KANDAKAÂ is a body of work by Safa Abulekilik produced during her artist residency as part of our We Only Want the Earth Programme. This exhibition offers a glimpse into her artistic journey over the past two years developing her own unique approach to paint; combining textiles, sculpture and cultural objects.
Set amongst traditional female clothing, hand-made stools, and complemented by authentic Sudanese coffee served in a Jabanah, this collection of works explores Safa’s Sudanese Heritage. Through depictions of historical symbols and forgotten sites of Sudan and strong female figures central to the 2018 revolution, a powerful story of Kush Queens emerges.
Safa Abulekilik is a Sudanese visual artist, born and raised in Saudi Arabia, and now based in Ireland. Her practice encompasses topics of identity, ethnic diversity, and culture with a particular focus on what it means to be a woman of the Sudanese diaspora.
Safa grew up captivated by her mother’s stories of her hometown in Sudan. Over milky tea and Baskaweet biscuits as the house filled with the smell of incense, Safa would trace henna patterns on her mothers hand and they would be transported back to her mother’s home through her tales. In her work Safa invites the viewer to visit a landscape she seeks to build: a landscape of recognition and fiction, playing with the tensions and questions that arise when exploring her identity. Informed by her family stories, and her ancient East African, Nubian heritage, she aims to create alternative versions of herself. The worlds she constructs weave historical information with current events and make space for conversation with others with similar experiences or questions.
GALLERY EXHIBITION
4th – 14th April
First Weekend
Thursday 4th: 7pm – 9:30pm
Friday 5th: 2pm – 6pm
Saturday & Sunday: As below
General Opening Times
Monday: Closed
Tues – Fri: 1pm – 7:30pm
Sat: 12pm – 6pm
Sun: 1pm – 6pm
BROADCAST
8th – 14th April
Exhibition Broadcast
A broadcast of the exhibition will be available on this page from Monday 8th April for those who can not visit the gallery in person.
4th April
Opening
Thursday 4th April 7pm – 9:30pm
This event is masked. Masks will be available at the door.
Drinks will be served in our garden area.
Opening: Thursday 4th 7pm – 9:30pm
Gallery Visits: 5th – 14th April
Our gallery is masked indoors.
Our accessibility information is below. Â
You can let us know about any access needs you may have when booking. If you are having difficulty booking please email admin@a4sounds.org
EXHIBITION CREDITS
Artist
Safa Abulekilik
A4 Curatorial Team
Lisa Crowne
Dónal Holland
Linda Kavanagh
Indigo Woolfrey
Residency Team
Fire Station Artists’ Studios
Helen Carey
Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland – MASI
Eze Ejikeme
Production Team
Lisa Crowne | Installation
Indigo Woolfrey | Installation
Aideen Farrell | Installation
Barry Semple | Table Fabrication
Kate-Bowe O’Brien | Photo Documentation
ACCESSIBILITY
Booking is not required to come to the exhibition opening or to visit the gallery at other times. If you have access needs you would like us to be aware of to make your visit more comfortable, there is the option to let us know via the booking link. If you are having trouble booking a ticket, you can also email us via admin@a4sounds.org and we will do our best to accomodate you.
What we will do
- This exhibition takes place indoors & outdoors and is masked.Â
- FFP2 masks will be available at the door.
- Air purifiers with HEPA filters will be running in the gallery.
- A CO2 monitor will be in the gallery.
- Doors will be opened regularly to ventilate the room.
- All A4 staff are fully vaccinated.
- All staff will take an antigen test on the day of the opening and regularly throughout the exhibition run.
What you can do
- Please take an antigen test before coming to the opening or gallery.
- If you can’t afford one right now there will be some available at the front door.
- If you test positive for Covid-19, or you feel newly unwell in any way please stay at home.
- If travelling by public transport or taxi please wear a mask for your journey.
Walking
- O’Connell Street: 14 mins from The Spire (directions)
- Phibsborough: 11 mins (directions)
Luas
- Parnell Stop (Green Line):
10 mins (directions) - Dominick Stop (Green Line):
12 mins (directions) - Broadstone Stop (Green Line):
12 mins (directions) - Abbey Street (Red Line):
17 mins (directions)
Accessible Parking Spaces
There are 30 accessible parking spaces nearby our studios between 2 and 8 mins away.
Map: https://rb.gy/sd41wu
Parking 2-3 mins away:
- Nelson Street: 1 space, 210m
- Hardwick Place: 1 space, 220m
- Eccles Place: 2 spaces, 220m
- Eccles Street: 3 spaces, 230m
- Hardwicke Place: 1 space, 220m
Arriving at A4 Sounds
- When you arrive at the gallery there is a kerb outside as part of the pavement which you may need to navigate depending on the direction you arrive.
- There is a small slope at the entrance at the desk where the material of the floor changes from cement to a tiled surface.
- The door will be open and there will be a staff member to greet you at the front desk.
- The front desk will be immediately in front of you approx 1m from the front door.
The Gallery
- Our gallery is located on the ground floor and is accessible.
- It is located about 5m from the front door.
- There is a small ramp into the gallery space.
- The floor is tiled.
- The room is painted a dark colour and will be low lit.
- Our garden can be accessed via the gallery.
Bathrooms
- Our bathrooms are gender-neutral.
- There is one accessible toilet in our outdoor garden area. It is a portaloo.
- There are three indoor bathrooms which are not accessible.
- The indoor bathrooms are located on the first floor via a flight of stairs (approx 22 steps) so may provide difficulties for folk with movement impairments.
The Garden
- The door to the outdoor area is straight across from the gallery door, and a distance of approx 5m.
- The outdoor area has heating which can be turned on and off to suit your needs.
- The outdoor area has a garden with a covered seating area with wooden benches, wooden and plastic stools.
- There are additional wooden benches which are not covered.
- To the back of the garden there is a mezzanine accessed by approx 15 steps with wooden benches
Overview
- The exhibition take places in our gallery and is masked
- The gallery is on the ground floor
- There are stools as part of the exhibition to sit on
- The exhibition is wheelchair accessible
The Exhibition
- The exhibition consists of paintings and sculptural work
- The walls and floor are painted a dark navy
- The room will be low lit with spotlights only
- There are 6 paintings hanging on the walls
- There is a sculptural work consisting of 13 wooden pieces with long flowing fabric onto the ground towards the back of the room
- There are 5 wooden stools with a coffee table in the centre
- There is lot of space to move around the exhibition space
Lighting & Sound
- The room will be dark with spotlights only
- There are three bright LED bulbs hung low from the ceiling in the centre of the room
- There are led spot lights pointed towards the paintings and the sculptural works
- The rest of the room will be dark
- There is no sound
Scents
- There will be the scent of incense for the exhibition run
- There will be the scent of coffee on the opening night
Seating
- There will be 5 wooden stool available to sit on as part of the installation
- If you require a more comforable chair you can let us know on arrival or when booking.
The Opening
- The gallery may be busy and noiser for this evening
- There will be music playing in our garden
- There will be coffee brewing and drinks served
- There will be no loud sounds but there will be the sounds of a busy outdoor area with people talking
Booking your visit!
- You can book your visit via the link above or by clicking here
Page 1 of booking:
- First, select your preferred date and time to visit from the drop down menus. You can find them on the right handside of the page underneath the description of the event
- Next, if you have accessibility needs, click the box inside the pink area underneath accessibility needs section. Skip this section if it is not applicable
- Next, if you would like to make a donation, please enter the donation amount inside the box in the section marked pink
- Next, click the add to cart button which is located below the total amount
- The screen will refresh. Now you will see a ‘view cart‘ button on the top right of the screen. You can also click the shopping cart icon on the top banner area
Page 2 of booking:
- There is no shipping required for this booking, so please click the ‘continue to check out’ button
Page 3 of booking:
- Next, fill out your billing information in the pink box.
- Next, the subscribe to our newsletter button is automatically checked. If you do not wish to do this uncheck this box. It is just below the pink box
Important:
- Next, if is the if shipping details are different to billing details. Please click the heading of this section so it closes and no longer requires details to be inputted. This is important to be able to check out without errors.
- Next, scroll down and check the I have read the terms and conditions box
- Next, check the I am not a robot box
- Â Finally, click the place order button.
Confirmation:
- You will now come to a confirmation page. You do not need to do anything further. We will have your name ready at the door to check in.