"Faraway Longings" exhibition at the Embassy of Ireland in Berlin

Faraway Longings

An exhibition of Irish artists living and working in Berlin featuring works by:


Maurice Doherty
Adam Fearon

Jane Hughes
Enda O’Donoghue
Ciarán Walsh

Curated by Sheena Malone


Vernissage:
6.30-8.30pm, Thursday, 4 February 2016
Please RSVP for the vernissage by sending an email to
RSVP.#BERLINEM@dfa.ie before 1 February


Embassy of Ireland, Jägerstrasse 51, Berlin 10117.
5 February- 31 March 2016
Monday-Friday 9.30-12.30 or by appointment


//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
While conceptions of Irish diaspora for many years have been intertwined with ideas of forced emigration, in recent times emigration does not necessarily have to be associated with the immense sadness of separation and final farewells which led to the creation of rituals such as The American Wake.

‘Faraway Longings’ looks at the positive impacts of the Irish artistic diaspora in Germany and by its very nature in gathering a selection of Berlin-based practitioners will touch on the themes of emigration, travel, cultural dispersal and cross-pollination.

The initial exhibition concept draws upon two terms used in the German language: Wanderlust which specifically describes a state of being where one has a strong desire or is impelled to wander and rove, and similarly Fernweh, the longing for travel far from home where grass may seem greener. These journeys can be physical, spiritual or metaphorical as can be the concept of distance. In part, the exhibition investigates dichotomies and attempts at reconciliation in cultures where travelers may find themselves, perhaps in an intermediate state, existing wholly in neither place, but on certain levels operating consciously in both. 

While the participating artists in this exhibition are bound together by their geographic location, a broad spectrum of media highlights the diversity of their practices. The selection of works incorporates painting, photography, film and sculpture, which deal with themes relating to personal and collective memories, methods of representation and complex concepts of alienation in a globalized and post-colonial world.