non-stick frying pan
exhibition & public programme
2 october – 6 november
The non-stick frying pan is a mass-produced household staple found in many homes across the world. Practical and easy to clean, its non-stick coating makes cooking and cleaning more efficient than stainless steel alternatives. Yet, the chemical compound that gives non-stick frying pans their signature quality played an essential role in the creation of the atomic bomb.
Using the non-stick frying pan as a vehicle for discussion, this exhibition and public programme positions the western domestic space as an active site where socio-political, economic and imperial systems are perpetuated and sustained. Despite carrying “connotations of comfort, privacy and protection… domestic spheres have never been sealed off, self-contained, fully self-sufficient extra-legal spheres, isolated from society”(Eibach and Lanzinger, 2020).
Extending the same sociological scrutiny to private and public spaces enables us to question our role in reinforcing systems of power, ultimately moving towards processes of deviation, disruption and dismantling.
This exhibition and public programme has been curated by Catalyst Arts Co-Director Emma Quin.
Exhibition
On display from Thursday 2 October to Thursday 6 November.
Invited artists Alex & Niamh will expand upon these ideas, considering points of bodily friction in the home and oppressive globalised food systems through installation and sculpture.
This project has been slowly brewing between Alex, Niamh and Emma over the last 10 months.
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Alex Keatinge is a visual artist working across sculpture and photography. With mould making and photography being key tools in her practice, her work often explores the commonalities between the two and draws upon the intrapersonal and the material extended self to create objects that pace the line between knowingness and uncertainty.
Graduating from BA(Hons) in Art from IADT (2019), she was the recipient of the Ormond Art Studios Graduate Residency Award (2019) which culminated with a solo show at Ormond titled ‘Checking In’. She most recently exhibited at 'Early Plastic' 2024, a two person online show with screen service,‘Art Works!’ Pallas P/S auction at the Irish Georgian Society (May 2023), ‘Deliverables’, an Artist Initiated Projects group show at Pallas P/S Dublin (April 2022),‘You Breathe Differently Down Here’ at Draiocht Dublin (March/April 2022) and at the Pallas ‘Periodical Review #9’ (2019/20). Keatinge lives and works between Kildare and Dublin. -
Niamh Hannaford is an Irish artist whose practice is formed by an obsession with materials and their cloaked values. Her work unfolds slowly, though building considered collections. By (re)assembling these materials she creates sculptures which are precariously held together by subtle text, forms of language, and playful scatterings. Echoing the resilient potential of repetitious effort as - a breath - a stretch - a break - for those tense of body.
Recent achievements include receiving the ACME Early Career Award (2025/26), milksop, solo exhibition, The Mart Gallery, Dublin (2024). Play Artist in Residence, National Maritime Museum, London (2023). Artist in Residence Ateliê Alê, São Paulo, Brazil (2022). Y.P.C.E Artist in Residence, RuaRed Gallery, Dublin (2021). Strike Your Offended Senses, Duo show, Pallas Projects, Dublin (2021). Niamh lives and works between London and Ireland.
Public Programme
Alongside opening on Thursday 2 October for Late Night Art, check out other public events accompanying this exhibition.
Nightcap, Thursday 9 October, 6-9pm
Explore the exhibition and engage with further reading resources after hours. Drinks & snacks will be provided, alongside some delicious cheese kindly provided by Mike’s Fancy Cheese.
Free, drop in and enjoy!
Meet and Eat, Thursday 16 October, PS³, 6pm
Join us for a supper club facilitated by the fabulous Fiona Fitwi from Cooking With Friends Archives. With a randomly allocated seating plan and thoughtfully curated discussion cards, share food and connect with people in your local community.
Free, prebooking required (tickets & menu announced soon).
Parboil, then sauté, Saturday 8 November, (This piece will be performed three times; Breakfast: 10:30am, Lunch: 2pm, Dinner: 7pm)
It’s coming up to Christmas, and it’s warm. Unseasonably warm.
You’ve been invited to dinner. Not that you’re the most important guest. That’s someone else. This is all for her. And she expects one special dish.
This new performative work is a meditation on the future of food production, and the lengths we will go to for self-preservation as a species.
Please make us aware of any dietary requirements you may have. Free, prebooking required (tickets announced soon).
💭 Are you part of a community group? Get in touch with us about group visits & workshops at catalystarts@gmail.com.
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Cooking With Friends is an ongoing food project focused on connection and food education. Its supper clubs are designed to create intimate spaces for bonding, allowing strangers to build genuine connections through breaking bread. The menu always consists of globally influenced sharing plates, introducing new and experimental takes on traditional dishes. The table is always adorned with a wide range of questions, challenging guests to talk about the big topics, and through doing so, seeing each other for who they really are. Conversations of life experiences, struggles and joys, and discussions around the food on their plates lets guests leave as new longtime friends, building connections in the world that are lasting, and contributing to a less lonely society.
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Jonathan is a writer and lighting designer based in Belfast. Jonathan’s written work has been performed all over the UK and Ireland.
Recent writing credits include: Sylvan (Tinderbox Theatre Company), The Revolution Will Be Streamed & Vection (Headrush, Ireland), Release & A Body, Twice (Ever Unique Productions).
Jonathan is currently working on a new play about the Belfast DeLorean factory, which started life as a Lyric Theatre Belfast seed commission.
Jonathan is also an accomplished lighting designer for theatre. Recent lighting design credits include: ShedMan (Keith Singleton), Good With Faces (Oisín Kearney), Dressed For Space (Patrick J O’Reilly), The Velveteen Rabbit (Replay Theatre Company & Lyric Theatre, Belfast) The Adventures of Red Riding Hood (The MAC, Belfast), The Gap Year (2025) & The Tragedy Of Richard III (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), All Growed Up (BYMT), I Always Liked The Name Marcus & Holding Ground (Tinderbox Theatre Company), Rose + Bud (Commedia of Errors), Touch Hear Feel (Helen Hall/Belfast International Arts Festival), Waiting For The Offo (Bosco Productions), No Citation (Bourke Productions), and Mirrorball & The Untold Truth of Captain Hook (Replay Theatre Company).
Upcoming lighting design work includes: My Right Foot (Oisín Kearney/Michael Patrick), The Arcadia (Steven Millar & Ensemble) & Jack Frost (The MAC, Belfast).
This project has been generously funded by Arts Council Northern Ireland and The Esme Mitchell Trust.
