Aisling Jelinski

 ‘Hagstone/Feather (Garryvoe/Glenbower)’ is a response to Lisa Robert's poem "Eat, Hew (an erasure of Leda and the Swan)" Much of my studio research relates to themes of the uncanny and (dis)embodiment, often through the lens of ancient sculpture—particularly Greek and Roman. I drew immediate links between the subject matter of Robert's erasure poem (which itself utilized the work of an Irish poet) and her actual act of erasure with the themes I have been exploring in my own work. For this painting, I was inspired by the seaside of Garryvoe and the forest of Glenbower Wood, blending elements from the two into one composition.

In response to Sarah McLaughlin’s piece, ‘Limestone Runner’ references the Killeagh stonemason, whose grandfather did drawings of old headstones from around Ireland, as well as a runner bean from a local castle gardens. While on my residency, I did a lot of reflection about my past and future, as well as my bodily connection to place and space. McLaughlin’s piece winds together threads I can relate to, as a queer woman living in this moment in America; a family coming from the Irish diaspora, holding love in one hand and tension in the other; struggling not to disassociate entirely. Tangled threads.