In pictures: Donegal-based artist's Cailleach Dhubh opens in Letterkenny

Cailleach Dhubh, the first major solo exhibition in Ireland by Emily Waszak, has officially opened at the Regional Cultural Centre (RCC), Letterkenny.

The launch featured a Japanese tea ceremony performed by Waszak and Akiko Kidokoro, followed by a performance from Japanese drumming collective Ibuki Taiko.

The exhibition is the culmination of five years of research and development and a three-year supported relationship with the RCC. Drawing on Irish folklore and Waszak’s Japanese heritage, it explores grief, widowhood and the rituals that can support us through periods of change.

The work draws on Waszak’s experience following the death of her husband, Aonghus Cheevers, and considers how loss reshapes identity, place, ancestry and family.

“Making, weaving and practising ritual have been ways for me to navigate grief and learn how to be in the world again,” said Waszak. “Through this work, I have drawn on ancestral knowledge and traditions to explore the transition from wife to widow.”

Central to the exhibition is the cormorant, known in Donegal Irish as cailleach dhubh. Found along the Donegal coast and on rivers in Japan, the bird has served as a distant companion to Waszak through her grieving process.

Visitors will encounter a five-metre weaving in shades of black, a new film, hand-carved Noh theatre masks and handmade ceramics. The setting of the opening tea ceremony remains in the gallery, with tatami mats and tea bowls holding echoes of the gathering.

“Although the exhibition draws on Emily’s personal experience, it speaks to the wider experience of loss and the ways we find support through ritual, making and gathering,” said curator Emma Moore. “It offers a moment of stillness where visitors might recognise something of their own lives and experiences.”

Waszak is a visual artist of Japanese descent working in sculpture and textiles, with a background in industrial weaving. Her work has been exhibited in Ireland and internationally, including at Southwark Park Galleries in London, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios in Dublin and Arts Itoya in Japan. Her previous RCC exhibition, Grief Weaving, was presented in 2023.

Guests also enjoyed music by DJ Dano and a drinks reception supported by Kinnegar Brewing. Cailleach Dhubh continues at the Regional Cultural Centre until Saturday 28 November. The RCC is open Tuesday to Friday, 9.30am–5pm, and Saturday, 1pm–5pm.