Olivier Cornet Gallery is delighted to present ‘HEDGEROW, stories from a linear world’, a solo exhibition of new work by gallery artist Yanny Petters.

“Since childhood I have loved and observed hedgerows.

Whenever we kids went rambling along the lanes of our neighbourhood, to pick flowers or blackberries or just wandering to each other’s houses, we wondered at the secrets within these linear worlds…”

…a walk along the hedgerows with Yanny Petters at her exhibition here in the Olivier Cornet Gallery on Sunday the 17th of November at 3pm.

Yanny will talk about her techniques and inspiration and show some of her source material for creating this exhibition and will talk about the importance of hedgerows in Ireland.

A free event so booking is recommended (info@oliviercornetgallery.com or 0872887261)

In her exhibition at the Olivier Cornet Gallery artist Yanny Petters will present a series of Verre Eglomisé paintings from that iconic element of the Irish countryside, the Hedgerow. Exploring her local hedgerows she draws on this many-faceted world to create gilded and painted treasures to inspire the viewer, that we might seek out the wonders of what we so often discount as a bunch of weeds!

The hedgerow goes back a long way in our history, dividing and yet holding together a rich habitat that remains after our forests were cleared. Land boundaries can be traced back to Neolithic times and the circa-12th-century Townland boundaries are the country’s longest standing land divisions.

At a time when farming practices are changing in scale many of these valuable habitats are being removed. While we might plant new hedges, it is the ancient ones which support up to 3000 organisms from flowers and trees, birds and animals to insects and microscopic creatures, without which our land would become desolate.

As we become more concerned about a changing climate we will look to hedgerows to serve as windbreaks, to shelter our livestock, reduce soil erosion, aid drainage and provide homes for beneficial predators who protect our food crops from pests. These harbours of biodiversity should be cherished for the health of our future generations.

In her work, Yanny Petters raises awareness of our wild plants, opening our eyes to a myriad of wonders in our local environment. It’s not just a bunch of weeds, but truly amazing and beautifully evolved species living in symbiotic harmony.