By Dan Walsh at Wexford Arts Centre
The Chair of the Arts Council, Prof. Kevin Rafter was in Wexford Arts Centre today (Saturday) where he performed the official launch of Not somewhere else but here, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Wexford artist Serena Caulfield.
Prof. Rafter was full of praise for Ms. Caulfield’s latest work, congratulated on her outstanding talent and eye for quality paintings, he wished her well with the exhibition and advised that large numbers should come along to the Wexford Arts Centre to view her work. “They won’t be disappointed. This is an outstanding solo exhibition and I am privileged to be here to launch it,” he said.
Ms. Caulfield was thrilled to have the labours of two years work finally exude quality from the walls and she hoped people would enjoy it. However, she told WexfordLocal.com; “This is my best exhibition to date, but better has yet to come.”
There was a large gathering of friends and admirers at the launch where the master of ceremonies was the CEO of Wexford Arts Centre, Elizabeth Whyte, who emphasised “how privileged the Arts Centre is to host Serena Caulfield’s exhibition.”
The exhibition will run in the lower and upper galleries at Wexford Arts Centre from Tuesday, February 14th to Thursday, March 23rd, inclusive.
Serena Caulfield was selected to take part in the MAKE/curate programme, a partnership initiative between Wexford Arts Centre and the Arts Department of Wexford County Council.
The aim of the programme is to provide artists working regionally with an opportunity to work with national curators to critique their practice and introduce other areas of interest or specialists.
Over the course of two years, Caulfield worked with Curators Marysia Wieckiewicz-Carroll and Cliodhna Shaffrey toward her solo exhibition. Distinct from the curatorial support, mentorship was also facilitated by artist Sinead Ni Mhaonaigh.
“Not somewhere else but here” is a line taken from Adrienne Rich’s poem “What Kind of Times are These”. The poem deals with uncertain and dangerous times but more importantly, its message is the responsibility to speak out against injustice and to listen when we hear others doing the same.
Ms. Caulfield felt that it was all too appropriate for our current climate, despite being written nearly thirty years ago. This repurposing of the established is one of the most inventive and engaging features of her work.
PROFILE; Serena Caulfield is a painter living and working in Wexford and is a recipient of the Arts Council of Ireland Visual Arts Bursary, an Artlinks Visual Arts Bursary, Platform 31, and an Arts Council Agility Award.
She has exhibited regionally and nationally. Recent group shows include the Zurich Painting Prize, 2021 at the National Gallery of Ireland and Crawford Art Gallery, Cork (2021); Generation 2022 – New Irish Painting, Butler Gallery, Kilkenny (2022); 140th Annual Royal Ulster Academy Exhibition, Belfast (2021), Crossings, King House, Boyle Arts Festival (2021), and MEET, Periphery Space, Gorey School of Art, (2021).
NOTE; Interviews from the launch with Prof. Kevin Rafter and Serena Caulfield will be broadcast on Mid Week Voices with Dan Walsh on South East Radio (95.6 and 96.4FM) on Wednesday, February 15th, at 8pm.
WexfordLocal.com 