Walking Driftward is a solo exhibition of monoprints and cut paper constructions made while Hannah Ireland was Artist in Residence at Spudnik Press from September to November 2013. Ireland’s new work is based on exploring and creating around a hiking trip in Spain and Portugal in the summer of 2013 – specifically walking portions of the long distance hiking track the GR11, which follows the peak of the Pyrenees, and El Camino de Santiago del Norte, a pilgrimage route along the northern coast of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. The work combines recognizable imagery from the landscapes visited – which are tangible, real, and lasting – with abstracted imagery from the subjective memory of her experience there – which is enigmatic and changes with the passing of time. Sketches, writing, postcards, and photographs from her trip are the reference material for the series of mixed media prints. Layered with ink, watercolor, and monotype, her work to mimic the way memory and experience influence and overgrow factual geographies. Walking Driftward moves beyond the documentation of a journey into an examination of the fluidity of memory, intertwined with a spirit of wanderlust.

Walking Driftward opens Saturday January 18th and runs through February 22nd in The Annex at Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60622.