AN exhibition of work by a Co Down artist exploring the "hidden and shameful truths of Ireland’s recent past" has opened in Dublin.
Art and artefacts from Ireland's "traumatic past" of Magdalene laundries, mother and baby homes and industrial schools is featured in the display at the National Museum.
The 'Dressing Our Hidden Truths' exhibition is based on the work of Alison Lowry, an award-winning, internationally renowned glass artist from Saintfield.
It is described as a "profound and moving artistic response to the incarceration, forced labour and brutality that were unspoken parts of Ireland’s legacy of state and church supported institutionalisation".
It explores the ongoing hidden truths of rape culture, consent and domestic violence. The museum is the first national cultural institution to address this dark part of our past through artistic means.
Survivors of the institutions were given a private viewing of the work before it opened to the public yesterday.
One of the most powerful elements is an installation called 'Home Babies', created in response to the scandal of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home.
It features christening robes accompanied by a monologue of the names of the 796 children, most of them infants, who died at the home and were buried in an unused septic tank.
The installation combines both art and artefacts, including an apron inspired by the Magdalene Laundries and photographs of women incarcerated or ‘participating’ in Corpus Christi processions.
There are also responses by survivors and the apology from the State to Magdalene survivors, read by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
Lynn Scarff, director of the National Museum, said it was the "first time the museum has responded to such recent and raw parts of our history through artistic means".
"This is truly a landmark installation and offers a window into our complex and hidden past," she said.
"The exhibition is a testament to Alison’s artistic talent. She has taken on these deeply sensitive and heavy topics and has responded to them in such a creative, respectful, dignified and serene way.
"It is not easy to face this traumatic past.
"But, as cultural institutions it is our role to provide the space for exploration and discussion of all aspects of our history, in a respectful and inclusive way.
"We have to be able to view and review ourselves if we are to flourish as a more open, kind and tolerant society."
The exhibition was launched by Irish Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone/
She said "it is only by investigating, accepting and confronting the truth of the darker moments of our past that we can ensure that they never happen again".
"Every part of society has a role to play in shining a spotlight on this past, no matter how uncomfortable that may be," she said.
