A FERMANAGH artist is re-imagining the county’s past in a major exhibition in Enniskillen this month.
Vincent McDonnell, who grew up at Ashwoods outside the town but now lives in Antrim, was in Enniskillen last week for the opening of his ‘MASKparade: Unearthed Works, an Island Story’ at the Higher Bridges Gallery last Thursday night.
The exhibition is a collection of 92 unusual ‘story masks’ created by Mr McDonnell, who has created a fictional story to accompany his art which he said was inspired by the history of Fermanagh. This includes the area where his family lived in Enniskillen, where he grew up in Ashwoods, and where his father hails from in Belcoo.
“I had the idea that I wanted the masks to look like artefacts, to look like they had been dug up over 100 years ago. It gives a bit of history and story to them,” said Mr McDonnell.
“The story came to me when I literally had my head in the clouds, when I was flying from Cardiff to Belfast” he added, explaining how he had been inspired by a book his wife gave him on medieval history which touched on ‘moral plays’ of the time which featured masks, and by one of his children’s school history projects.
“I was fascinated by it, and started researching the medieval history in Enniskillen and Fermanagh. So I began developing the story to tie in with my background.
“Down Street, close to the Buttermarket, is where it all starts. I spent a lot of time on Down Street, growing up, as I had two aunts who lived there. In the 1970s the street was pulled down to make way for the car park. In the story, in the process of the demolition they uncover a box, which has these unusual objects within, these masks. I wanted to develop it into a children’s book, and to tie it in to other places, such as Gardenhill outside Belcoo and Ashwoods.”
Explaining that he intended to develop the story into a children’s book, Mr McDonnell said he had developed the masks as a way of telling the story.
The masks are currently on display at the Higher Bridges Gallery until Saturday, February 27. It’s Mr McDonnell’s first major exhibition in Enniskillen, having displayed work in the town as part of various other exhibitions down through the years. The work is also somewhat of a departure from his usual focus on portraits, of famous faces Maeve Binchy, which have featured in publications on both sides of the Atlantic.
The former St Michael’s pupil said he was indebted to the staff of Enniskillen Library and the Heritage Library for their help during his research, and said he was “really delighted” to have the opportunity to display the work for the local community to enjoy.
For further information about the exhibition please contact Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Arts Office by telephoning 0300 303 1777 or emailing artsoffice@fermanaghomagh.com.