Art meets fashion in show hosted by Brown Thomas
Date Published: 10-May-2012
Art meets fashion this month as the windows of Brown Thomas in Galway are taken over by the works of five contemporary Galway based artists.
Art and Style, which will promote the work of artists Brid Egan, Mary Coen, Shelly McDonnell, Sorsha Galvin and Victoria Smith, was unveiled this Wednesday and includes 30 original pieces in different media, including painting, sculpture, video and ceramics.
The five artists were selected by Brown Thomas Creative Director John Redmond and young artist Stephen Morris.
“Art & Style aims to draw attention to the vibrant arts scene that exists in Galway,” explains John Redmond. “Presenting works of art in a fashion environment and on this scale is new for us but we hope visitors to our store will find the exhibition refreshing and stimulating.”
Each of the five artists will each be assigned a window to frame their work for the duration of the exhibition.
Brid Egan works predominantly in oil on canvas, with music and poetry strongly influencing her creative process.
Painter Mary Coen combines the traditional medium of paint and incorporates experimental materials such as hair, embroidery and cooking ingredients to create sculptural surface in her work.
Painter Shelly McDonnell is originally from Dublin and her abstract landscape work still shows a strong urban influence. The NCAD graduate has exhibited extensively in Ireland and indeed represented Ireland at the Interceltic Art Exhibition in France in 2004.
Sorsha Galvin will be starting a MA in Ceramics and Glass at London’s Royal College of Art later this year. In her installation for Brown Thomas, Sorsha explores the value and meaning of objects and questions people’s emotional relationship with sentimental objects.
Galway born Victoria Smith has exhibited in Ireland and internationally since graduating and is now studying for her Masters in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy at Goldsmith’s College, while also teaching part-time. Recent trips to Africa have greatly influenced her work.