Stát na mBan

Translation: The Women’s State/The State of Women
Visual Art, Film and Poetry Exhibition 

Gallery Space and Maureen O’Hara Studio, dlr Mill Theatre, Dundrum: Friday 15 October Launch
5.30-6.30pm; Tuesday 19 – Friday 22 October, 11am-3pm.

Stát na mBan (translation: The Women’s State / The State of Women) is a visual art, film and poetry exhibition curated by Mary Moynihan, Artistic Director, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality. The exhibition features artworks by visual artists Hina Khan, Noelle McAlinden and Amna Walayat, poetry by Mary Moynihan, Féilim James and Michelle Costello hung in the gallery space in print format and a new video artwork An Agreement of Silence created and directed by Sinead McCann. 

Framed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the exhibition reflects on themes of migration, racism, gender-based violence, colonialism, feminism, silence, womanhood and women’s rights as human rights, illuminating the resilience of the human spirit intertwined with courage, radical self-representation and love.

Artist Hina Khan is exploring themes of migration and racism. Artist Noelle McAlinden is reflecting on the essence of the female form and the fragility, isolation, disconnection and resilience of the human spirit. Artist Amna Walayat is exploring themes of violence against women such as the exploitation of women in Irish ‘Mother and Baby Homes’ and the oppression of women throughout the South Asian region where Amna is originally from.

An Agreement of Silence is a new video artwork created and directed by Sinead McCann. An Agreement of Silence is an evocative and emotional story of a woman’s experience in the Magdalene Laundry on Sean McDermott Street, Dublin told using monologue, dance, music, and song. The story explores the alliance of the church, the state and the broader community in the confinement, exploitation, and abuse of women in the Magdalene laundries in Ireland.

The monologue for the video artwork in An Agreement of Silence is by writer Féilim James, the woman’s voice is by Michelle Costello and movement direction is by Kate Finnegan with dancers Siobhan O’Connor, Vitor Bassi and Mufaro Gambe. Sinead McCann created the lyrics for the song I knew, you knew with original music composed and performed by ELKIN. The new video artwork An Agreement of Silence can be viewed in the Maureen O’Hara black box studio.

The artworks in the exhibition were commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre for Arts and Equality and funded by The Arts Council of Ireland and dlr Arts Office. The exhibition is presented by Smashing Times and the dlr Mill. Theatre Dundrum as part of the project State of the Art, The Nation State as both Violator and Protector of Human Rights, for the Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival 2021.

The exhibition takes place at the DLR Mill Theatre, Maureen O’Hara Studio, dlr Mill Theatre,
Dundrum: Friday 15 October Launch 5.30-6.30pm; Tuesday 19 – Friday 22 October, 11am-3pm.