Join us for an evening of culture and conversation with artist Alice Maher from 7pm to 9pm at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life to celebrate Culture Night/Oíche Chultúir 2024 on Friday, 20 September. 

Mayo based artist and musician Breda Mayock will present this in conversation event called 'Alice Maher - ART at the Museum' with one of Ireland’s most respected and influential contemporary artists - Alice Maher.

They will discuss Alice’s life and art and the mesmerising ‘Bee Dress’ (1994) which is on loan from the Ulster Museum in association with the exhibition The Murmur of Bees.

‘Bee Dress’ (1994) is one of Alice Maher’s most iconic works. This small child or doll’s garment is constructed from honeybees, wax, cotton and wire and reflects on themes associated with feminism, mythology and childhood.

This is a rare opportunity to view ‘Bee Dress’ on display for a limited time and hear from the artist herself about the materials, inspiration and processes involved in creating this thought-provoking artwork.

This is a free event for Culture Night 2024. Admission is free and no booking is required.

About Alice Maher

One of Ireland’s leading artists, Alice Maher works within the realms of nature and culture, subversion and transformation, mythology and memory. Her work spans drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and moving image.  She represented Ireland at the Sao Paolo Biennial in 1994. In 2007, a large survey show of her work, Natural Artifice, was held at the Brighton and Hove Museums. Also, in that year, she completed a major drawing installation, The Night Garden, for the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin. In 2012, the Irish Museum of Modern Art presented Becoming, a retrospective of the artist’s 30 year practice. She has made many collaborative works in theatre, dance, film and social activism.  Her works can be seen in the collections of the Neuberger Museum, the Hammond Museum, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Crawford Gallery Cork, the Fogg Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the British Museum, the Ulster Museum and the Georges Pompidou Centre Paris.

About Breda Mayock

Breda Mayock is a visual artist and musician from Co Mayo. Her artistic practice is influenced by traditions in music and language, as well as connections across cultures and time. Collaboration with other artists and community groups serves as both inspiration and a source of insight for her work. Throughout her career, Mayock's artistic expression has consistently centred on the theme of belonging and the universal desire for connection through shared experiences and languages. Mayock's work in music and visual art has delved deeply into the experiences of women from minority cultures residing in the west of Ireland. Mayock is working on new music and a body of art work which will be shared in 2025. You can find some of her work on Instagram at instagram.com/bredamayock.
 
Images:
'Bee Dress'. Image courtesy of the artist Alice Maher
Artist Alice Maher photographed by Michael McLaughlin