Grilse Gallery

Screenprint studio & artist-run gallery in Killorglin, Kerry V93 A2TY
087 604 7559 / either@grilse.ie
Open Wed–Sun 12–5pm or by appointment. Free entry, all welcome.

30 May – 28 June 2026

Aisling Roche, Nacria, new porcelain and ceramic sculptures

Nacria takes its name from nacre, or mother-of-pearl, the iridescent substance formed gradually within seashells as a protective response. This process becomes the guiding metaphor throughout the exhibition, inviting viewers to reflect on the fragility of the marine world and our shared responsibility to protect it.

Nacria is the culmination of a series of experiences and collaborations: a residency in Galway working alongside marine scientists aboard the SV Tom Crean; mentorship with artist Rachel Parry, supported through the Sample Studios Sample 15 Bursary; and a residency at Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre.

Themes of circulation, memory, and scientific intervention are explored throughout the exhibition. Circulation echoes the rhythms of waves, underwater currents, and the journey a single drop of water takes as it moves around the globe. Memory is both personal and collective — rooted in childhood experiences immersed in the sea, while also reflecting the changing coastal landscape shaped by erosion and environmental change. Scientific ideas are translated into sensory and emotional experiences, encouraging connection, reflection, and awareness.

Material choice plays a vital role in communicating these ideas. Porcelain, with its delicacy and inherent brittleness, becomes a metaphor for the vulnerability of marine ecosystems. Embroidery introduces fragments of landscape while embracing a slower, meditative process that mirrors the gradual erosion of coastal environments. Translucent photographic prints appear as ghost-like traces from the future, while drawings and paintings serve as reminders of what we have — and what we stand to lose.

Nacria is both an homage to the ocean and a call to protect it. It is at once a celebration and a warning, seeking to reconnect viewers with the fragility, complexity, and vitality of marine ecosystems, while encouraging a deeper sense of care and responsibility for our shared future.

4 July – 2 August 2026

Wendy Dison, Land Memory, new and selected paintings, etchings and sculpture

15 August – 13 September 2026

Eilis O’Connell, a rare exhibition of framed work and small works from the acclaimed sculptor

Winter exhibitions will feature Marie Foley and Margaret O'Sullivan

Images below:

Wendy Dison, Bog study 1, 59 x 84 cm

Eilis O'Connell, Settle, digital print on Hannemule paper edition of 20, 30 x 30 cm, 2009

Artists exhibited at Grilse Gallery include Mike Ahern, Miriam Barry, Regine Bartsch, Paul Bokslag, Dorota Borowa, Katherine Boucher Beug, Cormac Boydell, Edwina Bracken, Kate Buckley, Na Cailleacha (Helen Comerford, Barbara Freeman, Patricia Hurl, Catherine Marshall, Carole Nelson, Rachel Parry, Therry Rudin), Lucy & Robert Carter, Bernadette Cotter, Marie Coveney, Wendy Dison, Fermoyle Pottery, Lisa Fingleton, Michael Flaherty, Audrey Fleming, Austin Ivers, Cathy Giles, Debbie Godsell, Tim Goulding, Zoë Green, Patrick Groneman, Karen Hendy, Carol Hodder, Con Kelleher, Denis Kelly, Darragh Kinch, Maria Levigne, David Lilburn, Rochelle Lucey, Sean McCarthy, Ava McKenna, Deirdre McKenna, Tadhg McSweeney, Silke Michels, Susan Montgomery, Paul Mosse, Niall Naessens, Jock Nichol, Noël O’Callaghan, Ciara O’Connor, Denis O’Reardon, Geraldine O’Reilly, Danny Osborne, Rachel Parry, Rebecca Peart, Alan Raggett, Robert Rasmussen, Jenny Richardson, Aisling Roche, Robert Russell, Áine Ryan, Eddie Ryan, Úna Ni Shé, Mary G Sheehan, Gerda Teljeur, Charles Tyrrell. Also in Kerry Art Now! Kathy Cronin, Clodagh Edwards, Laura Fitzgerald, Holger Lönze, Poppy Melia, Aran Mulvihill, Christopher Steenson.