29 May – 24 July
Cork Printmakers Studio Gallery
Lithos is a solo exhibition by Jo Kelley at Cork Printmakers Studio Gallery. The exhibition celebrates the stone lithography process.
“Symbolism did not fall out of heaven or rise out of the subterranean depths: it was elaborated like language, by the human reality, that is at once Mitsein and separation.” Simone de Beauvoir
Kelley’s prints depict an imaginary world populated by dolls, toys, automata, and collected ephemera. There is a performative element, including aspects of stage sets and dioramas. This fabricated space is often hermetic and distorted. The depicted narrations imply meaning without being explicit or explanatory. The work explores otherness and separation.
The Dutch translation of still life is silent life, or quiet life. Kelley uses this definition when considering the objects. The possibility of their reanimation and their history is explored. The objects have a resonance of another state of being. The doll, for example, is an unheimlich object, with no reassuring sensibility, making one aware of the enormity of silence.
Kelley produces these contemporary works through the traditional process of stone lithography. Lithography stones are limestone blocks, they have individual qualities , and each print represents a journey, that is responding to the qualities within each stone. The enormity of the stone’s history is evidenced by the fossil traces visible on the smooth surfaces.
This exhibition is presented as part of a series of exhibitions taking place in 2025 at Cork Printmakers Studio Gallery. Future exhibitions in the series: Peter Nash (Sept – Nov 2025)
Cork Printmakers Studio Gallery is a space for presenting work developed or produced within the studio below. It aims to present contemporary and expanded print practice by members and partners of Cork Printmakers. The gallery celebrates printmaking as an active medium for collaboration, experimentation, and exchange.
Opening reception 5pm Thursday 29 May
Opening times 10am-5pm Monday – Thursday or by appointment. Closed for lunch 1pm-2pm.
To avoid disappointment, please note that the gallery may occasionally be closed during these hours due to annual leave or offsite work. We recommend calling or emailing in advance to arrange an appointment.
+353 (0)21 432 2422
Corkprintmakers.ie