In the Press

‘In The Press’ presents a group of eleven multidisciplinary artists that have a strong connection to the island of Ireland as their place of birth, home or work. The selected artists include Carl Hickey, Chloe Austin, Ciana Taylor, Enda Burke, Farouk858, Hazel O’Sullivan, Hilary Kennedy, Kelly Ewing, Richard Malone, Spicebag and Venus Patel. A performance by Sam Wallace will take place as an event during the exhibition period.

The colloquial differences between the kitchen ‘press’, as it is known in Ireland, or the kitchen ‘cupboard’ as it is known in the UK, has inspired a curatorial approach that highlights the rich linguistic heritage of Hiberno – English as a bonding mechanism for this collective. The co-curators, Ciarán Mac Domhnaill and Hazel O’Sullivan, have invited the participating artists to bring a domestic item from their press to the Mayfair gallery as a celebration of recognisable Irish products, objects and personal effects.

Performance artist Sam Wallace has said, “Marshmallows are a versatile press item: they can be used in a variety of baked goods, however, my favorite tray bake is ‘15s’, a delicious Northern Irish sweet treat made up of 15 marshmallows, 15 digestive biscuits, 15 cherries, condensed milk and desiccated coconut”, whereas visual artist Kelly Ewing has said, “Tayto cheese and onion are a ubiquitous Irish crisp on both sides of the border and are synonymous with Ireland across the globe. I grew up eating them at home and at school, as part of packed lunches, on buffet spreads, between buttery slices of Brennan’s at friends houses and nowadays at home with my Dad every time I visit from London”.

The diverse group of early career, emerging and established artists explore a broad spectrum of hyper-contemporary concerns that challenge heteronormative societies, future mythologies, surveillance, alienation, feminism, queer expression and alternative narratives. Chloe Austin explores queer and feminist expression through archival material, Enda Burke builds and photographs elaborate domestic sets of nostalgic and Catholic iconography, and Venus Patel records her experiences as a trans-femme of colour through film and performance.