Bones in the Attic

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens around the world were asked to stay at home for the safety of themselves and others. But these stay-at-home orders served as a stark reminder that the domestic space continues to be the most dangerous place for a women, where countless victims are exposed to high risks of violence. Recent setbacks to women’s health reveal an international legislative onslaught that is jeopardizing women’s freedoms and protection of bodily autonomy.  Our freedoms cannot be taken for granted. This tumultuous cycle continues to threaten women’s place in society. In a presentation of sisterhood and solidarity that sighs women’s liberty and subjugation are bound together, Hugh Lane Gallery presents Bones in the Attic.

Bones in the Attic presents a significant and specific meditation on contemporary society, questioning the structures and narratives which validate the subjection and compartmentalisation of women. It explores ancient Irish mythologies and histories, the historical narrative of feminine sensibility and its survival, as well as the renewed challenges that face each new generation of women artists and their gender identities.

Bones in the Attic is an inter-generational exhibition comprising the work of eleven Irish artists, each exploring recurring and ongoing societal issues affecting women. Works by key artists in the Hugh Lane Gallery’s collection – Rita Duffy, Dorothy Cross, Kathy Prendergast, Alice Maher, and Jesse Jones – are exhibited alongside works by invited artists Myrid Carten, Eleanor McCaughey, Amanda Doran, Sarah Jayne Booth, Ruby Wallis, and the art collective Na Cailleacha.

Our intention for Bones in the Attic is to continue and support the important conversations that are currently taking place in Ireland by informed, talented, thoughtful voices in various cultural disciplines.  It is a celebration of what women have achieved so far, a journey towards autonomy, respect and understanding, safeguarding the future of feminism for all.

A fully illustrated publication will accompany the exhibition designed by Oonagh Young and will feature texts from Tessa Giblin, Director Talbot Rice Gallery, Dr Mary Condren, Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies in TCD and poet Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin. Bones in the Attic is accompanied by an exciting and diverse education programme throughout the duration of the exhibition. Please see hughlane.ie for details.

Admission free. All welcome.

The exhibition opens in the Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square, Dublin on August 11, 2022 and will run until October 30, 2022.

Key programmes and events
August 10, 2022: exhibition opening—Hugh Lane Gallery welcomes friends and patrons of the gallery to an exclusive first look at the Bones in the Attic. 

August 26–29, 2022: Bones in the Attic Summer School, with artist Alice Maher, film curator Alice Butler, writer and podcaster Sophie White, exhibition curator Victoria Evans and artist Helena Gouveia Monteiro. This three-day Summer School invites participants to creatively respond to the artworks and themes in the Bones in the Attic group exhibition through a vibrant programme of visual art and writing workshops, screenings, tours and talks.