Let The Mirror Express The Room; A Westmeath Artists’ Awards exhibition

Luan Gallery, in collaboration with Westmeath Arts Office, presents Let The Mirror Express The Room, a Westmeath Artists Awards exhibition featuring work by thirty-two Westmeath artists selected by guest Curator Benjamin Stafford.

The Westmeath Artists Awards is a collaboration between Luan Gallery and Westmeath Arts Office aiming to celebrate, showcase, and support the development of Westmeath visual artists’ practices and careers with funding support from the Arts Council of Ireland. The exhibition presents works from the county’s practicing professional visual artists selected by guest Curator Benjamin Stafford.

“In looking at works in this year’s Westmeath Artists Award exhibition, it was apparent that landscape in these various forms Schama identifies is both subject and inspiration for many of the artists. These landscapes are both literal and metaphoric, and run from figurative representation through to surrealist interpretation and speculative narrative. Memories and dreams play a part in inspiration as much as physical experience of place. If landscape is understood as visual or physical experience of space, then this exhibition might be considered a record of both literal external and metaphoric internal space.” Benjamin Stafford, Curator.

The winner of the Westmeath Artists Award 2024 was Athlone native Amanda Ralph, who received a Luan Gallery Visual Arts Development Award of €1,500, amongst other benefits, including a future exhibition slot at Luan Gallery, a studio residency at Abbey Road Artists’ Studios, a studio visit, and mentorship from guest curator Benjamin Stafford.

A collaboration with Westmeath Arts Office with funding support from the Arts Council.

This exhibition was supported by The Arts Council.