galerie | michaela | stock
Archive
curated by Helen Carey
Polly Maher
Sibyl Montague
Mieke Vanmelchen
Opening Reception:
Friday, 13th September 2024, 6 – 10pm
Meet & Greet:
Saturday, 14th September 2024, 11am – 3pm
The artists and the curator will be present on both days.
Suport by Culture Ireland and Arts Council of Ireland.
The exhibition “Things I Bring From Home“, explores ideas of what makes you feel at home, what do you bring with you when you leave home, and what are likely and unlikely ideas of home in the work of Mieke Vanmechelen, Polly Maher and Sibyl Montague. The artists grasp at meanings of familiarity, of behaviour, of object, asking what brings you right back to a place, to a time. What is a provocation of the intimacy and vulnerability of safety and security or maybe of loss and memory long gone or that never was.
With mixed media and room for the viewer’s own experience, this exhibition suggests that imagination and memory play a part which is sometimes treacherous, in the meaning of home. These artworks provoke questions about the intimate connections we form with our surroundings, the objects we cherish, and the memories they hold. Through them, the exhibition seeks to connect with viewers on a deeply personal level, offering space for reflection on the universality of the home-coming and home-leaving experience and the emotional landscapes encompassed.
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Fire Station Artists’ Studio is unique in Ireland: it provides a place to live and to work for 9 artists for varying lengths of time, sometimes years. galerie michaela stock and Fire Station Artists’ Studios continue to embed the connections between Ireland and Austria, FSAS artists have found a place in Vienna with galerie michaela stock that makes them feel at home. This feeling of being at home comes from many sources. Mieke Vanmechelen is currently a resident in FSAS, Sibyl Montague is a FSAS Practice awardee, and Polly Maher has worked with Helen Carey previously and is currently based in Hamburg.
Polly Maher (b. 1998, Wexford) engages with rural narratives through her paintings, photography, and collected artefacts. Her work examines the soft, often-overlooked qualities in the harsh materials and objects found in rural sheds, highlighting the fine line between functionality and emotional attachment. Maher’s art focuses on the stories embedded in everyday objects. Polly Maher graduated with first-class honors in Fine Art Paint and Education from NCAD and completed her MA in Painting and Drawing at Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Hamburg.
Sibyl Montague (b. 1979, Cork) combines sculpture, assemblage, video, and installation to challenge conventional relationships with objects. Her practice blends diverse materials, including textiles and digital media, to create assemblages that function as tools or objects of use. These works explore themes of care, disruption, and ecological consciousness, urging viewers to reconsider the materiality and usability of everyday items. Montague studied at Limerick School of Art & Design and Chelsea College of Art and Design.
Mieke Vanmechelen (b. 1974, Antwerp), currently in residence at Fire Station Artists’ Studios, uses film, moving image, and drawing to reveal the profound narratives hidden within everyday life. Her work often relates to place, drawing on cultural history and the relationship between living beings and the natural world. With a background in Philosophy, Classical Civilisation, and Art & Process, Vanmechelen’s practice is a meditative reflection on the intersection of the ordinary and the extraordinary.
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