The Paradise of The Heart is a collaborative exhibition by Cork-based artists searchagonygrows and Peter Nash. The project is hosted by TACTIC Gallery and supported by the National Sculpture Factory, Cork City Council and Sample-Studios. Inspired by an allegorical literary work Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart by the 17th-century scholar John Amos Comenius, this collaborative exhibition examines the concept of home as a safe place for personal development and self-expression. In the exhibition, the artists respond visually to this allegorical work and bring its subject matter into the contemporary context of Cork city.
The aim, however, is not to recreate the text literally but instead to employ it as a conceptual starting point. In the disused residential accommodation inside the grounds of Elizabeth Fort, the artists create an immersive installation in which the environment of the uninhabited domestic setting becomes an integral element of the work.
The exhibition consists of brand new artworks created specifically for this context, alongside re-iterations of existing pieces which have been further developed to work in correspondence with this unique location.