Mayo gallery presents ‘Slow Heat’ by contemporary painter Emma Stroude

Claremorris Gallery is proud to present ‘Slow Heat’, a new body of work by contemporary painter Emma Stroude, opening on Saturday, September 27, at 5 p.m.

The exhibition will be preceded by a guided tour with the artist at 4 p.m., offering visitors a rare opportunity to gain insight into Stroude’s creative process and the inspirations behind her work.

Attendance for the tour is free, but booking is essential through Eventbrite here.

The exhibition will conclude on October 11.

‘Slow Heat’ emerges from a collaboration between Stroude and three actors, who explored themes of women’s potentiality, endurance, and the necessity of moving beyond inherited preconceptions. Their embodied performances became the catalyst for Stroude’s striking new works, which weave together performance, archetypes, and art historical references.

Virginia Woolf’s writings were a persistent influence during the making of 'Slow Heat'. Woolf’s metaphors of fire and heat - as forces of transformation and resistance - resonate deeply within Stroude’s paintings, which reflect a simmering intensity rather than sudden revolution.

The works explore archetypes embedded in our cultural DNA, reinterpreting figures from Incy Wincy Spider to Mary Magdalene, while engaging in dialogue with feminist artists such as Paula Rego, Rebecca Horn and Ana Mendieta.

In these works, Stroude paints the performed experiences of women through a female lens. The figures undergo transformation, endure hardship, and support one another, embodying resilience, tenderness, and determination. 'Slow Heat' is an invitation to witness women’s collective potential and the enduring flame of change.

Emma Stroude is a Berlin-born, UK-raised and Sligo-based painter and draughtswoman. She studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design and the Slade School of Art in London before moving to Ireland in 1996. Her work often draws inspiration from Ireland’s dramatic light and landscapes, while engaging with themes of women’s roles in history and society.

Her paintings and drawings are held in numerous collections, including the Office of Public Works, Sligo and Kildare County Councils, Pierce Brosnan, and Luciano Benetton’s Imago Mundi. In 2021, her portrait Fifteen won the Ireland-U.S. Council Award for Portraiture at the Royal Hibernian Academy’s Annual Exhibition.

Recent projects include ‘In Plain Sight’, a commission honouring pioneering women in Irish law.