Artists Talk
with Áine Phillips and Miriam deBurca
The Chloran Síle Flag represents a Sheela-na-gig that has been held in the collection of the British Museum since the late 1800s, having been taken from a site in West Meath during British occupation.
Sheela na gigs are medieval stone carvings of female figures displaying their genitalia with exaggerated grotesque and humorous facial expressions. They are found predominantly in Ireland. Experts believe they were protective talismans connected to ancient folk ideas of birth, death and life giving power. Sheela na gigs are viewed by modern feminists as symbols of female empowerment, body autonomy, and resistance against patriarchal oppression.
The Chloran Sile Flag also confronts colonial legacies, her display highlights the expropriation of objects and treasures from Ireland that are still held in British institutions. This flag, as a symbol of identity, authority and solidarity to communicate shared values, proposes the restitution and repatriation of this ancient carving, echoing the artistic call to be found on the reverse of the flag: Síle come home.
Miriam de Búrca creates highly intricate, research-driven drawings and film works that adopt a forensic approach to uncover hidden histories, confronting the legacies of patriarchy, institutional power, and colonialism. Through drawing and installation de Búrca toys with the vocabulary of colonial aesthetics, using strategies of mimicry and irony as political tools to critique the superiority of ‘high art’. Áine Phillips for over 30 years has explored and engaged with women's lived experience, female autobiography and histories, feminism, community and social justice. She sees her work as a form of social activism through art. The two artists came together to create this flag celebrating the Chloran Síle as an emblem of women’s power and presence, a pre-christian icon representing a time when women had matriarchal status and equality in our society. The taking of this Síle, without consent, stands in for the rape and pillage of all cultures that are subject to colonisation, past and present.
Bios
Miriam de Búrca studied Fine Art at Glasgow School of Art and the Ulster University, Belfast. She is represented by Cristea Roberts Gallery, London and has works in the collection of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland; Arts Council of Ireland; the British Museum; National University of Ireland Galway and private collections. De Búrca lives and works in Galway.
Áine Phillips is a visual artist based in Galway. She makes performances, films and installations often working with communities and collaborators in Ireland and internationally since the late 80’s. Recent work includes a Decade of Centenaries project Reflections Banners commemorating Irish women’s history 1923 - 2023, commissioned by Galway City Arts Office, Libraries and Museum.