Current Exhibitions

Breaking The Bubble 
An Exhibition by Rory Draper 
Runs From 15th January until 26th February 2022
In conjunction with First Fortnight, The European Mental Health Festival

Breaking the Bubble is a culmination of work by Rory Draper looking at the small things people may do to get out of the frustrating bubble that they can get themselves into. That insidious bubble of inactivity and isolation and deceptive comfort that can remove you from the people around you.

Coming back to Ireland from London after a breakdown/breakthrough three years ago, Rory took some time to build himself up again and adjust to a far quieter and slower environment. Part of Rory's recovery was being cognisant of what he could do and did do that helped him get through the day. This prevented him from being bubbled up in his room, removed from others. Being aware of these small things and how useful they can be, became very useful for Rory during lockdown. It was during that time that Rory started to explore these events visually. Looking at these tiny seemingly insignificant acts or moments of appreciation and composing them on a page and emblazoning them in colour.

The intention is to highlight the seemingly mundane, making these small things bright and shiny, to show that these small actions and appreciations can get you out of a bubble of inactivity and darkness. In this exhibition Rory presents a homage to these moments, making them beautiful and striking to give an insight to the viewer how important they are to him. Rory has amplified colour and adjusted perspective so as to draw the audience in and let the instance sit with them for a while. "My hope is that they will come away thinking about the small moments that keep them out of their bubble."

Rory Draper is a visual artist based in Wexford, having graduated from Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dublin in 2006 and later from the National College of Art and Design in 2010 Rory then moved to London where he lived and worked for a number of years. Rory then returned to Wexford following a breakdown/breakthrough just before the first COVID-19 Lockdown. During this experience Rory found solace in creating, in  recognition, and in documentation.

Rory is currently Artist in Residence at The Presentation Arts Centre where he inhabits a brand new studio space. "My door is open for any visitors to my show to come down and have a chat!"

"Lisa gave me the opportunity to have my first ever solo exhibition and I'm forever grateful for the incredible support she gave every step of the way. This is a gallery that truly cares about giving a platform to emerging artists."

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