taispeántas seo agus rianaíonn siad an turas a thug a sin-seanathair óna bhaile dúchais ar na hOileáin Árann go tír mór. Scrúdaíonn taibhléiriú Shiobháin an gaol atá idir an duine agus an talamh, an nasc atá againn leis an talamh agus na deacrachtaí a ghabhann le míntíriú agus áitreamh. Chaith an t-ealaíontóir dhá uair a chloig sínte ina luí istigh i mballa agus ualach na gcloch sin uilig anuas uirthi. Rud spéisiúil a bhí i bhfreagairt an lucht féachana nó níor thug siad faoi deara ar dtús go raibh sí istigh ansin ar chor ar bith! Agus cruth daonna Shiobháin aimsithe acu, luaigh roinnt daoine an t-iontas a chuir camouflage s’aici orthu, agus áilleacht na míre.
Living Walls
Siobhan Mullen, Christine Bowen, Pamela Hamilton
Three artist from Belfast’s Tank Gallery and studios, Christine Bowen, Pamela Hamilton King and Siobhán Mullen presented representations of their individual experiences of Dubrovnik, Pompeii and Madrid and the personal resonances these places evoked for each. It was an ambitious concept in that the three artists work in a completely different ways and were using different locations, no one therefore could possibly foretell the outcome.
Christine’s main pieces were three robust four by four and a half foot canvases. Their presence is imposing and the colour is vivid if not in places garish. They depict fish, solitary or a shoal, in glass bowls. The message is isolation, incarceration and polarisation - phenomenas of war. The artist’s journey to Croatia showed her “scars in beautiful places”. Her choice of vibrant colours is a visual parody of the glamourisation of war, the pagentary and glorifying ceremonial performance of its participants.
Pamela continues to explore the nature of surface. She uses sophisticated glazes of transparent oil paint on a ‘venetian ground’, a complex mix of various oils and pigments which produce a surface that feels like silk. This is reminiscent of the beautiful alfresco paintings on the walls of Pompeii. Her canvases are smooth, minimal and quiet as are her colours, steel blue and selected areas of flake white.
Siobhán has reinstated drawing as her main medium and has also begun to think about the origins and generations of history within her family. The five drawings presented in this exhibition trace the journey of her great grandfather from his roots on the Aran Islands to the mainland. Siobhán’s performance piece explores the human relationship to land, our bond with it and our difficulties with settlement. The artist lay submerged or emerging from a wall for nearly two hours carrying the weight of many stones. The audiences response was interesting as it took a while for them to realise she was there at all. Having found the human form people expressed amazement at her camouflage and the beauty of the piece.