Sculptor Jason Ellis could not have found a better location to exhibit his stone carvings than the new museum at Glasnevin Cemetery.
The 12 stone sculptures sit meditatively in the open plan first floor Prospect Gallery, offering visitors a perfect counterpoint to the vast array of monuments and graves that lie below. Following a successful career as a stone conservator, Ellis began working fulltime as a sculptor in 2006. His public commissions include the seven-metre high, free-standing limestone sculpture, Figurehead, at University College Dublin. This new body of work is noteworthy for its smooth, natural shapes, curves and finely honed angles in various forms of limestone. The exhibition continues at the Prospect Gallery until March 11th. Opening hours are 10am-5pm Monday to Friday, 11am-5pm Saturday and Sunday. Ellis will give a free public talk on "Working with Stone" at 1pm today. He is also devising an audio guide to his favourite monuments in Glasnevin Cemetery which will be launched soon, to accompany a new walking tour. Public walking tours of the cemetery take place at 2.30pm daily. See glasnevinmuseum.ie, or telephone 01-8826550. See also jasonellis.ie.
