Exhibitions
Showing creative interpretations and responses to flax, linen and its impact is central to the Linen Biennale’s ambition. We proudly support artists to present and produce inspiring and thought-provoking work.
This page lists exhibitions which are part of the Linen Biennale programe for 2023.
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August
Woven Hug
Tere Chad & Cordelia Rizzo
Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart
6th July – 26th August
An innovative participatory textiles project, using recycled material, it has been created by local people, overseen by textile artists Tere Chad and Cordelia Rizzo. The finished scupture is two arms extending from the first-floor façade of Flowerfield Arts Centre, and will be displayed through the summer months.
Stitching a Story: Revive & Renew
Wilma Kirtkpatrick & Helen O’Hare
Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart
1st July – 29th August
Award-winning textile artist Wilma Kirkpatrick presents a selection of her quilts and samplers including new work on linen created in collaboration with Helen O’Hare.
Photo credit (left): Emma Hutchinson
Common Threads
Group Exhibition
Island Arts Centre, Lisburn
28th July – 26th August
A group exhibition featuring the work of 14 local and international artists, themed around and inspired by linen, connecting them across different mediums, fine and applied art practices. The show, along with Jill Phillips’ solo exhibition at R-Space, marks the official opening of the Linen Biennale 2023.
Connected Emotions
Jill Phillips
R-Space Gallery, Lisburn
28th July – 26th August
Jill Phillips’ exhibition explores the relationship between feelings and design, and brings together art, design and science to create an interactive textile installation. Visitors can contribute to this installation, responding to their own emotional connection with design.
Gintlíocht
Group Exhibition
Ulster Folk Museum, Cultra
1st August – 1st September
Gintlíocht brings together eight artist/artist groups showing works on the theme of ‘heritage, skills and crafts’. Gintlíocht is an Irish word meaning an unexplainable manipulation of materials; the artists work in a range of contemporary practices, mediums and materials to explore the theme.
Curlew/Kuovi
Group Exhibition
Ards Visitor Information Centre, Newtownards
2nd August – 12th August
Featuring works in progress by exchange artists Ruth Osborne and Pirjo Seddiki and hosts Jane McCann and Sirpa Morsky.
Ruth and Pirjo explore themes inspired by the Curlew/Kuovi, a migratory bird that has links with both Finland and Ireland.
Print & Linen
Group Exhibition
Belfast Print Workshop, Belfast
3rd August – 31st August
A celebration of art and heritage and the world of linen artistry. The exhibition at the Belfast Print Workshop’s city centre location showcases the intricate beauty of linen through the creative lens of talented artists.
Clanrye Lace
Clanrye Arts and Crafts Collective
Newry City Library, Newry
14th August – 18th August
Clanrye Arts and Crafts Collective present an exhibition of Clanrye Lace, a local form of lacemaking developed in the 1920s by Sr Camillus at the Convent of Mercy in Newry. She introduced new bold designs and innovative techniques, using linen with drawn-thread and cut-away areas to create a new style of lace.
Time, Traces & Threads
Millie Moore
Old Town Hall, Banbridge
15th August – 18th August
Memories, factual and imagined, flow through discarded linen repurposed in the creation of contemporary art pieces.Traces of print and naturally dyed threads mark the slowing down of time across the woven surface, while stitch and paint combine to bring a modern slant to the work.
She Stitches Pieces of Material
Caroline Moore
Newry City Library, Newry
19th August – 2nd September
A retrospective of textile artist Caroline Moore, drawn from pieces produced over the last twelve years. The work is informed by the many textile cultures from around the world using age-old techniques found on utilitarian clothing, household and personal items.
McCaw Allan – A Tea Towel Exhibition
McCaw, Allan & Co
Brownlow House, Lurgan
25th August – 2nd September
McCaw, Allan & Co is a world renowned manufacturer of linen tea towels and handkerchiefs with a history dating back to 1830. This wonderfully colourful display of just some of their tea towels can be seen in the Courtyard of Lurgan’s historic Brownlow House.
September
Palimpsest
Group Exhibition
Conway Mill, Belfast
5th September – 30th September
Palimpsest is an exploration into many different aspects of linen, from the spirituality associated with flax and the harvest, to the consequences of the industry that played such a pivotal role in the changes in society especially in Northern Ireland, and the resonances that remain today.
Revive & Renew
Wilma Kirtkpatrick & Helen O’Hare
Belfast Cathedral, Belfast
1st September – 31st December
Work by Wilma Kirkpatrick and Helen O’Hare will move to Belfast Cathedral once the Flowerfield exhibition finishes. Also on view at the Cathedral is their Titanic Pall, created by both artists and gifted to the Cathedral in 2012. Standard admission charge £2.50. (Mon to Sat 10am–4pm)
Photo credit (left): Emma Hutchinson
Plant Communitas: Linum
Group Exhibition
R-Space Gallery, Lisburn
2nd September – 29th September
Curated by Patricia Brien, this exhibition will consider the plant cycle and connections with cultural traditions, inherited knowledge, local practices and intuitive relations within this framework.
Featured image (right): Ilka White
October
Ancestral Interconnections: Matrilineal Threads
Lynne, formerly an academic scientist in the field of human genetics, now develops handwoven textile objects that promote conversations about heritage, connection to place, and identity.
Lynne Hocking
Public Records Office NI, Belfast
5th October – 30th October
The Alchemy of Print
Trish Belford
R-Space Gallery, Lisburn
7th October – 31st October
The Alchemy of Print presents an exceptional body of work by Trish Belford, encompassing new processes as well as designs created for famous fashion UK fashion designers.
reGROUP: Linen Biennale 2023 Closing Exhibition
Group Exhibition
Portview Trade Centre, Belfast
27th October – 30th October
Featuring new work co-commissioned especially for this year's programme from artists: Robert Peters, Anushiya Sundaralingam, Jane McCann and Regine Neumann.
Featured image (left): Anushiya Sundaralingam