Exhibition: Just a Pear by Tia Vellani at Alternative Kilkenny Arts

Tia Vellani is an Irish-Canadian visual artist and multi-instrumental musician based in Kilkenny.

Before becoming a full-time artist in 2014, she worked as a research scientist in the USA and Ireland. During this time, she was also a jeweller known as Artist by Night, working initially from her home studio in Florida and subsequently in a studio-workshop at Castlecomer Discovery Park. Tia Vellani received an Arts and Disability Connect New Work award in 2019 and a Training award in 2017.

Dr. Vellani has spoken internationally about the overlaps between art and science, most recently in February of this year at the Art and Climate Change webinar hosted by Visual Artists Ireland. Her aspiration is to contribute to worldwide empathy for all living things. Believing in the power of music to increase our capacity for empathy, she combines art, music, and science to ask questions about the emotional and social impacts of music.

Dr. Vellani produces and directs multimedia projects in collaboration with scientists, dancers, videographers, composers, and visual artists. Using recycled building materials, live fungus, oil pastels, acrylic paints, digital media, and glass beads, she creates sculptures, paintings, installations, glass bead tapestries, digital art, and musical compositions. Her works have been exhibited in Europe and North America.

You can view Tia Vellani’s newest exhibition as part of Alternative Kilkenny Fringe from 8 to the 18 August. For more information, visit akafringe.com.

Artwork and image courtesy of Tia Vellani.