Step into the rain forests of Borneo and the wilds of Connemara and Clare in an exhibition celebrating these unique landscapes, traditions and cultures. Captivating photographic portraits by Karen Cox and David Metcalf of forest school students with their tribal creations give us a glimpse into both worlds. This unique exhibition also includes tactile elements such as beautiful Dayak beaded jewellery, headdresses, masks and weaving.
The Borneo x Ireland Cultural Exchange is a timely partnership between the Dayak tribe of the Borneo rainforest and the Irish people, forged by Our Story founder Melanie Lynch and Indigenous activist Plorentina Dessy Elma Thyana.
This spectacular exhibition features photography of children from Arus Kualan Indigenous Schools in the Borneo rainforest, Wild Earth in Clare and Down to Earth Forest School in Connemara. The artworks were created by the children alongside Carol Barrett, Maeve Collins, Jazz Patel-Bolger and Melanie Lynch.
Melanie will be presenting a talk on this exhibition as part of the festival. You can learn more and book tickets for that event here.
For schools interested in this performance, see baboro.ie/schools for school booking requests.
Borneo x Ireland Cultural Exchange is supported by Lifes2Good Foundation, Tribal Trust Foundation, Galway City Arts Office, Clare County Council and Creative Ireland.
Melanie Lynch is an Irish curator, artist, and social innovator with a passion for Indigenous wisdom and environmental activism. She founded HerStory and now leads Our Story, an impact-driven communications consultancy in service to people and planet.
Plorentina Dessy Elma Thyana is a Dayak youth activist, educator, and chef from Tahak village, West Borneo, Indonesia. Dessy’s love for her culture inspired her to establish the Arus Kualan schools with her family, empowering 149 children to preserve their incredible Indigenous culture.
Karen Cox is an award-winning documentary photographer who works both in Ireland and internationally. Photography is an ever-changing experience which has brought her to places and people to document both known and untold narratives. Her work spans documentary and photojournalism, portrait and commercial. Her photographs have appeared in publications worldwide including The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and the The Irish Times.
David Metcalf is a professional photographer based in Bali, Indonesia for the past 14 years. He specialises in photographing Indigenous communities in Kalimantan (Borneo), Sumba, Bali, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Flores, Java, Lombok, and West Timor. Other countries include India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Pakistan and Japan. David’s objective is to raise awareness and inspire people through his photography to engage in environmental preservation and cultural understanding.
Venue | Galway Arts Centre, Dominick St.
View venue details, accessibility and transport options here.