Oh My Demigod | Book Selection

These books have been selected by RGKSKSRG - Rachael Gilbourne and Kate Strain - on the occasion of the group exhibition Oh My Demigod at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, 24 March - 30 April 2022.

"The books we have selected reflect the core influence of a single text, Thomas Kinsella’s 1969 translation of the ancient Irish saga The Táin, on the curatorial development of this group exhibition. When originally published by Dolmen Press in 1969, Kinsella's text was accompanied by a series of 133 illustrative drawings, rendered in printer's ink by Louis le Brocquy, commissioned by publisher Liam Miller. Le Brocquy himself described his drawings with great humility, as 'shadows thrown by the text'. Monumentalised in the form of tapestries, these hugely powerful works form the centrepiece to the group exhibition, around which three contemporary artworks orbit in cyclical sequence. As curators, we were interested in what new interpretations may be derived in terms of a contemporary reading of The Táin. This informed our approach to commissioning new works to be engaged with alongside le Brocquy's iconic tapestries. Similarly, we are delighted to draw attention to other new readings of The Táin as exemplified in Karina and Kathy Tynan's exquisite publication: TÁIN; The Women's Stories and the beautiful Irish Legends for the very Young by Niamh Sharkey."

- RGKSKSRG