A VIRTUAL exhibition of works by the artist Emma Berkery has launched at the Cultúrlann.

‘Submerged in Echoes’ is a collection of works produced under the roof of An Chultúrlann and is inspired by the artist’s experience of learning the Irish language.
 

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Born and raised in Limerick, Emma Berkery has been living and working in Belfast since 2004. Much of that time has been spent in the heart of the community in West Belfast.
She has exhibited extensively throughout Ireland, is represented by the Nicholas Gallery in the North, and has had additional showcases in India and the UK.
 
The artist has also been heavily involved with creative art education, about which she is passionate, and has developed and co-developed creative resources and training in visual art, drama and storytelling for teachers, artists and families.
 
Emma is a guest speaker in the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s, exhibition coordinator with An Chultúrlann and frequently works as a creative consultant with various organisation on creative projects.
 
Discussing her works, Emma said: “Painting is for me a mirroring back to the world, my experience of it. It is how I process life. I swirl and bleed and drip and dribble and pour and stain and spatter. My process is a metaphor for our lives. The marks we leave on this world and the marks it leaves on and within us.
 
“I love being part of the rich life and language of the visual arts in An Chultúrlann, and I am delighted to showcase a little of what I have been creating here in this exhibition.”
 
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Like most things in life, the ability to display her art has been hampered by the Coronavirus pandemic. Explaining how she adapted to the situation, Emma said: “Living our lives in a more digital world is part of our lived collective experience now, and that brings new opportunities.
 
“However, for a painter, putting on a virtual exhibition is challenging. This show had already been postponed for a year, so it was important for me to embrace this opportunity and present more than flat images on a screen.

“I wanted to convey some of my experience of working in An Chultúrlann, learning and absorbing our beautiful language, painting, printing, creating in new ways, and pouring a fresh creativity into my visual arts practice. 
 
“With the help of videographer Will McConnell, I created a new artwork as the vehicle through which to show my paintings. The exhibition is presented in the form of video, with sound, text artworks and the paintings. It attempts to bring together all these seemingly different elements of my practice, but which are intertwined in my process of making art here.”
 
Dr Suzanne Lyle, Head of Visual Arts, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, added:
“Congratulations to visual artist Emma Berkery and Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in developing this wonderful new exhibition which can be explored online from the safety and comfort of our homes.
 
“It’s incredibly heartening to see that whilst we await the re-opening of our galleries, theatres and venues, artists are continuing to bring great art to all, inspiring us at a time when people are turning to the arts for comfort more than ever. I would encourage everyone to get online and experience this terrific new exhibition.”