‘imagine life without art’

In this new exhibition at the Custom House Gallery and Studios, Bernadette Kiely’s constellation of paintings, prints and drawings, explores what it means to experience extreme weather events. Presented at a time when Europe has just experienced the hottest summer on record, Imagine life without Art is an examination of the enduring themes that have informed Kiely’s work over the past 25 years. The effects of weather and change on land and human life are presented as large-scale paintings, drawings and works on paper.  Over the last number of years, a dialogue has taken place in Kiely’s studio, as new work has been produced in the presence of, or in response to, existing works. Paintings created years apart suddenly bear an uncanny and prophetic resonance when seen together. They capture what is fast becoming an inconsistent, unpredictable, and unstable story of challenging weather events as they unfold across the world today.

Excerpt from a text accompanying the exhibition by Dr Ciara Healy, Writer,  Curator and Lecturer in Art, Culture & Heritage.