Touching Garter Lane exhibition explores the stages of grief

A new thread-based exhibition at Garter Lane Arts Centre, explores the various stages of grief, and a personal attempt to lean into it all.

'Grief’s Current Shape' is a new thread-based exhibition by Kerry based artist Ciara O’Connor.

"Grief has seeped into my bones, and I suspect it will never leave," said the artist.

"But it is so much more than sorrow and despair. It is an ever-changing expression of love. We loved them and they loved us. For me, sometimes that love is a rush of warmth when I look down at my hands and see hers.

"Sometimes it’s a stab of regret for the hurtful thing I said to him. Sometimes it’s a crumble to the floor when I am overcome by the loss and cruelty of it all. But sometimes now, as the waves of sadness move further and further apart, it is bountiful gratitude for everything it has taught me."

Ciara O’Connor is a Kerry-based visual artist who works primarily with textiles and free-motion embroidery. 

Her work is figurative and deals with themes of identity, feminism, trauma and recovery, and she is interested in pushing the boundaries of traditional techniques to tell contemporary stories.

Since returning to her practice in 2019, she has been selected for 15 group shows, including 'Following Threads' in Crawford Art Gallery, and RUA and RSA Annuals. 

She had her first solo show in Garter Lane Arts Centre in 2022, and has featured in FAIRE, Image Magazine, The Irish Examiner, The Kerryman, and VAN Jan/Feb 2024. 

Her second solo show opens from September 6 in Garter Lane Arts Centre, and runs until November 8.