Hares in the spotlight in new solo art exhibition

An art project for a school in the village of Killimor was the starting point for sculptor Donnacha Cahill’s new show The Inquisitive Hare which will open in Galway City next week. He tells JUDY MURPHY how he has learned to follow his own path.

There’s a sense of purpose about Donnacha Cahill as he gives a guided tour of his workshop a few miles outside Athenry where hares seem to be leaping from every available surface.

There’s a hare hurling, a hare with binoculars, a hapless-looking hare who’s about to go scuba diving, and a hare who’s conducting an orchestra. That’s just for starters. One of the most impressive creations is based on Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, and involves a contemplative-looking Hamlet the Hare holding the skull of Yorrick.

They are all sculptures, made of steel and all are remarkably different in terms of their facial expressions and their posture.

Crafting these vibrant, fun hares takes serious skill, something Donnacha has in abundance – mixed with a mischievous and vivid imagination.

When they go on display next week in Galway City, in what will be his first solo exhibition, his hope is that viewers will join him in that creative, entertaining journey.

“It’s all about the background story of each hare and leading people to use their imagination,” he explains, adding that The Inquisitive Hare, being run as part of Galway Theatre Festival is a show for all ages – children are especially welcome.

“I have a couple of sheep and donkeys out the back of the house and I can see them weighing up things in their own mind,” he says of animals’ personalities. “There’s one sheep especially who really eyes you up.”

When it comes to his hare creations, “I try and imagine the characters going through life and explore their journey in a light-hearted and fun way”.

Some of the creatures are works-in-progress and he points to one without feet and ears, whose personality is being finessed by its creator.

Donnacha laughs and says that anyone passing his workshop might be forgiven for thinking he’s gone mad occasionally. He demonstrates why by adopting the stance of a hurler about to take a free – his U-12 hurling career with Kilconieron has left a legacy.

Donnacha poses like this a lot when he’s alone working on the pieces, to make sure each animal has the appropriate stance for its calling, be it a hurler or a ballerina.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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