Hamilton Gallery is delighted to host an exhibition of prints by Ruth O’Donnell and Grainne Cuffe, opening on Thursday April 7th at 8pm.

The Nightingale and the Rose is a frequent lyrical theme in Iranian decorative art of the 18th and 19th centuries. Ruth O’Donnell is fascinated by the way deep truths are traditionally dealt with so lightly by decorative art of this era. Taking the 12th century Sufi narrative poem The Conference of the Birds as a starting point, O’Donnell has explored the communication of these ideas through a series of suites of prints with related bird motifs.

Though not strictly botanical, Grainne Cuffe’s delicately balanced work takes its inspiration from the floral. There is strong reference to the pigmentation of petals, lending vitality to the colour in her etchings. Compositionally, balancing the square is a preoccupation in her work, while Cuffe’s use of scale gives a sense of expansive optimism to the larger prints.