Lismore Castle’s grand display and the other best exhibitions this week

. . . tell me about your mother . . . (feat The Two Travellers)

Bernadette Kiely. Kamera 8, Wexford. Until April 20th

Bernadette Kiely's work, in this show curated by Anya Von Gosseln, is a reflection on the life and times of her late mother, Maisie. Drawing on CJ Boland's The Two Travellers, which references Killenaule and other relevant locations, Kiely's work takes the form of graphics, paintings, photographs made and found, text and objects.

needle, acid and brush

Stephen Lawlor. SO Fine Art Editions, 2nd Floor, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, 59 South William Street, Dublin. Until May 27th sofinearteditions.com

In his most recent work, Stephen Lawlor continues his engagement with European painting from the 15th to the 10th centuries through an energetic process of appropriation, quotation, reworking and rethinking, using “needle, acid and brush”. The venue is SO’s capacious new space in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre.

‘She’s rebellious’: Irish actor inspires giant #MeToo sculpture

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Stephen McKenna: a painters’ painter

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Art in Focus – The Drenched Forest by Cecilia Danell

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Mark Dion: Our Plundered Planet

Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane, Parnell Square, Dublin. April 4th–September 1st hughlane.ie

Coinciding with a Dublin conference on biospheres, American artist Mark Dion’s works, which draw on scientific methodologies and natural history displays, address our treatment of the environment. Lest that sound too daunting, note that his incisive approach is layered with humour and playfulness, none of which dampens its seriousness.

Palimpsest

Group exhibition curated by Charlie Porter. Main gallery, Lismore Castle, Lismore, Co Waterford. March 31st–October 13th lismorecastlearts.ie

The main show of the year for Lismore Castle Arts centres on the idea of the persistence of underlying layers, as in the case of Lismore Castle itself. Curator Charlie Porter, who writes on fashion as well as being on the Turner Prize jury, has lined up works by seven artists: Nicole Eisenman, Zoe Leonard, Hilary Lloyd, Charlotte Prodger, Martine Syms, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Andrea Zittel. Olivia Laing will write a related text. A solo show by Michael Dean, Laughing for Crying, also opens at St Carthage Hall (Until May 19th).

Garland

Jonathan Hunter. Hillsboro Fine Art, 49 Parnell Square West, Dublin. Until April 27th hillsborofineart.com

Jonathan Hunter paints landscapes, but they are dreamy, allegorical landscapes more than records of actual places, and his palette is rich and saturated, veering away from naturalism. The overall result could be described as Gauguin meets Watteau. As with the latter, there’s a certain melancholy underlying the luxuriance.