Wrap

Engaging directly with the landscape to question its representation.

Wrap was a series of paintings that engaged directly with the land. Canvas was wrapped around glacial erratic boulders used previously in the Erratics series. The surface was then scoured with soil, grass or sandpaper to record the imprint of their forms, which then served as ‘texts’ for re-working later in the studio. O’Mahony had the process photographed in front of Mullaghmore Mountain to document the process, an iconic symbol of environmental conflict both locally and nationally.

Stretched, un-stretched, intensively worked or barely mediated, the different formats and art historical references were used to highlight the relational complexity of the political ecology of the region. The series was made for Galway Arts Centre, the former home of Lady Gregory, a key figure who helped fix the West of Ireland as site and symbol of authenticity. Stretched, un-stretched, intensively worked or barely mediated, the different formats and art historical references were used to highlight the relational complexity of the political ecology of the region, reflecting on the way the West of Ireland’s landscape has been commodified and instrumentalised.

Wrap led to further projects that contemplated and engaged with the Burren’s landscape and interactions with it. Some works from the series were exhibited as part of EV+A in 1998, curated by Paul O’Reilly with the full installation presented at Galway Art Centre in 2000, and the Lukacs Gallery, Fairfield University, USA in 2001.

See also BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE published by ACA Public for more on this work.

Supported by Fairfield University, the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and Galway Arts Centre