Exhibition: Death of Intent

An exhibition from local artist and winner of the Gradam Dillon, Jack Dorrian. This exhibition has been based on Máirtín Ó Cadhain's major work Cré na Cille and looks at how art imitates life, and how, frequently, life imitates art.

From the artist:

"This a collection of installations inspired by the recent translations of Máirtín Ó Cadhain’s book Cré na Cille (The Graveyard Clay or The Dirty Dust). I was inspired by the narrative surrounding the novel’s publication and the various stillborn attempts at its translation through the years from its original production in 1949. The book of course was very popular in its original form but any attempt to bring it to an audience outside of its original language almost seemed fated to failure, which is ironic considering its subject matter.
The book follows the bickering and complaints of the deceased members of a small village graveyard and their quarrels regarding their neighbours and their still livings relatives. It seemed funny for a book that follows characters and their concerns regarding how those left behind handle their legacy would be embroiled in its own disputes regarding its legacy.
Thankfully this was resolved with the rights to the publication of the book falling into the hands of its original publisher. I would never have heard of it or had the pleasure to read it now because I’m not an Irish speaker. Though I do wonder what has come of its intent and what has been lost in the transfer. What might I be losing in the lives of the residents of the village, of their stories and the images Ó Cadhain has drafted? What intent goes unheard in a grave of its own?
Therefore, this exhibition explores the misunderstanding and deviation from a source, as well as the decay of replicated forms and purposefully mortal art. This is a show about art dying."