The Food, the Bad & the Ugly – The Domestic Godless
Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, Co Meath Until May 26th solsticeartscentre.ie
Cooking up a storm during their brief Solstice residency, culinary guerillas Stephen Brandes, Mick O'Shea and Irene Murphy tempt (or should that be threaten?) the taste buds with their signature prawn-head smoothies, gannet confit and deadly 14-allergen mousse cake. Evening tasting on Friday 25th (6.30pm, €20), and special Saturday brunch on May 26th (11am, adm free).
Present Perfect – Brendan Earley
Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co Cork Until July 1st siriusartscentre.ie
Commissioned alongside Brian O’Doherty’s glorious and glowing recently restored murals at Sirius, Brendan Earley uses the metaphor of the labyrinth to attempt to get to grips with the labyrinthine mind of O’Doherty. Drawings, textiles and sculptures add to the enigma. Don’t overthink it, instead go with it, let it all wash over you and then sink in.
The Breadwinner Exhibition – Cartoon Saloon
Butler Gallery, Kilkenny Until July 29th butlergallery.com
Get behind the scenes of the Oscar-nominated film, which follows a young Afghan girl’s attempts to provide for her family, and rescue her father from prison. For anyone fascinated by animation, enjoy original drawings, gorgeous watercolours, an interactive area, and an insight into how the process all comes together.
The Fragmented Mind
The Mac, Belfast Until July 29th themaclive.com
Artists have always been, by tradition, outsiders, but outsider artists are even more outside than that. The Musgrave Kinley Collection focuses on artists working outside the mainstream, often with mental and physical disabilities. Taking that as a core, The Fragmented Mind goes on to explore alternative perspectives, with illuminating results.
Hennessy Art Fund for Imma Collection 2018 – Barbara Knezevic, Susan MacWilliam, Mary McIntyre and Helen O'Leary
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin Until September 6th imma.ie
Realising that the recession years had seriously dented Imma’s collecting ability, Hennessy set about helping to plug the gaps. The work of four artists has been added each year since 2016, and if anything links this year’s quartet (apart from the fact they’re all female), it’s a raw and fractured quality, with splashes of vital wit.
