Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Seamus Harahan’s, Holyands (2004) was purchased for Wolverhampton Art Gallery through the Contemporary Art Society’s Acquisition Programme for 2008-2009.
Wolverhampton’s strong holdings of works by artists based in, or making work about Northern Ireland is outstanding. Acquiring Harahan’s Holylands for the collection will bring another layer of enquiry to the existing collection.
The undercurrents of ‘The Troubles’ are inevitably apparent, however, more prominent in this work is the shifting of people in this renewing city. The artist is simply watching, as if through a crack in the wall. The overlaid soundtrack, a feature of so many of the artist’s video works, is significant in the reading of the work and brings a considerable poetic to the artists view of the city.
With thanks to The Third Space, Belfast.