‘Comfort Ye My People’ exhibition by award-winning visual artist Alannah Robins opens at Artlink

A truly immersive experience, ‘Comfort Ye My People’ is an intimate reflection on geological time, on our place in the natural world, and a visual journey through landscapes.

A graduate of the NCAD, Dublin, Alannah Robins is founder of INTERFACE (an artists’ studio and residency programme for visual artists, writers & musicians) in Connemara.

Her work spans across Ireland and Sweden (where she lived for 5 years) and can be found in public and private collections throughout Europe and USA. Alannah has also been awarded several accolades and commissions that celebrate her creative ingenuity.

Speaking at the opening event for her new solo exhibition, Alannah said: “‘Comfort Ye My People’ is a meditation on our relationship with nature, a love letter to the land. It is about time and water. In this exhibition I explore the intricate relationship between humanity and the natural world. Through a combination of drawings, etchings and kinetic light, I invite audiences into a space which touches on both grief and celebration.

“I had other plans for this exhibition, but I felt an overwhelming compulsion to simply draw the mountains. I think it might be somehow related to our need for comfort and security when living in a state of chaos, such as the climate crisis in which we find ourselves. The process of drawing, then, involves giving a great level of attention to the subject, so that it becomes increasingly familiar. You become more and more sensitised to that which you are drawing, which leads to a greater intimacy with that subject or space, in this case, for me, the inhabited landscape.

“My studio overlooks the Derryclare Mountain and my commute to work is through the beautiful Inagh valley in the heart of Connemara. In this work, which traces visualised tidal rises, I aim to draw our attention away from overwhelming and paralysing climate anxiety to geological time, to a sense that the mountains will be ok. Needless to say, images of the tides rising over our beloved and familiar landscapes raise fears of our homes underwater, but they also nudge us to an awareness of a different pace of time.

“I was really moved by Andri Snær Magnason ‘s beautiful book On Time and Water in which he interweaves the micro details of human familial relationships with the grand scope of glacial time. He invites us to imagine the extent of our own love for our own kin in time. What will be the year when your daughter’s granddaughter is 94 years old? What will the world be like then? Do you grieve for that world, or do you celebrate it?”

A series of events and activities will also take place during Alannah’s month-long solo exhibition at Artlink Fort Dunree. Notably, on Culture Night, Friday September 22, visitors can partake in a guided tour of her show, followed by a plein air drawing workshop from 4-6pm. To book this event, visit Culture Night Donegal's official website.

Artlink Project Co-ordinator Rebecca Strain added: “The gently engaging work of Alannah Robins creates a space for contemplation and conversation. An activist and singer as well as a visual artist, she brings her unique vision to the forefront in ‘Comfort Ye My People’, encouraging us all to consider our relationship with our environment, with the land.

“Interestingly I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight that artist Dr Karen Rann will be exhibiting in the Mezzanine Gallery of Artlink Fort Dunree during September where she will be sharing some of her research on ‘The Great Lines Project’ and ‘Drawing with altitude: how mapmakers added hills to maps’.

“Karen will also be giving a talk and running a workshop as part of the Inishowen Walking Festival on Saturday 16 September, which will explore historical methods for estimating heights of hills and the different styles for drawing them from pictorial through to contouring.”

For further information on the upcoming exhibitions and events at Artlink Fort Dunree during September & October 2023, visit www.artlink.ie find them on Facebook.com/Artlinkfortdunreepage or contact a member of the Artlink team on 0838696513.