Sarah Iremonger was born in Dublin and lives and works as a visual artist in Kinsale Co. Cork, Ireland; she is a Board Member of the Lavit Gallery in Cork, a member of 'RedInk' Neurodivergent Artists Support Group and a founder of the Sirius Arts Centre Cobh, Co. Cork in 1985 volunteering there until 1999 and working as visual arts curator and artists liaison from 1999-2015.
Recent work includes the development of new digital artwork where drawings from the Horizons project are transformed into virtual 3-D landscapes; text-based work Cantos which uses notebooks collected over thirty years as found text; Vessels was shown as a solo exhibition of paintings at Oliver Sears Gallery in Dublin 2022 supported by a Cork County Council Creative Artists Bursary 2022; Build Your Own Horizon/BYOH was a public participation project with Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Bealtaine Artist in Residence and Cork County Council 2022 and exhibited with 'Re:Group - Fragments in Constellation' a collaborative project with Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre and Skibbereen Arts Festival 2022; The Hunting Box Party was exhibited as part of 'Change Hunters Hide' a group exhibition at the Emmanuel Walderdorff Galerie, Hofgut Molsberg, Westerwald, Germany 2021; Vessels / Research was included in '24/7' an online slide show for the National Sculpture Factory, Cork 2020; Horizons a collaborative project of painting, drawing, prose and poetry with the late poet Derek Mahon 2014-23 funded through a Cork County Council Arts Grants Scheme Award 2015 and exhibited at Oliver Sears Gallery in Dublin 2018 & 2019.
Iremonger illustrated Atlantis a poetry pamphlet by Derek Mahon in 2019 and The Rain Bridge a children's book both published by The Gallery Press 'is a story written by Derek Mahon for his son, then aged six, a tale of loss, kindness and recovery. Iremonger’s illustrations match, in their simplicity, the purity of the author’s style.' The Gallery Press 2017 and IL Ponte Della Pioggia Valigie Rosse, Italy 2018 and in Macedonia 2019.
Education
1997-98
MA European Fine Art, Winchester School of Art / Southampton University, Park Avenue, Winchester, Hampshire, UK and Barcelona, Spain
1985-87
Diploma in Fine Art Print, CCAD, Crawford College of Art and Design, Sharman-Crawford St. Cork, Ireland
1983-85
Foundation and First Year Fine Art, NCAD, National College of Art and Design, 100 Thomas St. Dublin, Ireland
Memberships
Board Member of the Lavit Gallery, Cork 2023 - present
RedInk Neurodivergent Artists Support Group 2022 - present
VAI Visual Artists Ireland 2016 - present
Cork Film Centre, Cork 2007 - present
National Sculpture Factory, Cork 2007 - 2013 & 2017 - present
Teaching Council 2010 - 2011 (further education)
Member of the Spike Island Heritage Committee, Cobh 2009 - 2011
Backwater Artists Group, Cork 2000 - 2009
Board Member of Wandesford Quay Ltd. Cork 2004 - 2009
Board Member of the Backwater Artists Group, Cork 2003 - 2009 (Chair 2006 - 2009)
Cork Arts Job Initiative Ltd. Community Employment Scheme, Cork 1999 - 2003 (Secretary)
Collections
The Liberty Hotel Group; OPW Office of Public Works, Northside Civic Centre, Coolock, Dublin & Government Offices at Tullamore, Co. Lois; The Arts Council of Ireland, Dublin; Micro Soft Ireland, Dublin; University College Cork, Cork; Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork; Kerry UDC, Killarney, Co. Kerry
Future activity
2024
2nd Symposium on Digital Art in Ireland, UCC University College Cork, Cork City 13th & 14th June
'Coalescence' exhibition at The Lavit Gallery, Cork City opening 13th June
2023
Participant of the Cosmist Reading Group as part of The Institute of the Cosmos by Anton Vidolke at the Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork (Sept - Nov)
Participant at the Sirius Arts Centre Summer School, Cobh Co. Cork (June)
Vessels work was exhibited at Residence 3 exhibition with Oliver Sears Gallery, Cromwell Place, London, UK (June)
2022Vessels solo exhibition at Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin (May - June)
'Bealtaine Artist in Residence' Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork - Funded Studio Residency - with Build Your Own Horizon funded by Cork County Council (May)
Space-Time: Horizons, Atlantis and A Rain Bridge a paper about Derek and my artistic collaborations was presented at the 'Derek Mahon Conference' Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France (May 23)
Build Your Own Horizon was exhibited as part of 'Re:Group - Fragments in Constellation' a collaboration project facilitated by Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, through online collaborative meetings throughout 2021 and 2022 exhibited at the O'Driscoll building for the Skibbereen Arts Festival (July)
2021
Vessels was exhibited as part of 'An Incandescent Connection' studio group exhibition, Kinsale, Co. Cork with Hina Kahn and Eidin Griffin
Floating Above the Horizon a paper about Derek and my life in Kinsal was presented at the 'Derek Mahon 80th Birthday Celebration Conference' Trinity College, Dublin
Vessels was exhibited as part of 'Evanescent' group exhibition at Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
Vessels was exhibited as part of 'Friends and Members' group exhibition at Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
'New & Recent Work' group exhibition online, Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin (ongoing)
Horizons was exhibited at '30 Years of Making' group exhibition, Signal Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow
The Hunting Box Party was exhibited at 'Change Hunters Hide' group exhibition at Emmanuel Walderdorff Galerie, Hofgut Molsberg, Westerwald, Germany
2020
Vessels was exhibited as part of 'Outdraw' exhibition at Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
Vessels/Research video was included as part of '24/7' online event with the National Sculpture Factory Cork
'Arts for All' online featured artist (May & June)
'The Time of Our Lives' online with Oliver Sears Gallery Dublin
'Irish Examiner Wish List' Irish Examiner (Sunday 12 Jan)
Curatorial Projects
2021
'An Incandescent Connection' studio group exhibition, Kinsale, Co. Cork with Hina Kahn and Eidin Griffin
2013
'World View of an Oyster' with Helen Horgan, Maximilian Le Can, Mick O’Shea & writer Danyel Ferrari for Cork County Council and Macroom Town Council
2012
'Sub-plots' with Marianne Keating, Mick O’Shea & Stephen Brandes, Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork
2011
'Sub-plots' with Marianne Keating, Mick O’Shea & Stephen Brandes, allerArt, Bludenz, Austria
2009
'Containers' with Stephen McGlynn and the Port of Cork, Custom House Quay for ArtTrail, Cork
2008
'Cork Harbour Project - Beyond the Myths' exhibition, seminar, school projects & off-site projects, Cork Harbour and Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork
2007
'Cork Harbour Project - Labs 1 & 2' Sirius Arts Centre Residency Program, Cobh Co. Cork
Publication Projects
2019
The Rain Bridge published in Macedonia www.pnv.mk
2018
IL Ponte Della Pioggia / The Rain Bridge a children's book written by Derek Mahon and illustrated by Sarah Iremonger, published in Italian by Valigie Rosse, Italy 2018
Atlantis illustrations for poetry pamphlet by Derek Mahon, published by The Gallery Press
2017
The Rain Bridge is a children's book written by the late Derek Mahon and illustrated by Sarah Iremonger, published by The Gallery Press
Commissions
2004-05
Freedom Box & Where’s Me Cork? video works for 'Arigador - Cork Silver and Gold Exhibition' Crawford Art Gallery, Cork for European Capital of Culture 2005 and Bowen Construction
2003
Upside-down Mountains neon and mural installation, Northside Civic Centre, Coolock, Dublin, for the OPW Office of Public Works (updated in 2012)
Awards
2022
Arts Council Agility Award towards the development of a new text-based work Cantos
Cork County Council Creative Artists Bursary towards Vessels exhibition at Oliver Sears Gallery
Artist in Residence with Bealtaine Festival at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork with funding from Cork County Council
2015
Cork County Council Arts Grants Scheme Award towards the development of new work for Horizons project
Residency at Cill Rialaig, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry
2014
Residency at Cill Rialaig, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry
2011
Culture Ireland Award towards exhibition Sub-plots allerArt Bludenz, Austria
Culture Ireland Award towards exhibiting The Hunting Box Party as part of 'Magaslesek (Hochsitze – Raised Hides)' exhibition at Knoll Gallery Budapest, Hungary
Culture Ireland Award towards exhibiting The Hunting Box Party as part of 'Buffer Zone' exhibition at The Armory, Sydney Olympic Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Art Exchange Residency at Broken Hill, Australia
2010
Culture Ireland Award towards exhibiting I thought I dreamed of you as part of the exhibition 'Tears Trash and Decay' at the Yarra Sculpture Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Culture Ireland Award towards exhibition I thought I dreamed of you at Gallery 817, Anderson Hall, UARTS, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, USA
Von Hess Residency at the Borowsky Centre & UARTS Multidisciplinary Fine Arts Program Visiting Artist UARTS, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, USA
2008
Cork County Council Arts Grants Scheme Award towards the development of new work for the project I thought I dreamed of you at the West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
2007
Residency at Cill Rialaig, Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry
2005
Bursary Award Arts Council of Ireland, towards the development of new work The Hunting Box Party shown at the 'C2' exhibition at the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork 2005, 'Buffer Zone' at The Armory, Sydney Olympic Stadium, Sydney, Australia, 'Magaslesek (Hochsitze – Raised Hides)' Knoll Gallery Budapest, Hungary 2011 and 'Hochsitze (Raised Hides)' at the Knoll Gallery Vienna, Austria 2010 and 'Change Hunters Hide' group exhibition at Emmanuel Walderdorff Galerie, Hofgut Molsberg, Westerwald, Germany 2021
2004
Bursary Award Arts Council of Ireland, towards the development of new work The Hunting Box Party
2003
Fellowship Stipendiatin der Stiftung Kulturfonds Residency at Kunstlerhaus Schloss Wiepersdorf, Wiepersdorf, Germany
Cultural Relations Committee Award Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, Ireland, towards Lumpy Art History exhibition at Turku Art Museum, Turku, Finland
2002
Bursary Award Arts Council of Ireland, towards new work for The Top Half of the Hero Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
Residency Award Arts Council of Ireland, towards a residency at Kunstlerhaus Schloss Wiepersdorf, Germany
Project Award Arts Council of Ireland, towards the research and development of contacts in Germany
2001
Publication Award Arts Council of Ireland, towards a catalogue Lumpy Art History Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin
Materials / Documentation Grant Arts Council of Ireland
1999
Materials / Documentation Grant Arts Council of Ireland
1998
Cultural Relations Committee Award Department of Foreign Affairs, towards the exhibition an investigation into the act of interpretation in relation to the area of representation Vizivarosi Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
1996
DHL ArtLift Award for Cork Paintings J. D. Mooney Foundation, Chicago, USA & 'L’Imaginaire Irlandais' at Villesalem Abbey in association with Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
Solo Exhibitions
2022
Vessels at the Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin
2011
Desert Union at 'World’s End' The Guesthouse, Cork
2010
I thought I dreamed of you at Gallery 817, Anderson Hall, UARTS, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, USA
2009-10
I thought I dreamed of you at the West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
Hinterland Tom Barry’s, Cork in association with Cork Arts Collective, Cork
2007
Myths exhibition of photographs at the Alliance Francaise de Cork, Cork
2004
Research & Process Room interpretative room for 'George Petrie' exhibition, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork
2003
Lumpy Art History paintings and drawn murals, Turku Museum, Turku, Finland
2002
Top Half of the Hero interactive installation with drawn murals, photography & video work at Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
2001
Lumpy Art History paintings & painted mural, at Temple Bar Gallery, Temple Bar, Dublin
2000
from effect to ideology and back again at CIT Exhibition Centre, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork
1998
an investigation into the act of interpretation in relation to the area of representation at the Vizivarosi Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
1996
Cork Paintings J. D. Mooney Foundation, Chicago, USA
Group Exhibitions & Projects
2024
'Coalescence' exhibition at The Lavit Gallery, Cork City
2023'Residence 3' exhibition with Oliver Sears Gallery, Cromwell Place, London, UK
2022
'Re:Group - Fragments in Constellation' a collaboration project facilitated by Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen through online collaborative meetings throughout 2021 and 2022, exhibited at the O'Driscoll building for the Skibbereen Arts Festival
2021
'An Incandescent Connection' studio group exhibition in Kinsale, Co. Cork with Hina Kahn and Eidin Griffin
'Evanescent' Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
'Friends and Members Exhibition' Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
'New & Recent Work' online exhibition, Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin
'30 Years of Making' Signal Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow
'Change Hunters Hide' at the Emmanuel Walderdorff Gallery, Hofgut Molsberg, Westerwald, Germany
2020
'Outdraw' Uillinn, West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
'24/7' online event with the National Sculpture Factory, Cork
'Arts for All' featured artist for May & June
'The Time of Our Lives' online exhibition Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin
2019
'Press Play' Oliver Sears Gallery, Molesworth Street, Dublin
'Heroes and Villains' Crawford Art Gallery, Emmet Place, Cork
2018
'Heroes and Villains' Crawford Art Gallery, Emmet Place, Cork
'Gallery Artists and Guests' The Salon, Oliver Sears Gallery, Molesworth Street, Dublin
2016 -17
Cover Photo Retrospective Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/sarah.iremonger (weekly)
2014
'The 184th RHA Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition' Dublin (invited artist)
2013
'World View of an Oyster' Macroom Town Hall, Macroom, Co. Cork with Helen Horgan, Maximilian Le Can, Mick O’Shea & writer Danyel Ferrari for Cork County Council and Macroom Town Council
2012
'Sub-plots' Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork
2011
'Art Work Embassy' ArtTrail, Cork
'Sub-plots' AllerArt, Bludenz, Austria
'Buffer Zone' The Armory Gallery, Sydney Olympic Stadium, Sydney, Australia
'Magaslesek (Hochsitze – Raised Hides)' Knoll Gallery Budapest, Hungary
'Land/e/scape Art Walks' Historic Centre of Kalamata, Greece
'Living in Interesting Times' Tom Barry’s Light Boxes exhibition, in association with Backwater Artists Group and the Cork Artists Collective, Cork
'When Flanders Failed' The RHA Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin curated by Stephen Brandes
2010
Rushbrooke Links shown at Tank. tv online Museum of the Moving Image, London, UK
'Land/e/scape' Festival Midden 2010, Historic Centre of Kalamata, Greece
'Hochsitze (Raised Hides)' Knoll Gallery Vienna, Austria
'Tears Trash & Decay' Yarra Sculpture Gallery, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
'Souvenirs from the Celtic Tiger' Xuhui Arts Museum, Shanghai, China
'West Cork Artists 2010' West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
'Backwater 2010' Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
2009
'Video Screening' Skibbereen Arts Festival, Skibbereen, Co. Cork
'The Hero of a Thousand Faces' Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
'Fruitcakes and Furrycollars' an off-site project in association with West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co. Cork & Cork Film Centre, Cork
'V for Video' video event, The Roundy, Cork
2007
'Posted 3 – Future World' posted a photographic project, Cork
Wreck video projection, Backwater Artists Group & Cork Printmakers open studios, Cork
'Tensions' Former Court House with the Cork Film Centre & ArtTrail, Cork
2006
'we must follow the circle' Triskel Arts Centre & Backwater Artists Group, Cork
'Coffee Project' Temple Bar Studio’s, Temple Bar, Dublin
2005
Secret Archeology of an Artist Backwater Artists Group 'open studios' ArtTrail, Cork, Cork for European City of Culture
'Un/Inhibited' video projection, Backwater Artists Group open studios for the European City of Culture
'Arigador' Cork Silver & Gold exhibition, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork for European City of Culture
The Hunting Box Party at 'C2' Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork for European City of Culture
2004
'Trunk Show (the artist as traveller)' King House, Boyle, Co. Roscommon
The Hunting Box Party ArtTrail critical essays & Backwater Artists Group open studios, Cork
2003
'Crawford Open 4' Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
'ArtTrail' cover image of the catalogue; critical essays; open studios; electric-rain
Hunting Boxes video projection IAWS building & Backwater Artists Group, Cork
Fake installations drawings on photographs at 'FLIX' Rubicon Gallery, Dublin
'Forbidden Writings' photographic exhibition, The Ping Pong Room, Kunstlerhaus Schloss Wiepersdorf, Germany
2002
Lumpy Art History at EV&A Limerick City Art Gallery, Limerick
Dedalus - Bloomsday # 1 mural installation at Context Gallery, Derry, Northern Ireland
2001
'Crawford Open 2' painted mural installation, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
Homage painted mural project Backwater Artists Group, ArtTrail, Backwater Artists Group open studios, Cork
Shh.. outline drawing project, ArtTrail, Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
'Projections' Parochial Church Hall, Old St. Mary’s Church, Clonmel the South Tipperary Arts Centre, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
2000
'Crawford Open' Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
'Samhain Swing' Art Gallery, Deptford, London, UK
'Stuffed' Stuff Gallery, 5 Palmers Rd. Bethnal Green, London, UK
'M for Millennium' Cork Midsummer Festival, The Lavit Gallery, Cork
from effect to ideology and back again at CIT Cork Institute of Technology, Rossa Avenue and Guy’s Buildings for the Cork Midsummer Festival, Coal Quay, Cork
1999
'Fresh Art Studio' with Danny McCarthy, Helen O'Leary and Michael Daley for ArtTrail, Princes St. Cork
1998
'Cork Artists Collective' Proby’s Restaurant for ArtTrail, Cork
'Industria Art' Clifton Hall, Dublin
'MA Exhibition' Winchester School of Art, Winchester, Hampshire, UK
'Top ’98' Tallers Oberts Poblenou, Barcelona, Spain Can Filipi Centre Civic & Winchester School of Art, Barcelona, Spain
1997
'Micro-Soft Touring Exhibition' Ireland
'Scoip ‘97' Siamsa Tire Arts Centre, Tralee, Co. Kerry
'Kunst aus Irland Nordirland Schottland' Catalyst Arts, Arts Club, Burgwedel, Germany
1996
'Volume' Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
'L’Imaginaire Irlandais' Villesalem Abbey in association with Le Confort Modern, Poitiers, France
'Model Home Ideas for Living' The Clock Tower PS1 Museum of Contemporary Art, Long Island City, NY, USA
'COE ’96' Claremorris Open Exhibition, Co. Mayo
'Art of The State' touring exhibition, Ireland and France
Talks & Seminars
2024
2nd Symposium on Digital Art in Ireland, UCC University College Cork
2022
Space-Time: Horizons, Atlantis and A Rain Bridge Derek Mahon Conference, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, France2021
Floating Above the Horizon Derek Mahon, 80th Birthday Celebration Conference, Trinity College, Dublin
2018
'Artists of Cobh and Great Island' as part of 'This Must Be the Place' Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork
2011
'Cork Harbour Summer School' Port of Cork, Cork
'Artist Presentation' at ERIA Environmental Research Initiative for Art, COFA College of Fine Art, UNSW University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
2010
'UARTS Multidisciplinary Fine Arts Program' visiting artist University of the Arts, Philadelphia, USA
2007
'Cork Docklands Seminar & Tour' Port of Cork, ArtTrail, Cork
2005
'Culture 2000 Seminar' artist presentation for the Arts Council of Ireland, Malta
'BAG Backwater Artists Group at the Crawford' artist talk Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
Where’s Me Cork? video presentation UCC University College Cork, Sociology Dept. Cork
Where’s Me Cork? video presentation Green Party Convention, Cork
2003
'Artist Presentation' Kunstlerhaus Schloss Wiepersdorf, Germany
2002
Top Half of the Hero artist talk Triskel Arts Centre, Cork
'Manifesta 4' presentation Crawford Art Gallery, Cork
2001
'Projections' artist talk Parochial Church Hall, Old St. Mary’s Church, Clonmel in association with the South Tipperary Arts Centre, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
Lumpy Art History artist talk Temple Bar Gallery, Temple Bar, Dublin
1996
Cork Paintings artist talk J. D. Mooney Foundation, Chicago, USA
Work experience
1999–2015
Visual Arts Curator and Artists Liaison Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork (part-time)
1985-99
Co-founder and volunteer Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Co. Cork
To view recent work contact Oliver Sears Gallery +353 1 6449459 / 33 Fitzwilliam St Upper, Dublin 2, Ireland