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'In the Garden of Last Things' by Bénédicte Coleman, curated by Melania Lynch

Benedicte Coleman, curated by Melania Lynch. Installation

Opened on Culture Night on the 18th of September 2015 an exhibition by Bénédicte Coleman 'In the Garden of Last Things' runs until October 9th.  

These are the last things … one day they will disappear and never come back … you learn to take nothing for granted. Close your eyes for a moment, turn around to look at something else, and the thing that was before you is suddenly gone. Nothing lasts, you see, not even the thoughts inside you. (Paul Auster: In the Country of last things: 1-2) 

 In the Garden of Last Things, an installation by Bénédicte Coleman, is inspired by ideas of growth, proliferation, death, decay and regeneration: it speaks of the cyclical nature of existence. The work references prehistory, animal and plant life, ocean, flora and fauna, science fiction and alien life forms and whatever else the viewer’s life experience and imagination allows. The work also taps into the wealth of symbolism associated with ‘Last Things’ – the concept of ‘End time’ or eschatology, in world religions and mythologies.

For this large installation Coleman has again used the pleated paper / fibre component of used air filters from vehicles and other machines to create the large creatures writhing in the ‘garden’. This evocative material, effectively the lungs of engines, bears the imprint of roads travelled and work done. The present work incorporates small sculpted figurines not previously seen – these are fashioned from papier mache, organic materials such as cow dung and sheep dung, and found objects from the artist’s extensive collection.

Bénédicte Coleman is an artist living and working on the Beara peninsula.  

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