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Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

Backwater Artists Group

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Backwater Artists Group

Artist-led organisation supporting visual artists in Cork through studio space, exhibitions, professional development and public events.

28/05/2026

"Backwater Artists Group has been an essential foundation for the development of my work and a vital place to come and create. The studios are large, affordable, heated, and centrally located in the city, something that feels like gold dust in this precarious moment. Having a reliable space to work, alongside regular contact with other artists, has made me feel part of the fabric of a wider community and has been a strong motivation to continue persevering in my practice. The studios are a lifeline, providing a secure, comfortable, and generous environment in which to make work. They are large enough for me to share with members of my collective and function as an important meeting point, sustaining a collective practice that requires its own space."

Kate McElroy / Intersite

Backwater Artists Group provides artists with secure, purpose-built studio spaces in the heart of Cork City, alongside a year-round professional development programme including curator visits, workshops, talks and exhibition opportunities.

As Kate's experience highlights, access to affordable workspace and a supportive community of peers can make a real difference to sustaining and developing an artistic practice.

Find out more about our Studio, Darkroom and Backwater Artists Network memberships via the link in our bio.

26/05/2026

What Lies Beyond the Human?

A new text by writer Sarah Long reflecting on Natura, our recent members' exhibition at the Lavit Gallery, curated by Brian Mac Domhnaill.

Drawing on ideas of the sublime, ecology, history and identity, Long's essay considers how the exhibition's artists explore the complex and often strained relationship between human beings and the natural world.

Featuring work by Debbie Godsell, Dee Hurley, Hina Khan, Julia Mitchell, Chloe Nagle, Conor O’Brien, Kate O’Kelly and Deirdre O’Mahony, Natura brought together diverse artistic perspectives on our place within the environments we inhabit and shape.

Read the full text on our website (link in bio)

Image: Julia Mitchell, Pathways, 2026, oil on canvas, 100cm x 100cm

25/05/2026

Paperwork | Tom Doig

1 May – 5 June 2026
Studio 12 | Tues to Fri 10am – 5pm

Details of some of the pieces presented as part of Paperwork, a new solo exhibition by Tom Doig, presenting a body of collage-based work developed from a residency at Studio 12.

Working with found paper imagery, Doig explores how knowledge is stored, categorised and reshaped through printed material.

Developed as part of Backwater Artists Group’s Curatorial Programme, the exhibition brings Doig into collaboration with curator Benjamin Stafford (VISUAL, Carlow).

1. Tom Doig, Accumulation (detail), 2026, Paper Mosaic (2)
2. Tom Doig, Preserved Absence (Series) (detail), 2025, Rice Paper in Polyester Resin
3. Tom Doig, Accumulation Study I (detail), 2026, Collage on 5mm Plywood

22/05/2026

We have an exciting skill-sharing workshop coming up soon with Elize De Beer in framemaking.

In this workshop, members will learn how to create their own wooden frame using the framing-making tool at Backwater Artist Group. This will include the construction of the frame, glass installation and creating a float mount for a paper-based artwork.

Workshop includes:
• Measuring and Cutting Wooden Profile, Glass, Boards
• Float Mounting Artworks
• Frame Assembling
• Discussions around customisation

Deadline to register 25 May.

If you would like to have the opportunity to attend skill-sharing workshops like this consider becoming a member of Backwater Artists Group. For details see our website (link in bio).

Elize de Beer is a South African visual artist based in Cork. Her multidisciplinary practice spans printmaking, books, and sculpture and she is a member of Sample-Studios and Cork Printmakers. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally, and has artworks in both private and institutional collections, including the OPW, Ireland and the University of Cape Town. Alongside her artistic practice, de Beer is an arts facilitator spanning printmaking, sculpture, bookbinding and publishing and has worked in various arts sectors including book and paper conservation, galleries and museums, art fairs, printmaking studios, framing workshops and artist studios. She is a co- organised Cork Zine Fest since 2022. She graduated from the Michaelis School of Fine Arts at the University of Cape Town, South Africa with a BAFA and an honours in Curatorial Studies. Her practice has been supported with awards from The Arts Council of Ireland, Creative Ireland, Creative Europe and Cork County Council.

21/05/2026

The next in our Curator Visit Series takes place next week with Rachael Gilbourne.

Rachael Gilbourne is a curator based in Dublin. Currently Assistant Curator of Exhibitions: Projects & Partnerships at IMMA–Irish Museum of Modern Art, Gilbourne also works as an independent curator, often in collaboration with Kate Strain under the aegis of RGKSKSRG. She is co-founder and co-ordinator of Visual Arts Workers Forum, and a member of the Board of Directors of Black Church Print Studio and the Royal Hibernian Academy School. Previously, Gilbourne has worked within contemporary visual arts organisations such as Kerlin Gallery, Projects Arts Centre, and Black Church Print Studio, Dublin. She is a Fine Art graduate from NCAD and has an MA in Visual Arts Practices from IADT, Co. Dublin.

Curator visits are a key part of our professional development programme for Backwater Artists members, giving artists the opportunity to engage directly with both national and international curators and discuss their practice in depth. We facilitate these one-to-one meetings for all members, including providing space on site for artists who are not studio holders with us.

Become a member and connect with a supportive professional network dedicated to developing artistic practice and opportunities. For details see our website (link in bio).

20/05/2026

This Saturday, Brian Mac Domhnaill, Director of Lavit Gallery, will deliver a focused workshop to Backwater Artists Members. The workshop introduces photography as both an artistic medium and a practical tool for documenting and sharing work.

The session will cover:
• Fundamentals of photography, including basic principles and how different equipment works
• Photography as an artistic practice, including contexts, opportunities and challenges
• Documenting artwork, exhibitions and events using a camera or phone
• Preparing and sharing images professionally, including file types, editing and formatting

Brian Mac Domhnaill is a photographer and arts administrator with over 25 years’ experience using photography in professional and creative contexts.

To avail of skill-sharing workshops like this, why not consider joining Backwater Artists Network?

19/05/2026

We have our first Members Presentation event of the year taking place this Thursday, 21 May at 6 pm.

These meetings give members a much-needed opportunity to present their work to their peers in a safe and supportive environment and share what they are currently working on.

Oonagh Hurley is a painter based in Cork. Her work is mainly figurative, investigating the processes of remembering and forgetting. She has exhibited with the Catherine Hammond Gallery since 2014. She has been a visiting professional artist to first-year architecture students (reviews of their brief to design an artist’s residency) in the Cork Centre for Architectural Education (CCAE). She works from a studio in Marina Commercial Park, Cork.

Deirdre Frost works primarily in oil painting on wood, using imagery from local built and natural environments, reconfigured in order to consider new narratives.
Frost holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from MTU Crawford College of Art & Design (2020) and spent part of her studies on Erasmus in the University of Art & Design, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Frost’s work is represented in the collections of UCC Glucksman, OPW State Art Collection, Dublin City University and Cork City Council. Frost is represented by Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin.

Oonagh Hurley is a painter based in Cork. Her work is mainly figurative, investigating the processes of remembering and forgetting. She has exhibited with the Catherine Hammond Gallery since 2014. She has been a visiting professional artist to first year architecture students (reviews of their brief to design an artist’s residency) in Cork Centre for Architectural Education (CCAE). She works from a studio in Marina Commercial Park, Cork.

16/05/2026

Happy

We’ve had a busy day exploring with Life Drawing with and Drawing from Nature at Studio 12 with

We also hosted the wonderful for an open drawing session with Backwater members

Thanks to everyone who joined us!

14/05/2026

Paperwork | Tom Doig
1 May – 5 June 2026
Studio 12 | Tues to Fri 10am – 5pm

Tom Doig is a visual artist based in Cork City, Ireland. He graduated from MTU Crawford College of Art & Design with a Technical Development Award in 2009, and returned to complete an MA in Arts and Process there in 2017. Tom works with an evolving archive of found imagery, with a particular interest in illustrative conventions in encyclopaedic and cultural contexts. His work emphasises the materiality of visual information in it’s paper form, ranging from traditional collage works to pixelated grid installations and layered assemblage. Tom is a recipient of the Cork City Arts Artist Bursary in 2019 and the Irish Arts Council Agility Award in 2021. He is a member of Backwater Artist’s Darkroom, Cork Printmakers and Outlaw Studios.

13/05/2026

We are delighted to be featured on this year's Art Gallery Bike Tour for ! What a fantastic way to travel through the city and see the best that our creative communities have to offer.

Address

Backwater Artists Group, Wandesford Quay
Cork
T12E26D

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Website

https://backwaterartists.ie/

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