Rua Red arts centre in Tallaght is holding an exhibition entitled Ornament, curated by Irish jeweller Angela O'Kelly.
The exhibition, which runs until June 18th, showcases jewellery crafted by artists from Ireland and the UK, and includes work from Eily O'Connell, a Waterford-based artist who graduated from Carrowbeg College in Westport in 2004.
O'Connell uses natural shapes and organic materials to craft beautifully intricate, sometimes eerie and almost frightening pieces of jewellery that seem to simultaneously mimic and distort nature. Her work utilises organic matter in an unorthodox way to create hybrid pieces of wearable craft. Her pieces recall a heritage of Irish craft and a tradition of work based on nature, while also hinting at the chaotic fragmentation of our natural environment is undergoing. Mesmerising? Yes. Beautiful? Without a doubt.
Ornament runs until June 18th at Rua Red, by the Tallaght Luas stop, Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm. Admission is free. See ruared.ie for details.
ROSEMARY Mac CABE