Slua Nua exhibition on women's identity

16th September - 27th September 2008

Opening night: Thursday 18th Sept' 7-9pm

ATHY LIBRARY ,EMILY SQUARE ,ATHY TOWN CENTER

Slua Nua artists are from different nationalities, age groups and thus different viewpoints. The members are Sandra Petit-Frere, Ben Pateman, Lynda Tobin-Howes and Helena Zeeman. This exhibition is a comment on current social issues regarding women's identity from religion to feminism and how in this post-feminist era, 40 years since the construction of modern feminist thought began, women view themselves. The challenge to the artists and community lies in visiting our own convictions and often conflicting understanding of women's role in the community and society. We want to look at how mothers' roles have changed and at women's sense of worth and identity in a society that is moving away from a religious value system towards a materialistic one and also how most young women regard feminism as yesterdays fashion, an antiquated philosophy that hangs neglected like the hippy beads in the back of their mothers' closets. But the philosophy of feminism is not dead, all of us to one degree or another have become feminists.

With this exhibition we hope to encourage and stimulate debates with a serious of symposiums on the subject ,using the artwork as a starting point for the conversation .We hope to invite' community groups' and individual members of the community to join us.We hope to foster within the community an increased awareness and understanding of the visual arts by creating inclusive opportunities for people to engage in meaningful exchanges between the artist and the public .Please contact the library for times and dates .

QUOTES FROM THE ARTISTS

Helena Zeeman "I am an artist who chooses to use all media available to an artist to communicate atmosphere ,mood and intention in my work .My passion is the response of the viewer to my visual interpretation of the subject ,My work on ' Womans Identity "is a very personal comment of woman's experience and value .

Lynda Tobin-Howes "The main body of my work is based around "The stations of the female life .By using this as my theme I can show the viewer the 'Sacred Feminine '.The emphasis is based on Motherhood and Childbirth .I believe the power of the female and her ability to produce life is very sacred.

Sandra Petit-Frere "As a Romantic I see the artist as the spokesperson for the age ,who is addressing the social concerns of the day.A successful work of art is often said to enable the viewer to see or perhaps to see differently -if even for a moment .My challenge is to try and rip the veil of media saturation that distorts our cultural self-perception.I use different media each time and allow the concept to reveal the media that will best serve it

Ben Pateman "I Love painting and would encourage anyone to try it ,even if they did not consider themselves artistic .I feel I learn something after every painting I complete which makes me strive to produce improved work.I admire and am inspired by work from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries even though it dose not really show in my work.

Sandra Petit-Frere. email ; petitfrere.sandra@gmail.com

Helena Zeeman .email; hzeeman@hotmail.co.uk

Ben Pateman. email ; benpateman1@hotmail.com

Lynda Tobin-Howes. email ; rooihare@gmail.com