Benjamin Paul Gallagher - Exhibition

Benjamin Paul Gallagher is exhibiting “ONLY THE PIGEONS” a tribute to his late father in Gallery 1.

“A tribute show to my late father Paul and the years we worked together as heritage roof slaters and coppersmiths. With this body of work I wish to acknowledge the finest man I’ve known, the craft and graft we shared as master and apprentice but also the more gentle encounters along the way as father and son. We would often find ourselves perched upon the terracotta ridge of a church, taking in the views of the Upper Hunter as we caught our breath. Without exception this brief period of respite would turn to casual discussion and it’s in these moments of interlude that we became the best of friends. The title of this show emanates from one such discussion, quite early on in my time with him about the value of doing a job correctly. From memory I’d been complaining about the volume of work and the arduous pain of repetitious labour. I objected to the fact that we had to hand cut thousands of slates with a specific stake and axe to achieve the perfect bevel for ideal drainage. I was convinced that a bandsaw would solve all our woes. Dad’s response went “It’s only us and the pigeons whom will ever see this detail but that is reason enough to want to do it correctly”

Benjamin Paul Gallagher, August 2022

OPENING/MEET THE ARTIST Saturday 12 November, 11am – 5pm ALL WELCOME