The exhibition draws attention to human interaction with the Irish boglands, focusing on the folklore, mythology, traditions and the materiality associated with the bogs of Uíbh Ráthach. For this collaborative project, Karen Hendy brought together artists and performers working with each other, often outside the comfort zone of their familiar work environments and teams - a process that sparked creative dialogue across disciplines: painting, photography, poetry, calligraphy and performative drawing - marks created by dancers in charcoal on paper scrolls. They all take their inspiration from dance movements that take the repetitive, almost ritualistic task of turf cutting as a starting point. The Irish word Cré means both earth and clay but also refers to system of belief or principles.
The exhibition will be exhibited at Kenmare Buttermarket until December 2023 and will then tour the rest of Ireland starting in January 2024 at An Gailearaí in Donegal and The Ballinglen Arts Foundation Mayo in April 2024.
Contributing artists are Paddy Bushe, Tim O’Neill, John Minihan, Alex Boyd, Karen Hendy, Holger Lonze, Joanne Barry, Anne O’Donnell and Jonathan Kelliher.
