‘Faraway Longings’ looks at the positive impacts of the Irish artistic diaspora in Germany and by its very nature in gathering a selection of Berlin-based practitioners will touch on the themes of emigration, travel, cultural dispersal and cross-pollination.

The initial exhibition concept draws upon two terms used in the German language: Wanderlust which specifically describes a state of being where one has a strong desire or is impelled to wander and rove, and similarly Fernweh, the longing for travel far from home where grass may seem greener. These journeys can be physical, spiritual or metaphorical as can be the concept of distance. In part, the exhibition investigates dichotomies and attempts at reconciliation in cultures where travelers may find themselves, perhaps in an intermediate state, existing wholly in neither place, but on certain levels operating consciously in both. 

While the participating artists in this exhibition are bound together by their geographic location, a broad spectrum of media highlights the diversity of their practices. The selection of works incorporates painting, photography, film and sculpture, which deal with themes relating to personal and collective memories, methods of representation and complex concepts of alienation in a globalized and post-colonial world.