Jo Killalea

Courtyard Gallery, National Museum of Ireland – Country Life , Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co Mayo

Preservation is an exhibition of paintings capturing the interconnections through time and space between people, systems and resources in a globalized world.

” Drawing inspiration from the local landscape and social history of the West of Ireland, the paintings explore the impacts of both the Great Irish Famine and the climate and biodiversity crises. Past and present, these calamitous events are linked by common threads of inequality, vulnerability, destructive policies, extreme weather events, migration and death. Within the exhibition, these threads are interwoven with symbols of ancient bogs, under pressure from traditional practices such as turf-cutting, which contributes to significant greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity. But these unique ecosystems are gradually being restored and preserved through rewetting, which promotes the capture and storage of carbon, locking it down for millennia. The exhibition holds out hope of a more just and sustainable future if positive steps are taken to protect vulnerable communities and preserve ecosystems.”.

The artist gratefully acknowledges a Bursary Award in 2022 from The Arts Council in support of this work and exhibition.