Exhibition inspired by memory and weather

Date Published: {J}

Clouds as Memories and Other Stories, a new exhibition by artist and printmaker Clare Henderson is being launched this Friday, November 11, at 6.00pm on the Arts Corridor, University Hospital Galway by John Behan RHA, Patron of Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust.

Clouds as Memories and Other Stories was inspired by Clare’s time as artist in residence in Galway University Hospitals, where she worked with patients from Unit 5 and 6 in Merlin Park.

“We painted, made collages and took photographs together, during which time I got to know some of the residents quite well,” says Clare. “It was an amazing experience, which was very difficult and sometimes quite emotional and humbling but also really interesting and a lot of fun. I met some really lovely people and learned and took inspiration from them.

“These are people who now have little control over the small day-to-day things that I, as an-able bodied artist, never before considered. So I tried to represent the good memories, alongside the frustrations, in my images.”

Memories are something older people focus on and in the work, Clare has attempted to portray time passing, with particular reference to instances in the distant past that are only half remembered. The cloud prints are based around the idea of memories as intangible nebulous things, often changing, appearing and reappearing on a course of their own. They reflect the fact that Clare also finds inspiration in the sea, the rain, the mist and the fog.

“Weather remains an infinite wonder to me. Through this exhibition I hope to combine my interest in personal history and how we relate to each other, with my fascination for the more sublime weather systems,” she says.

The inspiring exhibition is open to the public from this Friday, November 11 until December 11 at University Hospital, Galway.