Culture night exploration of Westmeath’s boglands through art

Culture Night provided a special opportunity last Friday evening for visitors to step inside Áras an Mhuilinn in Mullingar, where two artists presented work as part of the Imagining Common Grounds programme.

With events taking place across Westmeath, Áras an Mhuilinn opened its doors outside normal office hours for an evening featuring the work of photographer Emma O’Brien and painter Emer Gaffey.

Across an expansive table, visitors could see foliage, photographic processing materials and other objects connected to Ms O’Brien’s artistic practice. Her exhibition, The Holding Space, uses photography to explore themes of care, ecology and humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

Imagining Common Grounds is led by Westmeath County Council’s Arts Office and curator Valeria Ceregini. The programme explores the connections between ecology, memory, identity and community, using the boglands of Westmeath and the wider Midlands as its starting point.

Italian art historian and curator Ms Ceregini said Culture Night provided an opportunity to introduce the project through the work of two artists working in different mediums.

“This evening both Emma and Emer Gaffey are having exhibitions,” Valeria said. “Culture Night was an opportunity to introduce and present this project through two artists. One is a painter and the other a photographer.”

She said the artists’ work had a strong connection with the bog, creating a link between Westmeath, Ireland and perspectives from further afield.

The project will continue with further events planned, including workshops, talks and panel discussions focusing on visual art. Ms Ceregini said another event is planned for November, subject to arrangements going ahead.

For Ms O’Brien, Culture Night also highlighted the importance of bringing artists and audiences together.

“It’s great for artists, because generally we’re very isolated,” she said. “We work on our own a lot. It’s kind of lonely work.”

She added that taking part in events such as Culture Night provided artists with an opportunity to come together and “hang together”.

The Imagining Common Grounds programme forms part of Cultúr 2026, Ireland’s national cultural programme for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, connecting local artistic perspectives with wider European cultural conversations.