Dhún na nGall ina Phictiúirí - Donegal in pictures

Dhún na nGall ina Phictiúirí

Bhailiúchán Comhairle Chontae Dhún na nGall

Roghnaíodh na saothair ealaíne sa taispeántas seo ó bhailiúchán ealaíne Chomhairle Contae Dhún na nGall agus tá siad uilig lionssabhunaithe. Thig le bailiúcháin phoiblí mar seo a bheith maith nó olc ach tá saothar lárnach ollmhór ag Comhairle Chontae Dhún na nGall atá iontach maith. 

Tá caighdeán an bhailiúcháin agus an comhcháilíocht inar cuireadh le céile é suntasach agus mórthaibhseach. Saothar coimisiúnaithe atá sa mhórchuid den bhailiúchán agus tá grinnstaidéar déanta ar shaolré Dhún na nGall. 

Tchím pearsantacht an ealaíontóra sna saothair seo ach fosta tchím rudaí atá fíor i mo thimpeallacht féin. Is féidir liom na daoine agus na háiteacha a bhfuil eolas agam fúthu agus a raibh fios agam orthu i m’óige a fheiceáil. Aithním na daoine sin agus a gcuid scéalta. Is ómós suntasach é do na healaíontóirí seo go bhfuil macalla de mo chuid cuimhní féin istigh ina bhfís.

Is mór an trua go meastar go bhfuil sé mí-eiticiúil go mbaileodh coimeádaí an t-ábhar a mbíonn siad i mbun coimeádaíochta air. Ceann de mo chuid meabhairchluichí nuair atá mé ag coimeád taispeántais, mascasamhail an chinn seo, ná go gcuirim ceist orm féin an gceannóinn na saothair ealaíne seo le mo chuid airgid féin. Cinnte, bheadh gach ceann acu seo agam agus thig liom a shamhlú cá háit go díreach a gcrochfainn iad i mo theach.

Ceannaíodh an chuid is mó de bhailiúchán ealaíne Chomhairle Contae Dhún na nGall trí Scéim an Chéatadáin le haghaidh na nEalaíon. Rinneadh cuid de na saothair sa taispeántas a choimisiniú, mórán acu don togra darbh ainm Imaging Donegal. Domsa, léiríonn sé seo an dea-chleachtas is fearr. 

Donegal in Pictures

Donegal County Council Collection

The artworks in this exhibition were selected from the Donegal County Council art collection and all are lens based. Public collections like this can be hit and miss by nature but the Donegal County Council collection has a large body of work at its core that is wonderful.

The quality of the collection and the consistency with which it was assembled is particularly impressive. Much of the collection was commissioned and there is an in-depth investigation of the life and times of Donegal.

I see the artists’ personality in these works but I also see things that I hold to be true about my environment. I can see the people and places I know and that I knew from my youth. I recognize these people and their stories. It is a particular tribute to these artists that their vision echoes with my own memories.

It a great pity that it is considered unethical for a curator to collect the subject they curate. One of my mind games when curating an exhibition like this one is that I ask myself if I would use my own money to buy these artwork for myself. I would indeed have all of these and I can imagine exactly where I would hang them around my home.

Most of the Donegal County Council art collection was purchased using the Percent for Art Scheme. Several of the bodies of work in this exhibition were commissioned, many for the Imaging Donegal project. To me this represents the very best practice.