Drawing on her Irish heritage and the archetype of the Sheela na-gig, Adele Brydges series, A Thousand Different Women, reclaims the void as a space of wild, unapologetic feminine power. The Sheela na-gig, with her exposed vulva and steady gaze, embodies the untamed, erotic, and sometimes uncomfortable sides of the feminine. She acts as a portal, inviting us to honour our shadows and reclaim what has been hidden or shamed.

This series explores liminality, cycles, and the transformative power of fire, with each work reflecting turning points and peaks of the seasons. Vessels are fired using primitive & elemental saggar and barrel techniques, and their visceral surface patina is created through the burning of deeply personal and symbolic organic materials; menstrual blood, hair, nails, and seasonal offerings gathered over a period leading up to the saggar firing. These materials speak to cycles of decay, renewal, and the sacredness of what is often taboo or cast aside. Here, the void is not emptiness, but a threshold full of potential, mystery, and becoming, and the surface evokes the scars, growth, and experiences that shape and make us.

A Thousand Different Women: Lúnasa honours the height of summer and the first gathering of the harvest. Coloured by offerings and energies gathered under the season’s full light, it carries the warmth, vitality, and ripeness of this time. It celebrates the generosity of the earth, the pulse of creation, and the pleasure found in fullness before the turning begins.

A Thousand Different Women: Fómhar honours the turn towards autumn and the fullness of the harvest. Coloured by offerings and energies gathered through the season’s descent as the light begins to wane, it is a time of reflection, wisdom, and gratitude for the fruits of our labour. Fómhar embraces the cycles of change, letting go in preparation for what is yet to come.