Niall Sweeney’s solo exhibition I AM THE COSMOS will mark the opening of the brand new gallery Hen’s Teeth on Thursday, November 7th.

Bringing together “dark matter, space deities and the electromagnetic push-and-pull of the forces that bind us,” Sweeney’s exhibition will feature a series of eight prints and two silk scarves. People can purchase signed A1 and A2 prints as well as hand-finished silk scarves from the collection both online and in-store at Hen’s Teeth.

Hen’s Teeth aims to create a space in Blackpitts to make art accessible and fun for both artists and audience members. Launching its debut weekend in its new permanent home, Sweeney’s exploration into space is a phenomenal way to start.

Sweeney is a graphic designer from Dublin who makes up one half of Pony Ltd. The studio team were, as their website states, “born from the big smoke of Dublin and the seven hills of Sheffield, this studio is a perfect example of pulling fragments from all directions until the last piece completes the jigsaw.” Pony Ltd are well known for their theatrical and minimalist posters for Panti Bliss. 

Spurred on by the nuanced history of the silk scarf, Sweeney set about creating I AM THE COSMOS. He said, “Silk scarves are sensual, beautiful things, but even in conservative circles they can be the one canvas where anything goes, where play and subversion can roam — they are very egalitarian in this respect. The prints have been inspired by the designs for the scarves, depicting each of the deities in their natural habitat — the dark — but they also explore the event horizons of desire. There’s more than a hint of Egyptian gods and Japanese Shinto, of animism and the inherent spirit in all objects, and, of course, the cosmological universal field!” 

Niall Sweeney has previously worked with Hen’s Teeth when he released HEAD, a series of 60 original monochrome paintings, in the RDS in 2017. The exhibition I AM THE COSMOS is a thrilling way to kick off a weekend of activities to celebrate the new home of Hen’s Teeth.