Kilkenny artist Christine Mackey’s solo exhibition opens at The Model

A new solo exhibition, Seeking to Walk Beautifully on the Earth, by acclaimed Kilkenny artist Christine Mackey is now open at The Model in Sligo and will run until March 22.

Mackey’s work embodies a deep connection to the environment, with a practice rooted in site-specific land and marine-based projects. From seed collection to the cultivation of waste ground, her approach highlights both the fragility and resilience of nature.

The exhibition is especially timely, addressing critical issues such as biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, and the energy crisis, while also offering a vision of renewal and change. Don’t miss this thought-provoking and inspiring show.
Mackey’s artistic practice is one of stewardship, observation and care for the environment, and is deeply rooted in site-specific land and marine-based work. Seasonal processes range from collecting seeds, to weaving floating islands, to nourishing native tree saplings, to the cultivation of waste ground.

The works are assembled as a series of chapters rooted in key locations. Huddle began as a public seed planting exercise in Wexford to explore the habitat of native bees. It looks at the way in which wild pollinators are under threat from pollution and adverse changes to the climate. Auction is an experimental docu-style video that documents Mackey’s residency at a kelp farm in South Korea. This work visualises the implications of industrial-scale seaweed farming on the local marine environment and on migratory communities. This experience prompted Mackey to develop several large-scale hybrid drawings of aquatic plants that are sewn in sections utilising a Korean technique to make wrapping cloth from waste material.

Boils, Bitters & Scores is a unique artist’s book that reflects Mackey’s long-term engagement with biological  narratives, where the distinct voice of each plant is conveyed through their words and realised in theirpigments.

The variable materials and processes used in this exhibition activate new ideas related to site, agency and ecology which opens a myriad of conversation on the fragility of earth’s systems. Workshops with the invited artists can be booked through The Model’s website (themodel.ie). The exhibition continues until March 22.

For more, visit themodel.ie.
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