Ar An Nádúr - On The Natural
AR AN NÁDÚR
Selena Mowat
Is ealaíontóir as Albain í Selena Mowat a raibh cónaí uirthi i nDún na nGall ar feadh ceithre bliana, ón bhliain 2010 go dtí 2014. I ndiaidh di cuairt ghairid a thabhairt ar an chontae sa bhliain 2009, thit sí i ngrá lena ‘dhraíocht agus a charachtar buan’, spreagtha ní amháin ag an raon tire ilchineálach mealltach, a mheall oiread ealaíontóirí diomaite di, ach a chultúr caomnaithe agus spiorad fáilteach an phobail. Ba iarléachtóir í i Líníocht agus i bPéintéireacht i nDuncan in Jordanstone, Ollscoil Dundee, áit a bhfuair sí a céim in 2002. Thaispeáin Selena a cuid saothar go leitheadach ar fud na hAlbna, sa RA agus in Eoraip agus bhain sí Ealaíontóir Portráid na Bliana d’Éirinn, de chuid Sky Arts, a craoladh ar teilifís sa bhliain 2013.
Le linn di a bheith ina cónaí i nDún na nGall, thum Selena í féin i bpobal na n-ealaíontóirí áitiúla. Bhunaigh sí an iris ZWEEF agus comhbhunaigh sí comharghrúpa d’ealaíontóirí áitiúla ar ar tugadh AVANT GARDA a bhí rannpháirteacht sa bhliain 2013 i gcónaitheacht, maoinithe ag Cultúr Éireann, in Aix de Provence sa Fhrainc. Cé go n-oibríonn sí go mórmhór in olaphéint, tá sí ina tacadóir daingean de bheith ag obair go comhoibríoch laistigh den phobal le déantóirí scannán, ceoltóirí agus taibheoirí. Léirigh sí roinnt scannán, tionscadail ceoil agus imeachtaí lasmuigh dá cleachtas gairmiúil péintéireachta.
I ndiaidh di bheith ina cónaí sa Ghearmáin le ceithre bliana anuas, beidh Selena ag taiscéaladh idéil útópeacha tríd a cuid oibre mar ealaíontóir comhoibríóch. Siocair go dtáinig sí ar an tsaol in Albain agus gur thaistil sí go leitheadach i rith a hóige, tá cur chuige Selena i ndéanamh ealaíon ná gníomhú mar chainéal faisnéise, ag cruinniú earraí cuimhneacháin (grianghraif, cártaí poist, scéalta béaloidis, clúdaithe albaim, altanna irise) sa dóigh chéanna is a nglacfadh sí isteach an domhain le linn dí a bheith ag taistil in hóige. I measc an saothar don taispéantas seo, beidh péintéireacht ar an mhórscála a rinneadh in Éirinn agus sa Ghearmáin i mbliana, áit a gcaithfidh sí a cuid ama ag athlorg a téama coitianta d’aitheantas maidir leis an timpeallacht.
On The Natural
Selena Mowat
Selena Mowat is a Scottish born artist who lived in Donegal from 2010 until 2014. After visiting the county briefly in 2009 she immediately fell in love with its timeless charm and character inspired not only to its diverse and captivating terrain which has attracted so many artists before her but by its preserved culture and welcoming spirit of the community. A former lecturer in Drawing and Painting at Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee University where she graduated in 2002, Selena has exhibited extensively throughout Scotland, the UK and Europe and was the Irish Winner of Sky Arts Portrait Artist Of The Year broadcast on elevision in 2013. When living in Donegal Selena immersed herself in the local artists community founding a local art zine ZWEEF and co-founding local artists collective AVANT GARDA. which in 2013 participated in a Culture Ireland funded residency in Aix de Provence, France. Although working primarily with oil paint, Selena is an adamant supporter of working collaboratively within the community with film-makers, musicians and performers and has produced a number of films, music projects and events outside of her profesSional painting practise For her first comeback show in Ireland after living in Germany for the last 4 years, Selena will be exploring utopian ideals through her work as a painter and as a collaborative artist. Having being born in Scotland and travelling extensively throughout her childhood Selena's approach to making art is to act as a kind of conduit of information, gathering memorabilia (photographs. postcards. folktales, album covers. magazine clippings) in much the same way as she would have absorbed the world whilst travelling in her youth. Work for the show will include large scale paintings produced this year in Ireland and Germany where the artist will spend time retracing her common theme of identity in relation to environment.