Iconic Leather Body Pieces by Una Burke Exhibited In Ireland

An interdisciplinary exhibition, hosting iconic body pieces by Úna Burke Leather besides illustrator Joe Caslin’s distinct drawings and founder Rita Oates’ own collection, will open at Anam Gallery, Main Street, Roscommon Town, Ireland, on Saturday, July 8, from 5.30 p.m..

Sneak peeks from the setup showed a sample of the curated selection of fashion designer Una Burke’s famous sculptural body pieces – many of which have been worn in films, on stage and by fashion icons across the world –  juxtaposed with Caslin’s drawings amidst preparations.

Anam Gallery is a two-hour commute from Dublin by train.

The exhibition will continue until September, although an exact closing date is yet to be announced.

Internationally-acclaimed Irish artists

Caslin and Burke are internationally-acclaimed Irish artists.

Úna Burke set up her eponymous brand in 2010 in London, making both seasonal fashion collections and sculptural art pieces using her traditional leather-working techniques in her distinctly complex constructions.

Her high profile clients include Janet Jackson, Rihanna, Madonna, Nikki Minaj, Anna Calvi, Daphne Guinness, Bree Runway, Cindy Crawford, Ellen Pompeo, Fifth Harmony, Lindsey Sterling and Jill Kargman. Collections have appeared in Vogue, i-D, Collezioni, Numero, and are stocked in select boutiques worldwide.

At the same time, you might have seen Úna Burke creations in film and on stage – including a jacket and bodice for Michelle Yeoh as Captain Georgiou in Star Trek Discovery, an armbrace for Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Belts and Collars for a scene with Donald Sutherland’s character, President Snow, in The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1, and a bodice for Beverley Knight in The Bodyguard, The Musical.

Since January 2020, Úna Burke has continued her business from her native Roscommon, in the west of Ireland. All styles are crafted entirely by hand in the brand’s little workshop and made using only the best Vegetable Tanned cowhides and hardware sourced from the UK and Italy. 

Its ethical practices and production processes resulted in Úna Burke Leather being one of the first brands to be awarded the ‘Positive Luxury Butterfly Trust Mark‘ back in 2012. 

Joe Caslin, on the other hand, is an Irish street artist, art teacher and activist, best known for his beautifully rendered pencil drawings, which manifest as towering pieces of street art.

His highly accessible work engages directly with the social issues of modern Ireland.

Caslin confronts the subjects of suicide, drug addiction, economic marginalisation, marriage equality, stigma in mental health, direct provision, institutional power, consent and, most recently, the effects of the Covid19 pandemic on young people.

The monochrome drawings Caslin creates “hold a mirror up to the kind of society that we are, whilst asking us individually what kind of society we want to be a part of.”