Box Office: 057 866 3355

July 2010

Open Submission

Dunamaise OPEN Call for Proposals Guest curator: Geraldine O’Neill The Dunamaise Arts Centre invites submissions from artists for its open submission exhibition, July 1st – August 16th 2010. Work submitted for inclusion may be in any medium. Submissions, including Artists CV, CD with image(s) of proposed work & a stamped addressed envelope should be forwarded before Friday, May 7th 2010 to: Open Exhibition Submission to: Dunamaise Arts Centre, Church Street, Portlaoise, Co Laois The Dunamaise Arts Centre also welcomes submissions from artists for its ongoing exhibition programme. Tel: 057 8663355 email: info@dunamaise.ie | www.dunamaise.ie

August 2010

Suburban Shadows - Mary Burke

Suburban Shadows The focus of this body of work is Suburbia, which has been a recurring theme for Mary Burke for more than two decades. The suburbs have often been described as characterless, anonymous, bourgeois, and boring, Yet it would seem that many people aspire to living there and are prepared to make considerable sacrifices to own a little piece of real estate. The suburban experience is common to most of us and can be either positive or negative. Whether these works will evoke feelings of nostalgia or alienation depends largely on the personal experience of those who view them. This work consists of a series of oil pastels depicting shadows cast on both the interiors and exteriors of suburban houses both day and night. There is an interesting duality that occurs with shadow. Shadow can help to define but also dissolve form. Familiar images can be broken down into abstract planes and patterns and yet still remain recognizable. Something very familiar can begin to appear quite unfamiliar when examined closely. Suburbia is an environment where many of us live yet it is seldom celebrated in art. These places are often deserted mid-week as home owners make a long daily commute in order to service mortgages on property they seldom see during daylight hours and even at night the streets and gardens remain empty as the inhabitants are tucked away behind closed doors. They are almost like ghost towns. We no longer know our neighbours. There is unease, a tension as if something could happen or has happened. This exhibition explores the unseen, the unspoken and the shadows of suburbia.

Exhibition Submissions

The Dunamaise Arts Centre invites submissions from artists for its ongoing exhibition programme. Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Submissions must include:

• Artist CV / statement
• CD with images of recent / proposed work
• Medium, size & scale of work
• Stamped addressed envelope for return of submission

Submissions may be made by post to:

Visual Arts Programme Dunamaise Arts Centre Church Street Portlaoise Co Laois