Selma Makela
Her painting explores ideas relating to distance and dislocation, both in terms of
geological timelines, our position within them, and in terms of displacement,
migration, and ecological concern in a time of great uncertainty.
She has been the recipient of awards from The Arts Council Ireland
2022/2021/2017, Galway Arts Office 2022/2020 Leitrim Sculpture Centre
Professional Development Award 2017, Cairde Award at The Model Sligo 2017. She
was also awarded a residency at Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris in 2022, a residency
at FOGO Island Arts, Newfoundland 2011 and awarded a Fleck Fellowship to the
Banff Centre in Canada in 2010.
Her work is held in private collections in London, Ireland, Finland, and Canada and in
the public collections of Trinity College, Galway City Council and Mayo County
Council. Her work was recently included in the book Landscape and Environment in
Contemporary Irish Art by Yvonne Scott. In May she slow travelled to Iceland by
boat to partake in a residency at The Fish Factory Creative Centre of Stöðvarfjörður in
collaboration with Interface Inagh in Conamara and to which she has been invited to
return to Iceland in 2025.
Solo Shows include When the birds Gather, you know there is something you
must do RHA Ashford Dublin March- April 2024, Future Haunting The Whitaker
Museum and Art Gallery, West Yorkshire 2022 Bystander The Model 2017, Magnetic
North Galway Arts Centre 2014, Cosmic Ray Weather Station PEER, London 2012,
Sound Travels Farther in The Cold PEER London 2010
Selected Group Exhibitions: Highlanes Drogheda 2024, Custom house Westport
2024, Boyle Arts Festival 2023, Detroit Stockholm 2022, Interface Galway 2022, RHA
Dublin 2021, Gerald Moore London 2020, Creekside Open London 2019, Galway Arts
Centre 2018, 9A Projects UK 2018, Barbican Arts Trust 2017, RWA UK 2017, Void
Belfast 2016
https://www.instagram.com/selmamakela/