US artist brings famine memorial to father's birthplace of Wexford
Artist Paula Stokes has returned to her paternal family home place of Wexford from Seattle to unveil the ‘1845: Memento Mori’ exhibition. The exhibition is a Famine Memorial dedicated to the Irish Potato Famine and will be showcased in the gardens of Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens until August 21st 2021.
A thought-provoking and powerful exhibition of 1,845 hand-blown 'ghostly' glass potatoes by an American artist has gone on exhibition in county Wexford.
US based artist Paula Stokes has returned to her paternal family’s home place of Wexford to unveil the internationally renowned ‘1845: ‘Memento Mori’ famine memorial installation in the gardens of the Johnstown Castle Estate.
The title of the project references the year that the potato blight came to Ireland and the beginning of a period of mass starvation, disease, and emigration which saw over 1.5m people die and a further 1m emigrate to Australia, Canada, and America.
The Seattle based artist said the large mound of white glass potatoes are intended to represent both the vulnerability and of the resilience of those who died and those who survived the famine.
“I hope that the installation will resonate with a wide variety of audiences as it reminds us of our own fragile humanity and serves as a connection between shared human experiences in the past and the present."
The artist also revealed how she was delighted to be showcasing this exhibition in County Wexford.
"My father, Kevin Stokes, was from Raheenagurran, Gorey. My mother is from Kerry, but she and my father met in Enniscorthy and were married in Gorey. I have wonderful memories of the summers we would spend in Wexford on my uncle’s farm as a child.
"It is a real honour to take this exhibition ‘home’ and to share it here in County Wexford at the spectacular Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum anf Gardens in County Wexford.”
Visitors to Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum and Gardens, can view the exhibition as it sits within one of the fishing towers in the garden.
Brenda Comerford, General Manager of Johnstown Castle Estate, Museum & Gardens said he was delighted to welcome the installation.
"It offers a unique way of representing the history of the Famine that is very tangible to our visitors who ... can enjoy this exhibition while they meander our gardens and lake walks.”
Paula Stokes graduated from the National College of Art and Design and has exhibited extensively internationally and her work is included in many collections including the National Museum of Ireland and the Irish Embassies in Brussels and Beijing.
For more information on the artist or exhibition go to www.1845mementomori.com
