Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre is hosting a new exhibition that will celebrate the many forms of love, titled Grá. The exhibition is curated by LGBTQ+ art collective Salt & Pepper and member Toma McCullim, and will display over 50 works from the National Collection of Crawford Art Gallery.
The director of Uillinn, Ann Davoren, said, “We are thrilled to present Grá at Uillinn this summer in collaboration with Salt & Pepper and artist Toma McCullim. At a time when Crawford Art Gallery is undergoing its transformation, we are honoured to share these remarkable pieces with our rural communities, fostering meaningful connections through art. We look forward to welcoming everyone to experience this unique and inclusive showcase.”
Salt & Pepper has worked with Crawford Art Gallery’s Curator of Collections and Special Projects, Dr Michael Waldron, to curate a collection of diverse pieces that display love in all its forms. The exhibit will also feature responses by the members of Salt & Pepper to individual art pieces.
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In addition to the physical exhibition, which opens on July 12, Grá will include a plethora of events like talks, workshops, and performances that highlight the importance of art and community.
Toma McCullim, self-described ‘artivist’ (artist and activist), said, “It’s been a joy to work with my Salt & Pepper community in creating this inclusive exhibition. Our diverse programme ranges from the Discovery Box to the Grá Choir, films, talks, and dance – we welcome all to share in the grá with us.”
This sharing of the love is displayed in the partnerships for this exhibition, as Crawford Art Gallery is lending pieces from their collection to the Grá exhibit while the gallery is temporarily closed for renovation.
“This partnership with Salt & Pepper and Uillinn has been dynamic and deeply engaged,” said Mary McCarthy, the director of Crawford Art Gallery. “They’ve explored the collection thoughtfully and selected a remarkable group of works. We’re excited to see how audiences respond and view the collection in this fresh context.
“With the gallery temporarily closed for our major redevelopment; Transforming Crawford Art Gallery, making the collection accessible through our Touring and Sharing programme, to other venues—like the National Gallery of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland—is a key priority.”
This exciting and refreshing exhibit will showcase a variety of works from the 20th and 21st centuries such as ‘Portrait of Fiona Shaw’ (2002) by Victoria Russell, ‘The Red Rose’ (1923) by John Lavery, ‘Self Portrait and Cat’ (1978) by Patrick Hennessy, ‘In Her Own Garden’ (1998) by Paul La Rocque, and ‘Hi, Vis’ (2020-21) by Dragana Jurišić in addition to works by Sara Baume, Margaret Clarke, Tom Climent, Gerard Dillon, Stephen Doyle, Mainie Jellett, Harry Kernoff, Janet Mullarney, Isabel Nolan, John Rainey, Patrick Scott, Edith Somerville, Niamh Swanton, Mary Swanzy, and more.
Check out the new exhibition Grá at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen from July 12 until September 20, 2025.
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