The Nore Review, A Kilkenny Art Journal, No.1
Launched on Saturday 14 December 2024 at the Tea Houses
“The idea for this publication germinated from the ‘Branching Out’ event that my friend/fellow curator Leah Corbett and I hosted in Rothe House in 2023. The event entailed serving a foraged feast from the sixteenth century gardens while facilitating a conversation between artists and practitioners about the joys and challenges of being an artist in Kilkenny. A lot was learnt during this session and it motivated even deeper research down the line, but one of the things that had immediate possibility and could be actioned straight away was responding to the lack of art criticism and writing on a local, albeit national level. This issue was discussed amongst other things, the lack of opportunity to share work or research, the lack of shared studio spaces and facilities, the list goes on. The ramifications of this and other struggles is a disconnection within the art community in Kilkenny, artists are feeling isolated – working at the kitchen table, in the spare room or in the garden shed – as well as undervalued in a place that often promotes itself on its arts scene.
The Nore Review is a small and considered gesture that platforms artists and art practice in Kilkenny, it includes invited contributions from Brown Mountain Diamond and Kasia Kaminska, commissioned texts from Emily Cooper in response to the work of Sinéad Lucey and Sorcha McNamara to response to Robert Dunne’s studio practice. The aim was to give a flavour of the exciting work that is being created in this county. In its printed form it can be shared and has the possibility to travel, to celebrate the making of art that is happening here, and tell the folks over there all about it. It’s been a small way of bringing people and practices together in an effort to strengthen connections and encourage future collectivity.
In my curatorial practice I’ve always tried to incorporate writing. I see it as a companion to an exhibition or artwork, an approach to expand on ideas, introduce other voices or different positions. Writing offers an alternative avenue; shares the research and development of an artist; can be critically challenging and allows for an arts community to grow. Overall these pages demystify the making and elevates artistic process, shining light on the mundane reality of running the artist residency Brown Mountain Diamond; Kasia gives insight into an ecological photography practice, and hints at our conversations about the difficulty of doing anything creative during the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
This is the first of The Nore Review and I hope it’s something that can continue annually. It's an opportunity to break the cycle of applications, project deadlines, and production, to take a minute to dwell and reflect on practice and process. This publication encapsulates the hours in the studio, the constant tentative thoughts, the all-consuming research and reading, and the blurred line of the personal and working life of an artist.
I’m excited to launch The Nore Review in the Tea Houses situated by the river Nore, a site that is being activated as visible spaces for a public art programme that invites artists to respond and engage with Kilkenny, while encouraging a sense of community and active citizenship. We’re only a few months in, slowly developing a programme that has been shaped by deep listening and conversation in this local context, stay tuned for more to come. “
Kindly funded by ArtLinks and the Kilkenny Arts Office.
→ Available to purchase [SOLD OUT]
