August 11–October 30, 2022
For the safety of themselves and others, residents of every country were advised to remain at home during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, these mandates to stay at home acted as a sobering reminder that the domestic setting continues to be the most unsafe for women, where numerous victims face significant dangers of abuse. Recent health failures for women expose a global legislative assault that threatens their freedoms and the preservation of their bodily autonomy. We must not take our liberties for granted. The status of women in society is still under danger due to this turbulent cycle. Hugh Lane Gallery is presenting Bones in the Attic, a show of sisterhood and solidarity that hints at the connection between women’s freedom and enslavement.
Bones in the Attic is an important and focused study on modern society that challenges the institutions and myths that justify the exploitation and segregation of women. It investigates the mythology and histories of ancient Ireland, the historical narrative of feminine sensibility and its survival, as well as the ongoing struggles that each new generation of women artists and their gender identities encounter.
Bones in the Attic is an inter-generational exhibition comprising the work of eleven Irish artists, each exploring recurring and ongoing societal issues affecting women. Works by key artists in the Hugh Lane Gallery’s collection – Rita Duffy, Dorothy Cross, Kathy Prendergast, Alice Maher, and Jesse Jones – are exhibited alongside works by invited artists Myrid Carten, Eleanor McCaughey, Amanda Doran, Sarah Jayne Booth, Ruby Wallis, and the art collective Na Cailleacha.
With Bones in the Attic, we hope to continue and advance the vital discussions being had in Ireland right now by knowledgeable, gifted, and considerate individuals working across a range of cultural fields. It is a celebration of the progress made by women thus far, a path taken in the direction of autonomy, respect, and understanding, and a move to secure the future of feminism for all.
The show will be accompanied by a fully illustrated publication with texts from Tessa Giblin, director of the Talbot Rice Gallery, Dr. Mary Condren, director of the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies at TCD, and poet Ceait N. Bheildiin. The publication was designed by Oonagh Young. Throughout the run of the exhibition, Bones in the Attic is accompanied by an engaging and varied educational program. To learn more, visit hughlane.ie.
Admission free. All welcome.
The exhibition opens in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square, Dublin on August 11, 2022 and will run until October 30, 2022.
Key programmes and events
August 10, 2022: exhibition opening—Hugh Lane Gallery welcomes friends and patrons of the gallery to an exclusive first look at the Bones in the Attic.
August 26–29, 2022: Bones in the Attic Summer School, with artist Alice Maher, film curator Alice Butler, writer and podcaster Sophie White, exhibition curator Victoria Evans and artist Helena Gouveia Monteiro. This three-day Summer School invites participants to creatively respond to the artworks and themes in the Bones in the Attic group exhibition through a vibrant programme of visual art and writing workshops, screenings, tours and talks.
Hugh Lane Gallery
Charlemont House
Parnell Square North
Dublin
Ireland
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 9:45am–6pm,
Friday 9:45am–5pm,
Saturday 10am–5pm,
Sunday 11am–5pm
T +353 1 222 5550
[email protected]