Liv Preston: Digging deep with underground art at the Glucksman
Liv Preston's Anaglyph, part of Hollow Earth at the Glucksman, UCC.
The English scientist Edmond Halley was right about a great many things, not least the orbit of the comet named in his honour. But he could also be mistaken. Hollow Earth: Art, Caves and the Subterranean Imaginary, the new exhibition at the Glucksman Gallery in Cork, is at least partly inspired by his belief that the Earth is hollow, or – more specifically - comprised of a series of concentric shells.
Halley was not alone in speculating on what lies beneath, of course. Just as the underground has fascinated philosophers and scientists, and featured in every religion and mythology known to man, so too has it intrigued generations of visual artists. Hollow Earth features work by 37 creatives, ranging from the 18th century painter Joseph Wright of Derby to the 20th century masters René Magritte, Henry Moore and Barry Flanagan, and contemporary makers such as Amanda Coogan, Ailbhe Ní Bhriain and Liv Preston.
