The Irish Landscape or Plein Éire, was a one day pop up exhibition of work created by a group of students from Long Beach University in Los Angeles, California, taking place at upstairs at Bó Studios, Jocelyn Street premises as part of a collaboration between Bó Studios artist John Connolly and Yulia Gasio, an American artist who took part in an artist’s residency during June – July 2023, in Creative Spark, Dundalk.
Yulia is also a lecturer of drawing and painting at Long beach university in Los Angeles California and brought a group of students from the university to tour Ireland and its art galleries and create work during their time here.

The exhibition was based on Irish landscapes, where the students worked on their pieces over the 10 days they visited and experienced Ireland. Their main base was in Dublin, but they also travelled to Galway and Limerick. The pop-up exhibition, that took place on the 15th of June in the upstairs gallery of Bó Studios, also included a story telling session by Stephen Lally, a storyteller who has worked as an artist and storyteller for over 15 years. He writes his own material along with telling folk tales from Ireland and around the world, recitations, myths, legends, story songs, participation stories and arts based workshops.

The artists were Carrie Molinaro, Melody Zatarain, Melody Schmidt, Natcha Sri In, Audrey Morales, Anthony Rico, Elani Scott, Flor Aguilar Reyes, Jaslie Ulloa, Jhoanna Morales, Jocelyn Duarte, Jessica Valencia, Logan Wiggins, Lynn Tran, Nadia Campos Lopez, Sonya Stone, Tiffany Swenke and Zachary Elliot.

The exhibition was launched by Mark Corcoran of Dundalk’s Culture Club and it was an enjoyable event where the students got to present their work to the artistic community in Dundalk.

John Connolly, Bó Studios artist who was behind the whole collaboration, said ” It was a wonderful way for two artistic communities to come together in the making and experiencing of work and to build on the connections the Yulia made while she was in residence here last summer. The artists talent shone brightly and we hope to find opportunities to collaborate again in the future.”

Bó Studios is housed in An Táin Arts Centre’s second space on Jocelyn Street and is supported by An Táin Arts Centre, The Arts Council of Ireland / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Create Louth. There are currently 7 artists housed there and that will expand to 10 in the second half of 2024.