Ballydehob gardens influence new art exhibition

AN artist-in-residence programme in Ballydehob is taking pride of place in an exhibition at Merrion Square in Dublin.

The impact of environmental pollution on plants and the effects of climate change on coastal wildlife are at the centre of a new multimedia art exhibition.

Disquieting Frequencies is the name of the show being presented jointly by the Goethe-Institut and the Crespo Foundation.

It marks the start of The Glenkeen Variations, a series of art exhibitions featuring the work of 10 international artists who have participated in the Glenkeen Garden Residencies, an artist-in-residence programme in Ballydehob.

The Glenkeen Garden was created near the West Cork village by the late German photographer, psychologist, and philanthropist Ulrike Crespo and her partner Michael Satke over a period of 20 years.

Since 2021, the Crespo Foundation has welcomed artists working across different disciplines to the Glenkeen Garden estate for three-month residencies.

The residency programme invites artists to explore the relationship between art and nature during their stays.

Curated by Ben Livne Weitzman, curator and co-ordinator of the Glenkeen Garden programme, Disquieting Frequencies is the first exhibition in the series.

It features the work of Berlin-based artists Moritz Fehr and Marcus Maeder, who stayed in Glenkeen in 2022 and 2023.

A video piece by Moritz Fehr, called Plant Stress (SPF 50), examines the impact of excessive UV radiation on plant metabolism and growth, while Marcus Maeder’s project, Imeall an Chosta (coastline), offers insights into the effects of climactic change on the aquatic and terrestrial fauna of the Roaringwater Bay.

Disquieting Frequencies will run at the Goethe-Institut at 37 Merrion Square East in Dublin 2 until April 8th and the series will continue with Composing Landscapes between May 8th and June 8th and conclude with With or Without You, on show between November 8th and December 7th.

The exhibitions are free to visit, and no advance registration is required.