Hibiscus Mahon
Inas Al-soqi
Kuwait/USA
inspired by Birr’s radical 19th-century feminist Catherine Mahon, the work evokes nostalgia for a calm and simple life and reflects on the forgotten Cumberland Column in Emmet Square, Ireland. The artwork emphasizes the clean aesthetics of the town of Birr while satirically incorporating drunken townies and their tales of mischief. Mechanical objects that may have originated from the town are scattered throughout the composition. Diverse plants and bright flowers are whimsically placed in the foreground of the collage to represent the numerous plants of Asian origins that flourish in the gardens of the Birr Castle Demesne. To the left of the collage, a boy is trying to hold on as a tower formed by hands, a turtle, and bird try to knock him down symbolizing different people that are trying to touch the empty column. On the upper right side of the collage, a woman representing Catherine Mahon is sliding through the greenery to reach the column. The paper in the background originates from the book “Wallpaper in Ireland 1700-1900" by David Skinner.
Inez is a perpetually foreign storyteller immersed in conversation about identity. The subject matter in her artwork plays with the dichotomy between the sanctioned and the unsanctioned, and that of folk and fine art. Her artwork delivers an endearing form of satire that expresses an ironic interpretation of class and nobility. The composition of her work addresses the themes of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Arab cultures, early colonial federalism, and violence against women.
Inas Al-soqi
Kuwait/USA
inspired by Birr’s radical 19th-century feminist Catherine Mahon, the work evokes nostalgia for a calm and simple life and reflects on the forgotten Cumberland Column in Emmet Square, Ireland. The artwork emphasizes the clean aesthetics of the town of Birr while satirically incorporating drunken townies and their tales of mischief. Mechanical objects that may have originated from the town are scattered throughout the composition. Diverse plants and bright flowers are whimsically placed in the foreground of the collage to represent the numerous plants of Asian origins that flourish in the gardens of the Birr Castle Demesne. To the left of the collage, a boy is trying to hold on as a tower formed by hands, a turtle, and bird try to knock him down symbolizing different people that are trying to touch the empty column. On the upper right side of the collage, a woman representing Catherine Mahon is sliding through the greenery to reach the column. The paper in the background originates from the book “Wallpaper in Ireland 1700-1900" by David Skinner.
Inez is a perpetually foreign storyteller immersed in conversation about identity. The subject matter in her artwork plays with the dichotomy between the sanctioned and the unsanctioned, and that of folk and fine art. Her artwork delivers an endearing form of satire that expresses an ironic interpretation of class and nobility. The composition of her work addresses the themes of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Arab cultures, early colonial federalism, and violence against women.