Cara Dilis – Soul Friends Bog Oak Sculpture

Carved from prehistoric Irish bog oak, Cara Dilis – Soul Friends is inspired by the enduring bond between two sisters who spent their childhood summers cutting turf in the bogs of County Galway. The sculpture reveals two central figures emerging from the ancient wood, connecting a personal story of friendship with one of Ireland's oldest surviving natural materials. The deep, obsidian black color is revealed through the natural preservation of ancient oak buried in oxygen-poor peatlands for millennia. Carbon dated to nearly 5,000 years old, this finite natural material carries a direct physical connection to Ireland's distant past. Hand-carved and meticulously sanded, the wood reveals a dense texture, rich depth and a powerful sculptural presence.