Local artist to display Greek Mythology inspired work

Áine Sealy from Kilmore near Tallow in Co. Waterford, who has recently completed a Special Purpose Award in Contemporary Art Textiles at MTU Crawford College of Art & Design, will be exhibiting her work in a group graduate exhibition in Cork City next month.

The exhibition will showcase textiles pieces by Áine and nine other artists who have recently completed their studies. 

Entitled 'Ariadne’s Thread', the exhibition takes its title from Greek mythology. 

Ariadne, King Minos’ daughter, is associated with problem-solving skills, ingenuity and creativity. 

When Theseus went to slay the Minotaur, she helped him to escape the labyrinth by giving him a ball of red thread.

The exhibitors described to the Waterford News & Star that at the heart of this Greek myth lies a metaphor relating to finding our way through the maze of the creative process, something the ten female exhibitors say they can relate to well. 

Each showed great intuition, creativity and clever problem-solving skills as they worked through their research and creative challenges over the past two years to culminate in the creation of this body of work. 

The work explores a broad range of complex themes such as loss, memory, family history, nature, connection, conflict and exploitation.

Using diverse techniques, materials and processes, the wall-hung and sculptural works include weave, crochet, stitch, felting, print, natural materials and natural dyes.

Talking about her textile pieces, Áine Sealy, said recent work and research were somewhat of a revelation.

"Recently learning eco dyeing has been revelatory, and I have begun to explore local materials and sources, building layers of colour and stitched surfaces while manipulating the fabric is how I respond to local land and seascapes," she said.

"I am interested in the structure and geometry of folds in nature, how incremental increases lead to a sense of flow and action," she added.

The artist went on to comment: “I have tried to explore how the energy and movement of waves translates and traces itself onto the shoreline, throwing up stones, seaweed, and carving patterns in the sands. My embroidery finds the moment of action on the surface and traces the marks from dyeing."

The Ariadne’s Thread exhibition will open at the MTU Gallery at 46 Grand Parade, in Cork City, at 6pm on Tuesday, June 4, and will run from 11am to 4pm each weekday until Wednesday, June 12.

The other exhibiting artists who have contributed to the display are Patsy Atkinson, Sarah Buckley, Theresa Connolly, Doreen Fitzmaurice, Mary Foster, Claudia Hernandez-Espinosa, Laurie Manning, Áine Sealy, Kay Roche and Marjan Vos.