The Big Wash

Extensions - exhibition at the Copper House Dublin

In 2017 I had the opportunity to work with Arekibo on a new exhibition of paintings and prints entitled Extensions in aid of Jigsaw – the National Centre for Youth Mental Health.

The exhibition, with 2 years of art making behind it, presented 19 paintings and prints exploring a cross-section of ideas and ways of representing those ideas.

last-of-his-kind-art-piece-at-extensions-art-exhibition

“Last Of His Kind” at the Extensions Art Exhibition.

The event was a wonderful opportunity to bring people together in a relaxed atmosphere at the Copper House Gallery, a real hidden gem in the city centre. Among the attendees, was Brent Pope, who has strong ties to art as well as mental health advocacy and who said some words, sharing his own personal journey both in relation to art and mental health with those present with both candour and honesty.

The Copper House gallery with its different spaces and corners facilitated an arrangement of the artwork into groupings of related work.  Taken together, the 19 pieces in the exhibition represent an attempt to take in the world around me, whether inspired by my immediate physical environment, personal life or from media. Through the experience of preparing this exhibition, I have come to see painting and drawing as an a sory of act of faith, that the process by which I have tried to make something of these images myself, can be repeated in different ways by others, who can, in turn, make something of them with her or his own personal story, sensibility and experience.

Exntions exhibition opening night

Extensions exhibition opening event

It has been extremely satisfying to be able to donate 30% of proceeds from sales of works from this collection to Jigsaw. The money will contribute to Jigsaw’s evolving digital strategy building on and complimenting their existing essential front-line services.