Mairead O’hEocha in conversation with Michael Hill

Tale Ends & Eternal Wakes originally opened in February but closed shortly after, as Ireland went into lockdown, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is hard to avoid the feelings of confinement and isolation that many of us experienced over the past months when looking at O’hEocha’s paintings of animals in museum display cabinets.

To acknowledge the unique circumstances and the reopening of the exhibition, O’hEocha has produced several new works on paper in a reconfigured installation, and will continue to add to and expand the installation. It is as if the animals have reproduced and now occupy more space, inviting urgent questions on how the animal kingdom might survive in a post-human world.