Musical Strings: A Portrait Exhibition by photographer Emily Quinn will open at the First Fortnight Mental Health Arts and Culture Festival in the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, this Sunday, January 7.

The photography project tells the stories of connections that musicians have through friendship, mentorship and their love of music, exploring the power of creative bonds with which artists support each other.

Amongst the exhibition are portraits of Brain Palm & Mary Stokes, Roisin O & Niamh Farrell, Mundy and Shobsy, Megan O’Neill & Paul Kenny, Ronan O Sondaigh and Myles O’Reilly and more.

The event is free, and runs from 7-13 January, open from 10am-6pm on weekdays, with a later opening hour of 12pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

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Taking place across Ireland from 5-14 January, First Fortnight brings together some of Ireland’s most forward-thinking creative minds to challenge mental health stigma and promote mental health wellbeing through the medium of art and culture.

"We want to normalise having conversations about mental health,” First Fornight CEO Maria Fleming told Hot Press.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there, leading to more fear and stigma around mental health. We work with artists to ensure representations of mental health are fair, balanced and accurate, so we're not further isolating anybody.”

For more information on the full list of events available throuhgout the festival visit www.firstfortnight.ie.