Cork artist to have exhibition hosted by Marina Market

The Marina Market is hosting an exhibition by a local artist this week in what is planned as an ongoing series of events in the space.

The exhibition, Sea Soul, is a collection of oil and acrylic paintings by Ardmore artist Marie O’Neill, who works as a community garda in Anglesea Street.

The works were created over a two-year period while Ms O’Neill looked after her mother as she went through a serious illness.

“It was a very emotional time, and it was also a time of intense spiritual awakening for me, and the very act of painting itself became a release for me,” Ms O’Neill told The Echo.

“I just felt a need to paint and create, and it was like releasing the energy onto canvas.

“It’s strange to look at all of the works collected and to see them all in one space,” she said.

“I was very lucky to display some of these pieces in Alchemy Café in Barrack Street recently, and it was my friend Zelen, who is an artist working as a barista at Alchemy, who persuaded me to exhibit my work, first in Barrack Street and now in the Marina Market.” 

Zelen, also known as Gagotsiwe Tshabangu, or Unkle Zeh, began a project called “Wrkbrk” in which he would use his 30-minute work break to organise a series of solo and collaborative art projects and exhibitions.

“Two years later, it’s nice to see the visions coming to life, thanks to local businesses like Alchemy and the Marina Market giving me the opportunity to use their space to promote and showcase local artists,” Zelen said.

He described Ms O’Neill’s paintings as capturing expression, colours, and emotion, inspired by nature’s beauty and the power of the sea.

“The artist painted frequently when she would feel intense energy flowing out of her hands she would feel a strong need to paint, and the pieces emerge raw, and each piece is unique,” he said.

Sea Soul runs in the Marina Market until 20 August. For further information on the exhibition, contact Marie O’Neill at marieoneillartist@gmail.com. Follow Marie O'Neill on Instagram Marieart2022.