New Limerick exhibition explores the art of conversation
Strange Weather by Laura Fitzgerald is a mix of new and older work
A NEW exhibition at Ormston House will immerse you in an array of conversations through colourful and playful work.
Strange Weather by Laura Fitzgerald is a mix of new and older work, touching on topics ranging from land politics to mythology, but also the happiness of neighbours.
With Strange Weather, Laura Fitzgerald presents a body of new works including (but not limited to) wall-based painting, text, tape, and video.
This expansive solo exhibition also includes older works that formed Rural Stress (2022), I have made a place (2021), and Fantasy Farming (2020).
Laura's work is colourful, playful, and distinctly humorous. Often handwritten comments and narratives accompany her drawings and paintings, sometimes referencing personal experiences and sometimes pointing to much darker issues.
The work draws connections between climate change and agriculture while exploring the complicated relationships of land ownership and land occupation.
Strange Weather navigates these tense conversations, uncertain of any solution.
The exhibition is curated by Niamh Brown and supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Limerick City and County Council.
To accompany the exhibition, Laura has produced a new publication, ‘Greetings from the Countryside (Strong Emotions)’, designed and printed by Or Studio.
The publication includes a new text and illustrations that reflect experiences of rural life, relationships between neighbours, and conventional road signals.
Laura is an Irish artist based in Inch, Co Kerry. She is a graduate of both the National College of Art & Design, Dublin and Royal College of Art, London. She is a recipient of the Visual Arts Bursary Award (Arts Council of Ireland) for 2023–24.
“Be careful in places where the signs are faded. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it has gone away. So, watch out. I have cordoned off areas where there is a risk of personal injury to you, me, and others. The tape will be as long as possible.
Meanwhile, if feeling despondent, read Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus, again, again, again, and again. A good laugh helps make everything better. All work is in progress, sure I'm in progress myself, until I eventually start to deteriorate and fall apart. Careful where you drive. Mind where you step. The weather is very strange at the moment,” wrote Laura.
The exhibition, Strange Weather, at Ormston House on Patrick Street in the city will be open to the public from Thursday, February 15.