On Saturday 15 October 2022, Roller Skates & Ruins opens in Room 11 at the National Gallery of Ireland. It features sketchbooks, letters, memoirs, scrapbooks and illustrations drawn from the collections of the Gallery’s ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art. Included is a new artists’ book - Memento Civitatem - by artist Alice Maher, and book artist and designer Jamie Murphy - the first of its kind to be commissioned by the Gallery. The exhibition is part of the Gallery’s contribution to the Government’s Decade of Centenaries programme. Admission is free.
The Decade of Centenaries commemorates one of the most turbulent and transformative periods in modern Irish history. Between 1912 and 1923, a series of pivotal events unfolded in Ireland, including revolution, civil war and the foundation of an independent state.
“Send me a pair of roller skates - isn’t that a staggering request - but we aren’t confined to cells all day”, artist Grace Gifford wrote to her former teacher William Orpen from Kilmainham Gaol, while she was incarcerated there during the Irish Civil War.
Through a selection of historical archive materials and artworks - ranging from witty and irreverent to deeply poignant - Roller Skates and Ruins highlights the diverse experiences of six Irish artists who contributed or bore witness to the social, cultural and political developments of the period: Grace Gifford, Sarah Cecilia Harrison, Aloysius O’Kelly, William Orpen, Sarah Purser and Jack B. Yeats. The archival objects and drawings offer a fresh insight into the artists’ daily lives, working conditions, political interests, and their individual reactions to the extraordinary events of the time.
Donal Maguire, Curator, ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art said: “An artist’s archive can reveal many aspects of their professional life, however, they also contain personal stories conveying a broader sense of their interests and activities, showing real people with complex lives. This exhibition invites you to reflect on significant moments of Ireland’s revolutionary period, as they were experienced in the everyday lives of these individual artists.”
Memento Civitatem is a new work by artist Alice Maher and book artist and designer Jamie Murphy commissioned to accompany the exhibition Roller Skates and Ruins, and supported by ESB, sponsor of the ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art. Maher and Murphy were invited to respond to the Gallery’s archives of artists who lived through the social and political developments commemorated by Ireland’s Decade of Centenaries.
Roller Skates & Ruins and Memento Civitatem are on display at the National Gallery of Ireland from 15 October 2022 to 17 September 2023, in Room 11. The exhibition is curated by Andrea Lydon, Marie Lynch and Donal Maguire. Admission is free, and no booking is required.
Roller Skates & Ruins is supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Decade of Centenaries Programme 2012-2023. Memento Civitatem is supported by ESB, sponsors of the ESB Centre for Study of Irish Art.
Media contacts:
Emma Pearson, Communications, National Gallery of Ireland [email protected] / [email protected] / 087 918 7941
Notes to Editor:
• Email [email protected] / [email protected] for cleared images and credit lines
• Exhibition curators are available for interview, email [email protected]
Exhibition listing:
Roller Skates & Ruins / Memento Civitatem
Opens: 15 October 2022
Closes: 17 September 2023
Room 11, National Gallery of Ireland | Free admission
Curators: Andrea Lydon, Marie Lynch, Donal Maguire
ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art:
Established in 2002, the ESB Centre for the Study of Irish Art (CSIA) houses the Gallery’s Irish art library and archive, one of the most important and valuable research collections of its kind. Developed over the course of the Gallery’s history, the collection reflects the institution’s significant and ongoing role in preserving Ireland’s visual cultural heritage through the acquisition and accumulation of associated documentation and publications.
Visitor information at the National Gallery of Ireland:
No booking required – the permanent collection and many temporary exhibitions are free for all to enjoy. Tickets are required for some temporary exhibitions – currently on display is Turner: The Sun is God. For tickets and opening hours see nationalgallery.ie
About the National Gallery of Ireland:
The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions housing the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive Library & Archive. Entry to the collection is free for all to enjoy, learn and be inspired.