Hilary O'Mahony is a visual artist based in Manchester and she will host her first solo show, opening at Honest Coffee this Friday, addressing value systems and identity within western society.
"One of the main topics the show focuses on is the divide between self-pursuit and community, so Salford is an interesting place to exhibit" says O'Mahony "Salford is a great city and I've always been drawn to it. Even as an outsider I can feel the strong sense of community."
"I'm sure you would not have to wander too far before you'd spot a scratch card on the streets of Salford" she adds "Lots of people love to play the lottery; it attracts a diverse demographic and Salford is no different. I would hope the show has a wide relevance wherever it's positioned."
The exhibition, called Whatever it amounts to, is a new body of work and it claims to `brutally expose' social situations and associated feelings of luck, happiness, hope and disappointment.
"The work uses the National Lottery as a means to explore these topics" says O'Mahony "I work at a school in Wythenshawe and was struck by the vast amount of scratch cards that litter the streets here every day. I collected about fifty on a five-minute walk to my bus the first day I noticed them. The primary aim of this show is to create dialogue and debate, about the National Lottery, about value systems and about contemporary British society."
It's also very glittery and eye-catching...
"There are five works in total, three framed works and two sculptures" she says "I am particularly excited about a work called Desire Lines which is a large scale sculpture modelled on a chandelier. It's glittery, glamorous and grotesque. I made it at home using PVA and heaps of glitter so I've been walking around with a sparkly face for a few weeks now. I really enjoy the process of making artwork and this is apparent in the work, it's very tactile. Whatever it amounts to is going to be a colourful show!
"The work is full of contrasts and conflicting ideas, it has a real bittersweet tone" she adds "I wouldn't say that I'm offering information to the public. Although the works come from a very specific place and I undertook a lot a research, I'm really striving to use this information to ask questions rather than say something very specific. I really like the idea of people coming to the show, seeing the work and feeling something. The best shows are the ones that make you think and that trigger an emotional response. I would hope that people leave feeling buzzed and eager to talk about it."
O'Mahony is interested in questioning the ethics of the National Lottery. Statistics show that there are a particularly high number of players in less affluent areas, she explains, and it is been referred to as a 'tax on the poor'. This is extremely topical at the moment given recent developments with the Panama Papers and rich people avoiding taxes.
Lottery funding is invested in numerous 'good causes', most notably the arts. Where would be a more suitable place to question the ethics of the game than in an art context?
Hilary O'Mahony: Whatever it amounts to
Friday April 22nd - 29th
The Home of Honest Coffee
77-79 Chapel Street M3 5BZ
Opening hours: Mon - Fri 8am-5:30pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm
Hilary O'Mahony will be at Honest Coffee between 12noon and 4pm on Saturday 23rd April
For further details see Hilary O'Mahony's website click here
Or the Whatever it amounts to Facebook event page click here
Words by Li Dai
While this exhibition is at The Home of Honest Coffee, Future Artists, which runs the place is aiming to crowd fund a new community arts space called The Gallery in premises almost next door, with three events already planned. In the first week, via the Kickstarter funding site Future Artists has already raised over £1,500 towards its target of £4,000.
For more details see the Kickstarter website click here.
There is also a full interview with Future Artist's Mark Ashmore in the current print issue 11 of Salford Star read the electronic issue here
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