GOMA Gallery of Modern Art, 22nd September 2022 at 1pm until 2pm.
Admission – Free
GOMA is delighted to invite you to Evgeniya Martirosyan artist talk where she will be in conversation with Chris Hurley.
Evgeniya Martirosyan and Chris Hurley will give a presentation on the development of the ‘To Ashes’ body of work currently on exhibition with GOMA, from the initial ideas and testing to the logistics of working with fire and ash. They will also discuss the future evolution of the pieces.
Evgeniya Martirosyan’s new body of work ‘To Ashes’ is a meditation on mortality, impermanence and loss. The artist draws from the symbolism of fire and ash, materials closely associated with death and destruction, but also leading to a new cycle of creation. Used family beds, objects which hold memories of life, dreams and struggles, were set on fire and reduced to debris. Charred and fragmented bed carcasses also allude to war, displacement and the aftermath of a disaster, coincidentally resonating with current events.
The work combines sculptural detritus with moving image, developed from the artist’s continuous experimentation with the material and visual qualities of fire and ash. As the fire gradually reduces the objects to ash, this formless and featureless substance is activated again by the caressing artist’s hand. The tactile gesture creates an emotionally charged atmosphere, inviting the viewer to reflect on the precariousness of life.
‘The sense of fragility is immediate and haunting… Ash now becomes pure memory matter, teeming with its own vibrant ghost life.’
-Max Le Cain
GOMA Gallery of Modern Art, 6 Lombard Street, Waterford
Contact Jenna Whelan at gomawaterford@gmail.com
Tel; 087 1961923