The Unsung Artists: An Exploration in the familiar stories and the handiwork of Matriarchs by Anne Callanan and guest artist Fernanda Olivares

This solo exhibition of new works by Anne Callanan with guest artist Fernanda Olivares explores the legacy of female craftspeople, specifically those involved in the delicate and economically vital tradition of needlework in the19th and 20th centuries. What started as a response to a visit to Limerick Museum has turned into a social history study on female craft makers for Anne and their meditative approach to their work. Domestic settings formed a monastic studio of excellence for these skilled workers and to date they remain anonymous.  Today we celebrate this work, name it without shame and pride as it forms as much high praise in the culture and heritage of the land it hails from.

Anne Callanan is a full-time visual artist and art historian from Northern Ireland and living in Louth some 20 years. She uses paint and charcoal to create a contemporary response to this heritage, bridging historical craft with modern artistic practice. By combining her love of textiles and visual arts to create rich, multi-layered textures. Her work reimagines classical forms through the tactile, fluid medium of woven fibers. Visitors can expect intricate wall pieces that challenge the boundaries between fine art and craft.

Anne studied textiles in Central St Martins London followed by an Art History Degree in Trinity College Dublin and the Open University then relocated to Florence, Italy to immerse herself in traditional classical art techniques. Anne has been a lecturer in Art History in QUB Belfast, SACCI Florence and Venice Italy and held lecture series in many private National Institutions. She has been awarded various residencies in Ireland, France, Netherlands and Mexico. Her work is in private collections in Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Austria, America and Canada.

Fernanda Olivares, a visual artist and researcher from Mexico City and living in Netherlands. Visual artist, dancer and technologist. Fernanda currently researches on building a bridge between a human/machine body collaboration via hybrid processes of digital fabrication, painting, and AI. She has been part of multiple exhibitions, events, and biennials worldwide in Italy, Mexico, Russia, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and the USA. She has been invited as a speaker in TEDx Boston, organised by MIT in 2023, Digital Futures, Tonghi University as well as in AT&T INNOVATION STAG. As a leader, she founded FAMS, a non- profit organisation dedicated to contemporary art, technology research, and education. The organisation co-produced the first Latin American Artificial Intelligence Art Biennial in 2022.