Parklife: Biodiversity in Contemporary Irish Art / Art Forms in Nature / Under the Same Sky

This season, the Glucksman presents artistic explorations on biodiversity in nature, including the major group exhibition Parklife: Biodiversity in Contemporary Irish Art, the Hayward Gallery Touring initative Karl Blossfeldt: Art Forms in Nature, and the off-site project Kristina Inčiūraitė: Under the Same Sky. 

Parklife: Biodiversity in contemporary Irish Art 
Artists: Amber Broughton, Miriam de Búrca, Kari Cahill, Michael Canning, Cecilia Danell, Rachel Doolin, Gabhann Dunne, Martin Gale, Seán Hanrahan, Martin Healy, Peter Nash, Meadhbh O’Connor

Curated by the Glucksman in association with University College Cork Environmental Research Institute.

Parklife: Biodiversity in Contemporary Irish Art presents the work of Irish artists who consider the biodiversity of the world around us, looking at how different forms of life thrive in the urban realm as well as in more remote environments. The selected works range from detailed drawings of the various species of animals that make their home on the University College Cork campus to photographic studies of birds and plants that bring contemporary resonance to the pioneering work of Karl Blossfeldt on display in our Sisk gallery. The exhibition features a series of paintings of the Scots Pine, one of Ireland’s three native coniferous trees, as well as research investigations into the ways in which communities are conserving seeds to protect food crops for future generations. Parklife includes two new commissions from artists Amber Broughton and Peter Nash who were invited to engage with UCC Green Campus and Cork University Business School to create new works for the UCC Art Collection that focus on biodiversity and sustainability. 

Karl Blossfeldt: Art Forms in Nature is a Hayward Touring exhibition which presents an original portfolio of 40 photogravures from 1932, titled “Wundergarten der Natur,” edited by the artist and published in the year of his death. The exhibition presents an opportunity to witness an exemplary set of Blossfeldt’s signature close-up images of plants and flora. Karl Blossfeldt (1865–1932) is regarded as one of the defining photographers of the 20th century for his exceptional contribution to art through his intricate botanical photographs. During his career, which spanned over three decades and included 6,000 photographs, Blossfeldt developed homemade cameras and lenses which enabled him to magnify his subjects by up to 30 times. In doing so he captured the microcosmic aesthetic of his specimens and revealed the underlying structures of nature, which until then remained unexplored. 

Kristina Inčiūraitė: Under the Same Sky is a new immersive audiovisual installation in St. Luke’s Former Church, commissioned by the Glucksman and curated by Chris Clarke as part of Cork Midsummer Festival from June 15–26. The project showcases the unique Irish landscape of the Burren National Park in County Clare and raises questions of whether biodiversity can be sustained in our individual and collective memory. Are we able to be less anthropocentric when faced with globalisation and rapid climate change? Can we imagine communities that are not shaped by human superiority? Who are we in light of eco-critical imaginaries? Developed in collaboration with Dr. Eva McMullan-Glossop and University College Cork Choir, the work features a vocal soundscape of wild nature based on observations and imagination.

The Glucksman exhibition and projects programme is supported by University College Cork, Arts Council Ireland, and private philanthropy through Cork University Foundation.