Dath an Dóchais - Údarás na Gaeltachta and Ealaín na Gaeltachta celebrate 40 of the Gaeltacht’s visual artists

Údarás na Gaeltachta, in partnership with Ealaín na Gaeltachta, is delighted to celebrate forty of the Gaeltacht’s visual artists in an online exhibition to be launched next week and which will run for a period of five weeks. The exhibition is a celebration of 40 years of support by Údarás na Gaeltachta for the visual arts in the Gaeltacht.

The online exhibition, which has been curated by Úna Campbell and the team at An Gailearaí, Gaoth Dobhair, will launch on Monday, 17th May  2021 at www.DathanDochais.com. The virtual experience will also feature an audio element, as well as a commissioned essay by art critic and selector Catherine Marshall.

The exhibition illuminates the breadth and diversity of work being made by artists who live and work within the Gaeltacht and celebrates several generations of artists. Widespread access to the arts has always been a priority for both Údarás na Gaeltachta and Ealaín na Gaeltachta. The exhibition being held online, while necessitated by the pandemic, also ensures that the exhibition can be accessed throughout the Gaeltacht as well as nationally and internationally.

Speaking about the exhibition Úna Campbell, An Gailearaí said:

“This exhibition clearly demonstrates the strength of vision and eloquence of each of the artist’s own visual language assembled here within the prism of the geography and spirit of the Gaeltacht”.

Rachel Holstead of Ealaín na Gaeltachta spoke of the launch:

“The visual culture of the Gaeltacht is as vibrant and diverse as the Gaeltacht itself. This celebration, curated by An Gailearaí, offers a view of several generations of Gaeltacht artists, from welcome immigrants to a younger generation which has benefitted from and taken ownership of a growing culture of visual expression. We look forward to continuing to support, be inspired and be challenged by these artists as they continue to grow their practices, and to meeting the new generations of Gaeltacht artists that they, in turn, inspire.”

Rónán Mac Con Iomaire Údarás na Gaeltachta’s Director of Regional, Community Development & Language Planning also added:

“As a Gaeltacht community, we are deeply indebted to our artists. Imagine a life without their vision, without their dreams. They make the world aware of who we, as a Gaeltacht community, are and they also make us aware of who we are as a community. They nurture us as a community and, as a community, we are grateful for that. This exhibition provides, not only an insight into forty years of Gaeltacht art, but also an insight into forty years of Údarás na Gaeltachta and forty years of the community spirit which demanded the establishment of Údarás na Gaeltachta. That spirit still remains.”

Ealaín na Gaeltachta promotes the development of the contemporary and the traditional arts in the Gaeltacht and has been joint venture between Údarás na Gaeltachta and the Arts Council since 1997. Ealaín na Gaeltachta provides services and grant schemes that support the development of arts organisations and individual artists.

This exhibition of Gaeltacht visual artists will be launched on 17 May 2021 and can be viewed at www.dathandochais.com.

The 40 artists whose work will be exhibited as part of Dath an Dóchais are :