Inishowen public spaces to be transformed into open-air galleries during May
Artlink has announced the return of Art in the Park (V), running from May 2 to 31 and featuring nine artists presenting installations, photography, sculpture, sound, and site-responsive works at Swan Park in Buncrana and Barrack Hill Park in Carndonagh
Two of Inishowen’s much-loved public spaces are to be transformed into open-air galleries this May.Artlink has announced the return of Art in the Park (V).
Running from May 2 to 31, this year’s exhibition, titled At the Threshold, will feature nine artists presenting installations, photography, sculpture, sound, and site-responsive works at Swan Park in Buncrana and Barrack Hill Park in Carndonagh.
Bringing contemporary art into everyday public spaces, Art in the Park invites visitors to encounter new ideas while walking, gathering, and spending time outdoors.
This year’s exhibition explores themes including ecology and land use, migration, memory, belonging, colonial histories, walking as an artistic practice, and the creative reuse of everyday materials.
These ideas come together under the shared theme of At the Threshold – a reflection on transition, borders, movement, uncertainty, and change.
Located at the North West edge of Ireland, the Inishowen peninsula has long been shaped by movement – of people, power, and ideas. Its coastal geography, layered histories, and continuing cross-border connections make it an ideal setting for an exhibition exploring what it means to stand between places, identities, and futures.
Nine artists, nine unique perspectives
This year’s participating artists each respond to the theme in distinctive ways: Annie Hogg – LOST: delineations – A sculptural and sound-based reflection on changing farmland, environmental loss, and the emotional impact of transformed landscapes.Jessica Auer – When I Walk – A choreographed route through Swan Park using photographic panels and text, inviting visitors to experience walking as an artistic act.
Private Land by Rosalind Lowry
Santiago Vélez’s Doors to the Sea places symbolic doors in oceans around the world to explore migration, borders, and the search for safety and dignity. Gail Ritchie’s Home for Ghosts and Letting Go are two deeply personal works exploring home, fear, memory, grief, and emotional transition.
Rosalind Lowry’s Private Land uses porcelain interventions to examine land ownership, enclosure, and the growing commodification of landscape.
Darcy Patterson’s Which Once Was features sculptural works made from discarded doors that speak to transformation, balance, and interdependence. Sue Morris’s Commons presents flags and plaques reflecting shared land, multicultural identity, and inclusive ideas of belonging.
Roberto Uribe-Castro’s Abyss is a striking water mirror installation in O’Doherty’s Keep reflecting architecture, perception, and the unknown. Locky Morris’s Floaters transforms found footballs gathered from beaches and rivers into sculptural objects exploring movement, identity, and displacement.
Together, these works invite visitors to pause, reflect, cross, return, and see familiar spaces in new ways.
Art in the Park exhibition curator Adriana Valderrama said: “What’s really exciting about this year’s exhibition is the range of voices, materials and ideas on show. We have artists working with sound, sculpture, photography, found objects, landscape, history and memory – and each brings something very different to the parks. Some works are playful, some moving, some thought-provoking, but together they create a rich conversation about place, belonging and change.
Santiago Vélez’s Doors to the Sea
Art in the Park project co-ordinators Hannah Tucker (Swan Park) and Sinéad Smyth (Barrack Hill Park) added: “Art in the Park has become such a special part of spring in Inishowen, and we’re delighted to welcome people back again this year.
"It’s a chance to experience contemporary art in a really relaxed and accessible setting – whether you’re out for a walk, visiting with family, or simply curious to see something new. There’s something here for everyone, and we’d warmly encourage people to come along and enjoy it.”
About art in the park
Now in its fifth year, Art in the Park continues Artlink’s commitment to bringing ambitious contemporary art into public spaces, creating free and welcoming cultural experiences for communities and visitors alike.
At the Threshold, part of Art in the Park V, runs from May 2 to 31 across Swan Park in Buncrana and Barrack Hill Park in Carndonagh, with free admission.
Home for Ghosts by Gail Ritchie
The Art in the Park bus tour by Tatterjack’s takes place on Saturday, May 2 from 11:30am to 5:30pm and includes a guided exhibition tour of Swan Park in Buncrana, tea and refreshments at The Angling Centre, a bus transfer to Barrack Hill Park in Carndonagh for a second guided tour, and a return to The Drift Inn for music by Mickey Herron; tickets cost €10 per person for a return journey and can be booked here.