The Chloran Síle Flag
mixed textiles with appliqué and embroidery, brass hanging pole.
H2740 x W1370mm
in collaboration with Miriam de Búrca
The Chloran Síle Flag, commissioned by Architecture At The Edge for the 2026 festival,
represents a sheela-na-gig held in the collection of the British Museum since the late 1800s, having been taken from a site in Westmeath during British occupation. The Chloran Síle Flag confronts colonial legacies, her display highlights the expropriation of objects and treasures from Ireland that are still held in British institutions. This flag, as a symbol of identity, authority and solidarity to communicate shared values, proposes the restitution and repatriation of this ancient carving, echoing the artistic call to be found on the reverse of the flag: Síle come home.
Internationally known for four decades of performance and video artwork that constantly challenge the patriarchal structures of society… (Michele Horrigan curator of Tulca Festival of Visual Art 2024)
Áine Phillips is an artist based in Galway who has been making installations, art films and performances since the late 80s. She creates live performance, installation and video works for multiple contexts: public space, social events, galleries, theatres, museums, biennales and film festivals. Her work incorporates socially engaged practice and she often works with communities of place and or interest, including many collaborations with Irish and international artists. Curating, writing and teaching are also part of her diverse practice. Her PhD in performance art practice at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin was awarded in 2009 and a critically acclaimed edited volume Performance Art in Ireland: A History was published by Intellect Books/ LADA London in 2015. Her work is collected by the National Museum of Ireland and Galway Museum.
Phillips' practice speaks to themes of women's lived experience, women's autobiographical histories, feminism, community and social justice. For over 35 years she has consistently addressed these topics, especially the histories of incarceration of women in Magdalen Laundries, Mother and Baby Homes and Industrial schools in Ireland. She sees her varied practice as a form of social art activism.