- New temporary public artworks by artist Joe Caslin developed in collaboration with women from Cork Migrant Centre
Artist Joe Caslin worked with Cork Migrant Centre and families who are seeking asylum in Ireland to create new artworks as part of Cork Midsummer Festival.
Two large-scale murals have been simultaneously installed in locations in Cork city and county, speaking to the presence and absence of the migrant community in rural and urban Ireland.
Through a series of creative sessions at the Glucksman, the artist Joe Caslin worked with a group of 35 women from diverse backgrounds to explore their understanding of home. The participants were given the opportunity to share their experiences, finding connections with other members of the group and exploring creative ways that their stories could be represented. The sessions supported by the Glucksman and Cork Migrant Centre teams, encouraged the group to look at the power of portraiture to communicate ideas and reveal insights into the sitter. Together participants discussed posture, gesture, and symbolism, before putting all their learning into practice and sitting for a portrait with the artist. Two of these portraits will be wrapped around prominent buildings in the city and county.
We, at the Glucksman, are delighted to work with artist Joe Caslin on a spectacular and compassionate set of additions to the visual landscape of Cork city and county. It honours the refugee communities who make their home in the region and the work of UCC as a Sanctuary university and our project partners Cork Migrant Centre. I am particularly grateful to the project participants and the Arts Council for enabling the project to proceed in such an inclusive way under the thoughtful curation of my colleague Tadhg Crowley, Glucksman Director, Prof. Fiona Kearney.
Joe Caslin is an Irish street artist, art teacher and activist. He is best known for his beautifully rendered pencil drawings, presented outdoors at a massive scale. His work engages directly with the social issues of modern Ireland, on an unavoidable scale – confronting the subjects of suicide, drug addiction, economic marginalisation, marriage equality, stigma in mental health, direct provision, institutional power, consent and most recently, the effects of the Covid19 pandemic on young people. His towering, monochrome drawings define a moment in time while also being deliberately ephemeral, often washing away within a few weeks: leaving us with just memories… and maybe a change of mind and attitude.
The artworks will be installed at Mallow Castle (*from July 17th*) and at Sullivan’s Quay, Cork city and were officially unveiled with a special event for the community on Saturday 25 June.
The artworks will remain on display until September 2022.
Curated by Tadhg Crowley
A Story of Home is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland, and supported by Cork County Council and Cork City Council.
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