“Forward,” said granny in the snow – “Eteenpäin,” sanoi mummo lumessa (Finnish Proverb) • Jane Hughes and Selma Mäkelä • Curated by Paula Barrett

The Finnish proverb “Eteenpäin, sanoi mummo lumessa” – “Forward,” said granny in the snow – evokes resilience and determination in the face of adversity. This spirit of perseverance underpins this exhibition that brings together the work of Jane Hughes and Selma Mäkelä for the first time.

The artworks chosen for this exhibition position landscape as a site for engaging with deep time, a concept that reaches far beyond human history into geological and cosmic scales. Through pigment and layered surfaces, these paintings offer tangible connections to that immense continuum, while their non-linear approach reflects the challenge of grasping such vastness. Oscillating between figuration and abstraction, they unfold as painterly meditations that weave together memory, archival fragments, and imagined terrains.

Informed by residencies in remote regions – from Inis Oirr and Achill Island to the Arctic and Fogo Islands – their practices reflect lived experiences of displacement and fractured cultural identity. These composite landscapes are geological fantasies, layered with personal histories and cultural echoes, inviting viewers to consider multiplicity within a profound universe.

Both artists share a magnetism for peripheral spaces and a life shaped by migration. Selma Mäkelä, with Finnish and Cypriot heritage, grew up in England and now lives in the West of Ireland. Jane Hughes, born in Ireland, emigrated nearly two decades ago and now resides in Finland. Their intertwined narratives add a poignant dimension to this exhibition, where borders blur and time expands.