Utopian Dreams

Photo Caption:
Joyce McCabe and her parents at the opening of the UTOPIAN DREAMS exhibition in Samhlaiocht

An exhibition of works entitled "Utopian Dreams" by artists Joyce McCabe and Carolyn Walsh goes on display in the Samhlaiocht Gallery on Thursday 31st January.

"My paintings are highly influenced by my travels around Asia and my interest in dream imagery, both influences combine to create allegories of an other worldly nature," said Joyce McCabe, a native of Wexford, who has been living and working in Kerry as an Art teacher since 1991.

"Joyce's work has a strongly exotic vibe and symbolic content," said Trish Thompson, Gallery coordinator at Samhlaíocht, "anyone who gets the opportunity to view the exhibition will be left with a sense of awe at her use of imagery, and visual symbolism."

Carolyn Walsh who hails form Cahirciveen and has recently graduated from the Galway Mayo Institute with a degree in art and design and an honours degree in textile design. "The concept around my work is based on the idea of utopia," said Carolyn Walsh, "poverty in Ireland is a major part of this exhibition. The juxtaposition in our towns and cities of rich and poor areas is astonishing, so I have recorded these through the use of photography and paint, combining and almost intertwining the two together to demonstrate the physical closeness of the wealthy and poor in or societies."

"Carolyn's approach to her this work looks at how she could make these situations better," said Trish Thompson, "she has created a series of utopian visions, through the use of photography, paint and Photoshop and her work is influenced by the floral patterns of William Morris and contemporary artist Beatriz Milhazes, her work is highly original and is a stimulating response to her concept."