Cork artist and psychotherapist Nollaig Dunphy chose the Quay Co-op for her first exhibition, returning to a community space where she had worked during the 1990s.
Titled Hidden Connections, the 2022 exhibition brought together 19 abstract paintings made during that year.
Personal relationships translated into abstraction
Dunphy described the paintings as connected with her own life and relationships, although their abstract language kept those experiences from being directly legible to viewers.
This distance was important to the work. The paintings did not illustrate specific events or people but invited curiosity and allowed audiences to form their own emotional associations.
Dunphy hoped the images might briefly carry viewers into another mental or imaginative space. Her work as a psychotherapist and her artistic practice met indirectly through an interest in experience, connection and what cannot be communicated literally.
A meaningful return to the Co-op
The Quay Co-op had played an important role in Dunphy’s earlier life and friendships. Returning there for her first public exhibition connected the new paintings with a place she associated with support and personal development.
The building had served as a community centre for four decades. Its restored Pawnbroker’s Office had previously housed women’s groups, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and LGBTQ community campaigns.
Most of the paintings were shown in the Upstairs restaurant, with smaller selections displayed in the deli and other Co-op locations.
Hidden Connections demonstrated how the meaning of an exhibition can depend on its location. The Quay Co-op was not a neutral venue chosen only for available wall space. It formed part of the artist’s own history, giving the presentation the character of a return as well as a debut.