Visual Artists' News Sheet - 2009 July August

www.printedproject.ie

economic focus, and how this relates art practice and theory in China and beyond.

thinking and lines of inquiry explored include the global shifts in political and

musings emerging from and around the Guangzhou Triennial 2008. The critical

Farewell to Post-Colonialism is based on a series of reflections, extensions and

Hu Xiang-cheng, ChenYun, Yi Zhou.

Annie Paul, Hans Hamid Rasmussen, Gertrud Sandqvist, Stuart Sim, Gilane Tawadros,

Huang Xiaopeng , Du Keke, Michael Lee, Simon Leung, Trinh T. Minh-ha, Paul O'Kane,

Jen, Joseph DeLappe, Johnson Chang Tsong-Zung, Paul Gladston, Khaled Hafez,

Ecke Bonk, Conrad Botes, Zoe Butt, Lyn Carter, Amy Cheng, Amy Cheung, Chen Chieh-

D. Ramadan. Contributors: Avi Alpert, Maria Thereza Alves, Saleh Barakat, Ulrich Beck,

Curators: Sopawan Boonnimitra, Stina Edblom, Tamar Guimarães, Steven Lam, Khaled

GT-Curators: Johnson Chang Tsong-Zung and Gao Shiming. With the GT08 Research

Curator/Editor: Sarat Maharaj. Co-Editor: Dorothee Albrecht. In collaboration with the

'Farewell to Post-Colonialism' (Querying the Guangzhou Triennial 2008)

Printed Project : Issue 11

OW

N OUT

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

ISSUE 4 2009

July – August

Published by Visual Artists Ireland Ealaíontóirí Radharcacha Éire

The role of the Curator in the career of the Artist The Guerrilla Girls Art With Africa e v+ a Colloquies MAVIS Curatorial Session Susan MAcWilliam Kennedy Browne Rua Red

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

2

Introduction

July – August 2009

Contents

Contents

Introduction

1. Cover Image. Alan Phelan. Gorans Stealth Yugo. Installed at IMMA, Dublin April 2009.

Welcome to the July / August edition of The Visual Artists News Sheet.

Members of Visual Artists Ireland will have received with this edition of the VAN a copy of the latest issue of Printed Project – entitled ‘Farewell to Post Colonialism’, edited / curated by Sarat Maharaj. The publication was recently launched to much acclaim at the Irish pavilion at the Venice Biennale – see page 8 of the news section for further details.

Readers will find details in the news section of a new VAI initiative ‘The Visual Artists Charter’, which

3. Column. Seamus Kealy. The Politics of Everyday Life and Everyday Art. 3. Roundup. Recent exhibitions and projects of note.

4. International Column. Yilmaz Dziewior & Angelika Nollert. Learning from e v+ a.

5. Column. Vanessa O'Reilly. Left, Right, Centre.

6. Column. Maeve Connolly. Writing After the Exhibition: In Absentia

will culminate a code of practice for organisations working with artists. We are looking for input from all

8. News. The latest developments in the arts sector.

interested parties – artists, arts officers, curators etc, so do get in touch!

10. VAI Projects . Meeting along the long front of culture. Ben Geoghegan offers some critical reflections relating

We also have further coverage of Venice in the form of interviews with the artists representing Ireland and Northern Ireland exhibitions in Venice –Kennedy Browne and Susan McWilliams on pages 19 and 20.

In this issue, Aideen Barry, the VAI West of Ireland representative, reports on current developments at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre. And Daniel Jewesbury, VAI Northern Ireland representative surveys current activity in and around Derry and the Northwest.

Readers may notice the absence of the regional profile section – which has been one of the longest running sections of the publication, since we started publishing the Visual Artists News Sheet in 2003. Every county and region in Ireland has now been the subject of a VAN profile. But this absence is only temporary – it represents a strategic pause. The regional profiles will commence again in the September / October edition. The plan is to run the regional profiles in more-or-less the order in which they appeared over the

to ‘The role of the Curator in the career of the Artist?’ at Galway City Museum (3 April).

11. Project Profile. Do we still need the F word? Megan Johnston Director of the Millennium Court Arts

Centre, Portadown talks to The Guerrilla Girls.

11. International profile. Experiments and Tests. Sinead Curran reports on ‘Test! 9+10’ an International

Festival of Theatre and Multimedia, Zagreb, Croatia.

13. Conference. With, not and. Kevin Ryan reports on ‘Art With Africa’ a one-day Conference and

exhibition held at NCAD, Dublin.

14. Art in the Public Realm – Focus. Enriching Place. Sarah Lincoln reflects two projects arising from Fingal

County council’s Arts Offices most recent percent for art initiative.

last 6 years. As such, part of the brief for our regional contributors will be to reflect on the changes and

15. Conference. Uncovering Wisdom at Random. Sara Baume reports on e v+ a 2009’s Colloquies.

developments that have taken place in their area.

16. Conference . Demystifing Curation. John Gayer reports on ‘MAVIS Curatorial Session: Inquiries into

While we may take away, we also give. In this issue we introduce a new column. On page 30, next to

Curatorial Practice'.

the problem page, readers will find Pablo Helguera’s ‘Artoons’ – over the course of the next six editions of the

17. Conference. Collaboration and its Discontents. Liz Burns on 'From Context to Exhibition: The Learning

VAN, the artoons will reflect on the foibles and ironies of the art world.

Other key features include Ben Geoghagen’s reflections on ‘The Role of the Curator in the Career of the Artist?’ at Galway City Museum (3 April) – a seminar organised as part of the VAI’s professional training programme (page 10). We have an interview with The Guerrilla Girls, conducted by Megan Johnston Director of the Millennium Court Arts Centre, Portadown (page 11). In addition, there are articles on the e v+ a colloquies; the MAVIS Curatorial Session – ‘Inquiries into Curatorial Practice’ and a profile of Rua Red in Tallaght.

All this and more – along with the latest opportunities, news and roundups of recent projects, events and exhibitions!

Development Programme'.

18. How is it Made? Engaging China. Barry W. Hughes reports on his show ‘Engage’ a multimedia

exhibition on the language of politics in Northern Ireland, held at the Jing An District Culture Centre,

Shanghai, China.

19. International – Venice. Susan MacWilliam Q & A. The Visual Artists News Sheet quizzes Susan

MacWilliam about representing Northern Ireland at the Venice Biennale.

20. International – Venice. Kennedy Browne Q & A. Sarah Browne & Gareth Kennedy quizzed about thier

show at the Venice Biennale.

21. Institution Profile. Red Alert. Fiona Fullam Profiles Rua Red.

22. Art the Public Realm Roundup. Recent public art commissions, site-specific works, socially engaged

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

practice and other forms of art outside the gallery.

24. Opportunities. All the lastest grants, awards, commissions ect.

29. VAI West of Ireland Representative. Testing Site. Aideen Barry reports on current developments at

Name: Address:

the Leitrim Sculpture Centre.

29. VAI Northern Ireland Representative. North West Situation. Daniel Jewesbury surveys current

30. Problems. The Problem page. Art queries and conceptual quibbles answered.

Telephone: Mobile Phone: Email: Website:

30. Artoons. Pablo Helguera's Artoons. The foibles, ironies, and occasional stupidity of the art world –

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captured with clarity and economy.

Production Editor: Jason Oakley; Layout: Jason Oakley; News: Sabina McMahon; Roundup: Damien McGlynn; Opportunities: Sabina McMahon; Proofing: Anne Henrichson; Invoicing: Bernadette Beecher.

Contributors Seamus Kealy, Yilmaz Dziewior, Angelika Nollert, Vanessa O'Reilly, Maeve Connolly, Ben Geoghegan, Megan Johnston, Sinead Curran, Kevin Ryan, Sarah Lincoln, Sara Baume, John Gayer, Liz Burns, Barry W. Hughes, Susan MacWilliam, Sarah Browne, Gareth Kennedy, Fiona Fullam, Aideen Barry, Daniel Jewesbury, Pablo Helguera.

Contact

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Aideen Barry. E: aideenbarry@gmail.com

37 North Great Georges Street, Dublin 1.

Northern Ireland Representative

T: 353(0)1 872 2296 F: 353 (0)1 872 2364

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Artists

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

3

July – August 2009

INTERNATIONAL COLUMN

Roundup

Seamus Kealy

Roundup

The Politics of Everyday Life and Everyday Art Oh yes—me against the United States! (pauses, laughs). But I can’t stop reacting to what is done in our name, and what is being done in the name of freedom and democracy is disgusting.

THE IMAGINED COMMUNITY

for the Volvo Ocean Race stopover – “takes

Campbell, Ines Schaber, Stefan Pente and

as its starting point the visually rich

Jean-Gabriel Périot (6 May – 16 Jun). The

image of the teams, all from different

exhibition brought together three film

countries – hurtling across oceans, relying

works created around photography

only on themselves to compete against

archives. The press release informs us,

each other to reach the final destination”.

“The artists, turned febrile investigators,

www.galwayartscentre.ie

Harold Pinter on his public pledge to devote his life to opposing US hegemony

There seems to be a great deal of feeling sorry for oneself in western economies recently. And instead of rejoicing in the failure of capitalism and then replenishing civil society and its political structures with new orders that embrace ideals of social equality, we are seeing an effortless and desperate doubling back, at the great expense of those who did not benefit from ‘endless growth.’ Is it today a scenario of that which had been purged had subsequently been erased? That is, one might argue that this inability to adjust and redress from the ongoing, miserable failure of capitalism, is evidently because no other socio-economic structure appears conceivable in today’s collective political imagination. The condition of postmodernism has been, according to theorists Frederic Jameson or Perry Anderson, the pure eradication of the idea of a new society that overthrows capitalism. This apparently holds true even in the throws of late capitalism. This condition produces an endless reproduction of sameness – mass-production, systems of communication and dissemination, dependence upon a Matrix-like superstructure of spectacle and workflow, simultaneous ostracisation, abstraction and even bombardment of entire nations, and of course, repetitive forms of art and narratives – whether Hollywood movies, mythologies of art history or of what it is to be an artist, and the embrace of cultural mediocrity.

If, from outer space, one peered at overall western lifestyle, one would see earthlings living in a retrograde loo-loo land of opportunity and infinite, glossy happiness, while the greatest crimes of humanity – against the earth via its exploitation and neglect, and against the underprivileged by their exploitation through globalised capital and inseparable and nameless destruction through imperialist war – continue as an inescapable result of the western good life. The question remains, where is this the responsibility of the citizen, or further, the artist and art practitioner, and how is this to be realised?

A few years ago, after a lecture, when Noam Chomsky was asked this question, he replied with mild irritation that it was the task of that individual to seek out his own political identity and to begin from what he himself knew, and not to simply ask a specialist his opinion. But the question itself was symptomatic of the above contention – that western political imagination has been mired, darkened, thrown into an abyss. More urgently, and more productively, the same question reveals that below, even before, a political imagination is a greater motivator – desire.

That contemporary art as an ephemeral entity, where it casts itself against the flow of tradition and mediocrity, desires to engage with and merge with life has a parallel here. The art exhibitions and writings that we turn our backs to should be those that exemplify the old mould of class distinctions and privilege.

Contemporary art does not automatically escape from this dilemma either – unless it is unambiguously defiant.

In 1915, Kazimir Malevich made a dramatic artistic u-turn to jumpstart Suprematism by painting a simple black square picture. As an erasure of tradition and an act to purify humanity, the black square was equally a gesture of negativity, as well as in itself a clean slate to commence thinking through new representations of the new humanity to come. Ninety years later, a replica of Malevich’s corpse is displayed in a gallery as if in a funeral reception, with the black square painting hanging above the coffin. (1) The Slovenian collective IRWIN made this work, Corpse of Art, to mourn the radical ideas of avant-garde art, not only the passing of an early founder, as they have apparently ceased to exist in recent decades. This is a comment on the current state of affairs, not unlike Boris Groys’ recent remark upon the fashion of black clothing in the art world as the ongoing, actual mourning for the death of art. (2) A curator colleague recently conjectured that there was a lack of contemporary substance in recent cultural theory – namely that a writer who we spoke of, who revitalised idealistic strains of utopia that were against the grain in decades past, was simply repeating gestures long explored by thinkers, and was thus essentially redundant. There was nothing new, she felt, in these critical explorations. They lacked the draw of modern taste as determined by what she felt to be relevant today. Is this opinion not a symptom of the condition of our political imagination, as itself a casting away of all that is not fashionable in a specific sense? To broach the space of politics into the space of arts is not retrograde, and it is not only interesting, it is essential. This is not simply a means of waxing nostalgia about lost political ideals by sketching portraits of Trotsky, but of bringing political life into the spaces of art and its discourses, embracing change and movement, and not, for example, still, narcissistic zen art and thinking which exemplifies, as Simon Critchley terms it, “passive nihilism.”(3) The late Harold Pinter breezed between literature, theatre, journalism, and engaged political thought and activism. For him, there was no difference. There is nothing substantial that indicates that the situation is any different today, except perhaps a few misguided opinions.

1. On view at The Model, as part of ‘Medium Religion’, until 16 August.

2. In conversation with the author, May 2009.

3. Critchley, Simon. Infinitely Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, Politics of Resistance. (2007: Verso).

draw out the processes whereby solitary photographs and found materials become

GILLIAN LAWLER

the fabric of a compelling narration, which unravels before our eyes”. The starting point of the exhibition was Falls Burns Malone Fiddles (2003), a film about 1970’s and 80’s youth culture in Belfast by Irishborn Duncan Campbell.

Ross Cochrane Mother Ulster

www.belfastexposed.org

‘The Imagined Community’, an exhibition of drawings, paintings and sculptures by

Gillian Lawler City on Stilts

IN SEARCH OF THE SELF

Ross Cochrane was shown at Custom House Studios, Mayo (14 May – 7 Jun). The press release noted that the work examined “the cultural heritage and identity within the artist’s family – and the associations and influences therein. The work questions inherited values and collective memory, informed through an exploration of oral and visual traditions.” www.customhousestudios.ie

‘New Paintings’ by Gillian Lawler was recently shown at The Dock, Leitrim (24 Apr – 20 Jun). In the press release, the artist informs us that “this body of work focuses on a sense of unease within an urban architectural context. I want to consider spatial, structural and psychological

Priscilla Fernandes – work from 'In Search of the Self'

fluctuations and schisms within an urban

‘In Search of the Self’, an exhibition by

framework. Formerly familiar structures

Priscilla Fernandes recently ran at

appear strange and peculiar; in the absence

Cavanacor Gallery, Donegal (9 May – 20

of perspective certainty disappear.”

Jun). The gallery notes explained her

www.thedock.ie www.gillianlawler.com

working process as “a didactic exercise of incongruous references, ranging from the Enlightenment

OUR VICTORY

individual

to

the

Postmodern subject, Fernandes undertakes the mission of documenting an effort to find the ultimate representation for the

John Gerrard – work from 'Animated Scene'

notion of identity, and presents a theory based on the imagining of multiple

JOHN GERRARD AT VENICE

personalities, as a reflection of the

RHA Projects, Dublin, presented the solo

fragmented representation of identity in

exhibition ‘John Gerrard: Animated Scene’,

contemporary society.”

a collateral event at the 53rd Venice

www.cavanacorgallery.ie

Biennale (7 Jun – 30 Sep). Three recent works were presented as large-scale

Stephen Loughman Gibson's Dog

projections in a boathouse on the former monastery island of Certosa, marking the

Stephen Loughman’s solo exhibition ‘Our

first time that this venue has been used for

Victory’ recently took place at the Kevin

the Biennale. A fourth work from the

Kavanagh Gallery, Dublin (29 May – 20

‘Animated Scene’ series was shown

Jun). The press release noted “Loughman

concurrently at the Palazzo Fortuny,

uses ‘screen-grabs’ from films as his source

Venice, as part of ‘Infinitum’, the final part

material – predominantly those set during

of a trilogy of exhibitions mounted by

WWII … the works act as a pseudo-

Axel Vervoordt.

narrative of a conflict, but when they www.johngerrard-venice.net

SPORTS BAR

piggyback on the existing storylines of the films they reference, their meaning

IN SEARCH OF UTOPIA

becomes blurred.” www.kevinkavanaghgallery.ie

WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE

Frank Koolen – work from 'Sports Bar'

‘Sports Bar’ at 126, Galway was the first solo show in Ireland by Dutch artist Frank Dennis Del Favero Todnauberg Video Still

Koolen (28 May – 27 Jun). Additional to the show at 126, films by Frank Koolen were on show at the Volvo Ocean Race

Galway Arts Centre recently presented ‘In

village across the street from 126. The

Search of Utopia’, a group exhibition

public were invited to the sports bar “to

featuring Dorothy Cross, Ailbhe Ni Bhriain,

Louise

Manifold,

see some ambitious sportsmen working

Michelle

out and to have a drink with the peculiar

Browne, Cao Fei and Dennis del Favero in

guests”.

the Nun’s Island Space of Galway Arts

www.frankkoolen.com www.126.ie

Centre (23 May – 6 Jun). A new publication

by Sean Lynch entitled ‘A Preliminary

Duncan Campbell, Falls Burns Malone Fiddles (2003)

REBIRTH

Sketch for the Reappearance of HyBrazil’, was also launched at the opening. The

Belfast Exposed Gallery recently presented

‘Rebirth’ was a mixed summer show at

press release describes how the exhibition

a group exhibition entitled ‘What You

Newtownbarry House Gallery, Wexford

- part of the ‘Lets Do It Galway’ celebrations

Can’t See’ featuring the work of Duncan

during the summer months that the House

4

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

Column

Yilmaz Dziewior & Angelika Nollert Learning from e v+ a

July – August 2009

Roundup and Garden are open (22 May – 9 Aug).

‘Drawing a Blank’, a solo exhibition of new

his one and only musical composition, Oh

The show presented work by a wide

work by Ian-John Coughlan (16 Apr – 28

Baby, baby, baby, baby. The exhibition also

selection of artists, both national and

Apr)

featured work from his Popular Music http://thegoodhatchery.wordpress.com www.ian-john.com www.monstertruck.ie

international, including two exhibitors from America (Carl Johnson and Judy

Postmortem series in which he adapts old record sleeves by painting on them.

Koon). Other artists exhibiting included Mick O’ Dea, Una Sealy, Conor Walton and

Garrett Phelan’s ‘The Last Broadcast LEE WELCH

Revelations’ (15 Apr – 23 May) focused on

Mark O’Neill and many more. The

the Mynah bird’s mythological speech

exhibition is also being re-hung throughout

capabilities. As the gallery notes stated

the summer months to give it new life.

“Garrett Phelan binds this avian meta-

www.newtownbarryhouse.com

mythology to the core of his new body of work.”

FLICKS – THE CINEMATIC IN ART

www.motherstankstation.com

WORK.IN.SPACE Lee Welch 'At the Still Point of the Turning World' installation view.

Galway Arts Centre presented ‘At the still point of the turning world’, an exhibition of new work by Lee Welch (17 Apr – 23 May). According to the press release, the show “offers a constellation of points of Bea McMahon, States of Wonder, 2006-08 Caption

After 10 weeks, the exhibition OPEN e v+ a Reading the City came to its end.

What remains is the 192 page catalogue, which documents the exhibiting artists works through texts and images.

Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda recently ran an exhibition curated by Cliodhna Shaffrey on the occasion of the 5th annual Drogheda

To enrich the publication, we invited local theorist and curator Sarah

Arts Festival. The exhibition ‘Flicks – The

Glennie to contribute a text about the contemporary art scene in Ireland. Sarah

Cinematic In Art’ (29 Apr – 23 Jun) was

Glennie is the director if the Irish Film Institute and formally the Director of the

developed with Droichead Arts Centre

reference, provocation and stimulation”.

Welch's show incorporated various references to counterfeit cultural artefacts – including the notorious Beatles’ bootleg Indian Rope Trick or ‘pirated’ editions of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover published in the late 1920s. www.galwayartscentre.ie

Aleana Egan Irrigation Troughs – work from 'Work.in.Space'

‘Work.in.Space’ curated by Aoife Tunney, presented the work of eight artists responding to “the points of contact and interaction between space, time, work, identity and leisure”. The resulting work

Model / Niland Gallery in Sligo. Glennie’s text, entitled Has it Been That Long?

where it will also be on view. There was

1995 – 2009: A Curator’s Memory focuses on a range of Irish institutions and

also one off-site work located in Drogheda’

Byrne, Miguel Mitlag, Lee Welch, Karl

analyses their activities over the last 15 years. Glennie begins her consideration

McBride train station. At Highlanes

Burke, Linda Quinlan and Declan Clarke

of the state of Irish contemporary art with these comments “Right now, in March

Gallery, there was a group show with

inhabited an incomplete office in

2009, like everything in Ireland it looks precarious and subject to total upheaval.

Christian Marclay, Paul Pfeiffer, Tracey

Connaught House, Dublin (30 May – 19

Many words have been printed and even more spoken offering multiple

Moffatt and Gary Hillberg, Bea McMahon,

Jun).

perspectives on what is good, bad and indifferent about Irish art today, what we

Martin Healy, J. Tobias Anderson and

should celebrate and what we should change. Take a slice across these

Nicholas Jasmin (N.I.C.J.O.B.); while at

conversations and opinions, and inevitably a multifaceted picture emerges with

McBride Railway Station was Jennifer

few points of consensus.”

Brady’s site-specific sound installation

We have also included an interview with Paul M O’Reilly the founder of e

Brief Encounter and at Droichead Arts

v+ a – who after 30 years work with the exhibition is still active on the

Centre, British artists Suky Best and Rory

committee. In the interview we post questions about the underpinning concepts, history and future developments of the ‘exhibition of visual-plus art’. In the

a, ones based on open submissions offered by artists, should rely on those artists

by Ra di Martino, Aleana Egan, Rhona

www.workinspace.org

ECONOMIC THOUGHT PROJECTS Anita Groener After Casper David Friedrich – Le Chasseur dans la Forêt

Hamilton presented their recent animation

Anita Groener’s solo exhibition ‘Gilgamesh’

trilogy Rodeo as a solo installation.

at Rubicon Gallery, Dublin (12 Jun – 11 Jul)

www.highlanes.ie

course of the interview, O’Reilly drew particular attention to the value and dynamics of the open submission nature of e v+ a “I think exhibitions like e v+

GILGAMESH

presents new drawings and printings. The press release describes how the show

IRIDESCENCE A

“takes inspiration from the powerful mythologies of the forest, as well as from a

and their concerns, their ideas, on the themes and issues that they choose and on

nineteenth century painting and an epic

which they base their work. Out of what these artists initiate, the curator can

poem that is possibly the oldest written

then select what is considered the best, and find the exhibition’s theme arising

story on earth”.

out of that best. This practice tends to avoid the situation whereby artists’ works

The previous show in the space was

are chosen by the curator because they illustrate the preconceived idea or theme

Rowena Dring’s ‘Joshua Tree And Other

favoured by the curator.”

Stories’ (9 May – 6 Jun).

It is our hope that Sarah Glennie and Paul O’Reilly’s texts will prove to be

www.rubicongallery.ie Sven Anderson performing at Live @ 8.

valuable in contextualising the long and deep history of this annual exhibition AT MOTHER’S

of contemporary art.

Live @ 8 and economicthoughtprojects

The specific profile of e v+ a was also a main theme of this year’s 'Colloquies

presented ‘An improvised set of processed

on Contemporary Art & Culture' – which took place on the second last weekend

sounds by Sven Anderson and Russell Hart

of the duration of the exhibition (a report on the colloquies can be read on page

(ETP)’ on 20 May at Bar No. 8, Galway

15). The format of the colloquies, established over the years, is to bring together

Docks. Sven Anderson’s practice, as we are

previous curators and artists from previous e v+ a’s – along with the current

told in the press release “explores sound

curators – for an open-ended and informal discussion with Irish and international artist, critics and theorists. The idea is bring about a proofing or testing of

via performance, installation, and written

'Iridescence A' – publicity image.

work.

His

performances

focus

on

perspectives. Overall the process might be thought of a kind of ‘learning by

'Iridescence A', the latest collaborative

processing field recordings in conjunction

talking’ – brought about by simply bringing interesting and interested people

work by The Good Hatchery artists Carl

with pure tones using custom-designed

together, to share ideas and thoughts about art and culture and to discuss present

Giffney and Ruth Lyons was exhibited at

software, emphasizing the development of

Monster Truck Gallery & Studios, Dublin

different modes of interference and decay

and upcoming questions concerning the shape of art and its institutions. Among the participants for this years’ colloquies were the curators Adam Budak (Graz), Séamus Kealy (Sligo) and Klaus Ottmann (NY, e v+ a 2007), the critics Jens Asthoff (Hamburg), Ralf Borchardt (London), Fergal Gaynor (Cork), Caoimhin Mac Giolla Léith (Dublin), Uta Maria Reindl (Cologne) and Birgit Sonna (Munich). The diverse backgrounds of the speakers, spoke of the wide range of international connections founded by e v+ a.

For us, the e v+ a exhibition, catalogue and colloquies form a whole, and our belief is that artworks themselves along with exhibition events are generators of many forms of knowledge production.

recently (22 May – 2 Jun). According to the artists, “this time dealing with the

Petri Ala-Maunus – work from 'There is a place in heaven for me and my kind'

industrial constructions that support our

Mother’s Tankstation, Dublin recently

information age, Iridescence A is concerned

held their second exhibition of work by

with illumination, globalisation and the

Finnish artist Petri Ala-Maunus (27 May –

ultra-ordinary. It attempts to objectify the

27 Jun). The press release explains the

issues that arise from interacting with a

making of his record, “In this new body of

system of connection that functions in a

work, Ala-Maunus looks forward to his

more global sense.”

own past, re-inventing a new possibility

Prior to this the venue showed

for an old self. He has invited favoured metal bands to re-create – or re-invent –

over extended durations.” www.economicthoughtprojects.com www.svenanderson.net

ONCE UPON A TIME ‘Once Upon a Time’, an exhibition of artworks by WHAT Artist-in-Residence Laura Fitzgerald is now on at WHAT Centre for Arts & Health and Waterford Regional Hospital (26 Jun – 13 Aug). Laura has created a body of work on the themes

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

5

Roundup

ColumN

of memory and connections between

ON AT IMMA

David Dunne, Michael Duhan, Ana

individuals. Over 150 individual drawings

On show now at the Irish Museum of

Duncan, Jason Ellis, Barry Flanagan, Rowan

Vanessa O'Reilly

were collected from a series of meetings

Modern Art, Dublin ‘Between Metaphor

Gillespie, Catherine Greene, Ronan Halpin,

between members of staff, patients, and

and Object: Art of the 90s from the IMMA

Leo Higgins, Christy Keeney, Laurent

members of the Waterford community,

Collection’ (14 May 2009 – 4 Apr 2010)–

Mellet, F.E. McWilliam, Tim Morris,

where the artist asked each person to relay

which features sculptures and installation

Elizabeth O’Kane, Patrick O’Reilly, Ian

a vivid memory from their lives. The work

works from the 1990s. The gallery notes

Pollock, Michael Quane, Bob Quinn,

will also travel to the Central Library,

explain that the exhibition “provides new

Patrick Scott, Anthony Scott, Killian

Waterford (17 Aug – 31 Aug).

perspectives on the diversity of practices

Schurmann, Imogen Stuart, Michael

represented in the IMMA Collection from

Warren and Alexandra Wejchert.

‘Hide and Seek’, an exhibition of artworks by Gypsy Ray and Laura Gladney was previously on display in the space (April – June). www.waterfordhealingarts.com

www.solomonfineart.ie

this period, explores its particularities, and considers them in the context of international trends of the decade”.

central driving force of his work, as it has developed over the past ten years”.

Marking the poet’s 70th birthday, ‘Artists/Heaney/Books: An Exhibition’ presented an extensive display of books in which Seamus Heaney has collaborated with a wide cross section of leading artists

Angela Darby – work from 'The Horror Room'

recently (14 Apr – 14 Jun). The exhibition

Angela Darby & Robert Peters exhibition ‘The Horror Room’ recently took place at Space Delawab, Belfast (13 Feb – 7 Mar).

This photographic installation presented a series of documented murals originally

featured works by these artists, who include Barrie Cooke, Felim Egan, Barry Flanagan, T.P. Flanagan, Martin Gale, Cecil King, Sol LeWitt, Hughie O’Donoghue and many others.

epitomised through Horn’s use of the ‘split’ or ‘double’ in the experience of the work.

club in Antrim circa 1976. The gallery notes explain, “through time the paintings

Deirdre O'Mahony – work from 'Representations'

www.imma.ie

lies in making the viewer’s experience of the work a part of the content. The core issues of Horns practice are that of place; the re-interpretation of place;

‘Representations’ was recently held at the

alongside a concern with questioning notions of ‘universal’ or ‘identical’

Burren College of Art Gallery, Clare (16 May – 12 Jun). The exhibition comprised work made during O’Mahony’s PhD research into the theory, function and unique nature of visual arts practice in rural contexts. The press release explained “the work is site specific to the West of Ireland; an exploration of regionality that contributes to the discourse within contemporary international art practice concerning the rural as a new site of artistic experimentation and action in relation to first century.” www.burrencollege.com

IN THE POCKETS OF GOD

investigations; some manifest as instinctive responses to the nostalgia associated with home

through

texture,

form

and

symbolism. Others have come through a more conceptual process of reflection on

minimalism since the late 1970s.

The use of directions – ‘left, right, centre’, incorporated into didactic panels and titles, locate the works in the space, add to the spatial experience of the work and prompt viewers to consider the existence of things in relation to other things.

A seemingly simple example of locating the viewer relative to the work is across two sets of opposing walls. The photographs depict the course of an

series, on a pivot, is seen as a whole.

became notoriously known to the children

these new paintings as “varied in their

floored room; prove that she is one of the most inventive exponents of

Optimum viewing places the viewer further into the room from where the

was through this association that the room

(5 Jun – 4 Jul). The press release describes

Horn’s sculptures in glass, abstract word drawings, and a text based rubber-

each image, instead demanding a reading of the images relative to each other.

facilitate the punishment of pupils and it

solo exhibition by Kate Murphy recently

related set of ideas, addressing subjectivity, multiplicity and fragmentation.

and in so doing arrests and stops the viewer from a one to one relationship with

the local school as a detention room to

Stone Gallery, Dublin, hosted their third

throughout the range of Horn’s work, is that she is continually exploring a

subtly causing the viewer to step back to create a comfortable viewing point

During the day the youth club also served

Kate Murphy – work from her exhibition at the Stone Gallery, Dublin.

drawings, architectural / sculptural qualities and book works. Evident

showing an old soap opera. The images are hung at an exaggerated height,

they took on a more sinister appearance.

KATE MURPHY

‘Roni Horn aka Roni Horn’ provides a rich survey, an oeuvre of the artists work. Horn’s art practice offers encounters with identity, pairings, portraits,

Icelandic day, landscapes, portraits, animals encountered, shots of a TV screen

and the figures grew more spectre-like as

http://delawab.wordpress.com

experience.

Pi – a piece that consists of a series of photographs hung in cyclical arrangement

ERSILIA

began to degrade in the damp environment

as ‘The Horror Room’.”

Horn’s major concern in how her audience views and perceives her work,

Deirdre O’Mahony’s solo exhibition

the ecological imperatives of the twenty-

painted on the walls of St Malachy’s youth

is as complex as it is simple. Significantly, all the windows in the west galleries

Again: For Two Rooms (1986). The works subtle relationship to architecture is

Ireland by the renowned American artist. evolving

Horn’s works are about a subtle negotiation of place and placement, which

Horn’s works are portable, but site-dependent. Some pieces require a space

27 Sep) – the first large-scale exhibition in

painter’s

the works themselves.

with two opposing walls, others at least two rooms – such as Things That Happen

Also currently on show is ‘Terry

the

allowed the viewer’s experiences and perceptions to become intertwined with

comprising of solid cast glass blocks.

Winters Signal to Noise’ Dublin (12 Jun –

relationship with abstract imagery, the

measured rhythm of the installation and the pervading curatorial sensibility,

works such as Opposite of White v.2 (2006 –07) and Pink Tons (2008) – both

which is on loan to IMMA since 1994.

“examines

seen at Tate Modern, London (25 Feb – 25 May 2009). Most strikingly, the

light. The differences experienced through the light changes, are crucial to

Included in the exhibition are a number of

As the gallery notes explain, this exhibition

‘Roni Horn aka Roni Horn’ was one of the most successful shows I have thus far

of Tate modern are left uncovered, so the works are seen in shifting natural REPRESENTATIONS

works from the Weltkunst Collection, THE HORROR ROOM

Left, Right, Centre.

Jo Anne Butler & Tara Kennedy – work from 'Ersilia – Proposed Re-inhabitation Plan'.

Des Farrell – work from 'In the Pockets of God'

‘Ersilia - Proposed Re-inhabitation Plan’, an

Limerick Printmakers presented ‘In the

exhibition of new work by Culturstruction

pockets of God’, an exhibition of new

(Jo Anne Butler and Tara Kennedy) ran at

works by Des Farrell (2 Apr – 23 Apr). The

Connolly House, Marino College, Dublin

press release tells us, “Farrell’s new

(22 Apr – 25 Apr). The installation took on

gathering of sculptural assemblages and

the scale and the aesthetic of the hall,

printed images gives the viewer a clear and

using timber, concrete and coloured vinyl

simple insight into the journey taken to

to both represent and skew the roads,

create these works. With the emphasis as

railways and canals of the surrounding

always, firmly directed in the creation of

area. A series of drawings proposed re-use

the modern day artefact, Farrell gathers

of streets truncated by the passing railway

physical information from pre-selected

lines. A timber model at a scale of roughly

geographical locations and reinvents their

1:100 allowed the transport network to

sense of place and history.” www.limerickprintmakers.com

become a sort of game. A video piece entitled Number Three goes to see the sea proposed a world where mountains and houses can move and roads can loop-theloop. www.culturstruction.wordpress.com

the construction and dissemination of

Another room is given over to the book series To Place. To date there are eight in the series, all of which have Iceland as their focus presented through drawings, texts and photographs. The collective title of these books is To Place, where the verb rather than the noun interests Horn.

The artist has stated, “If you were to ask me what I do, I would say that I draw - this is the primary activity”. And in Horn’s drawings pairings and doublings also take form. In the series Distant Doubles drawings are sliced and cut apart along straight edges, then reworked and collaged back together – often with annotation either side of the cut. To my mind there was a parallel with shifting geological plates creating new topographies.

One room was devoted to Some Thames – a poignant series of photographs and text works based on the central London section the river Thames that runs in front of Tate Modern. The images, captured over several seasons are tightly framed, making their scale and exact sense of place ambiguous. Variation occurs in the effects of tide and weather, creating colour change, the churn and chop of the waters currents and the oil and floating debris scattered and embedded in the surface of the water. The emotional engine of the work lies in

CITY SUPPLEMENTS

what is found and explored in the image – what is present in the surface,

‘City Supplements – An Alternative Urban

dimensionality, expressibility and legibility. Numerical footnotes scattered over

Survey’ was presented by PS2, Belfast in

the image correspond to notes that run along the bottom of the images, layering

their gallery space and across different

the surface further with added details indexing various anecdotes and ideas

locations in the Cathedral Quarter (21 May

about water and fluidity.

SPRING FORMS

– 7 Jun). For this project PS2 invited seven

Through the various modes of Horn’s practice – sculpture; drawings;

Another recent show at the venue

Solomon Fine Art recently held ‘Spring

artists to be ‘home-tourists’ and go on a

was Hugh McCarthy’s second solo show

Forms’, a group show of sculptural work

walk around the environs where PS2 is

photographic installations and objects; artist’s book, she creates compositions

‘The Great Nintendo Famine’ (30 Apr – 30

including bronze, stone and glass in a

based. The participating artists were

May).

country garden setting in Rathmore House,

Gemma Anderson, Miriam de Búrca, Keith

Naas, Co. Kildare (25 May – 31 May).

Winter, Lisa Malone, Kevin Flanagan,

Exhibiting artists included John Behan,

Sinéad Bhreathnach-Cashell, and Phil

Sandra Bell, Cheryl Brown, Orla de Brí,

Hession.

aspirational ideals of ‘home’.”

www.stonegallery.ie

of relationships. Moreover, Horn utilises the viewer as both a communicator and interpreter, who functions as a conduit in the complex exchange amongst the works and the space. www.tate.org.uk

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

6 ColumN

July – August 2009

Roundup

Maeve Connolly

Writing After the Exhibition: In Absentia

Previous events at PS2 include

narratives, wisdom’s and dimensions to

MISSING LINK

‘Printed Politics’ an exhibition of Polish

the house. The images and sounds of the

As part of the exhibition entitled ‘Missing

political graphics; (6 May – 17 May); ‘Aged

pieces filter through the house to pull

Link’, by German artist Arne Witt, at

Portraits’ a solo show by Lyndsey

together the work as one entity.”

Wexford Arts Centre, a screening of the

http://delawab.wordpress.com

MacDougall (20 – 25 Apr) and ‘The Handbag Project’, an outreach project involving A Level Art and Design students

GONDWANALAND VIBRATIONS

artist’s video works from 2005 to 2008 was held (11 May – 15 May). The press release explains, “This exhibition extends

from Strathearn Grammar School in East

the artist’s preoccupation with the notion

Belfast (2 Apr – 18 Apr).

of ‘missing links’ to explore and expose www.pssquared.org

relationships between intention and

DUENDE

action, memory and experience, knowing and the unexpected.

The exhibition

includes a number of drawings created out of gaffa tape and glue foil and directly applied to the surface of the wall.” www.wexfordartscentre.ie

DANCE & REVOLUTION

The Atlas Group, Extrait d’Archives, 2002. Courtesy of Centre d’Art Passerelle à Brest

‘If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want To Be Part Of Your Revolution’ is a rolling curatorial

What is the difference between absence and emptiness in contemporary art

platform for performative practices in

practice? The recent exhibition ‘Voids: A Retrospective’ at the Centre Pompidou,

visual art. Project Arts Centre, Dublin

selected by a group of seven invited artists, writers and curators, brought together a number of works involving the staging of empty (or close to empty) spaces within the gallery. For some reviewers, however, the show highlighted the aesthetic significance of these works without fully addressing the institutional and political significance of the void within contemporary art. If the concept of (1)

emptiness in exhibition-making seems to point away from context and towards form, then ‘absence’ might lead in the opposite direction, simply because it is more difficult to untangle this notion from explorations of loss, memory, and even nostalgia. This tendency is suggested by ‘In Absentia’, an exhibition curated

by Stephen Wright at Centre D’Art Passerelle in Brest in 2005, which explored (amongst other issues) the peripatetic movements of artists and the possible connections that might exist between film and video, the form of the archive and aspects of drawing.

In 2005, I visited ‘In Absentia’ while on the way from Paris to somewhere else, after two weeks of French classes during which I acquired only a basic grasp of French, but somehow managed to lose my grip on English grammar. As the exhibition included a number of artists (Pierre Huyghe, Matthew Buckingham, Anri Sala) working with film and video, I was expecting a dark space with

recently presented a programme of live

Beatrice O'Connell – work from 'Duende'

Caption

Following on from Beatrice O’Connell’s

Maurice Orr’s exhibition ‘Gondwanaland

screenings (8 May – 20 Jun) for this

first solo exhibition with the gallery in

Vibrations’ recently took place at the Arts

instalment, entitled ‘Edition III –

2006, the Talbot Gallery, Dublin presented

& Disability Forum Gallery, Belfast (2 Apr

Masquerade’, utilising the Gallery, the

‘Duende’, the artist’s show of new

– 6 May). The exhibition featured a

Cube and the Space Upstairs, offering the

paintings (11 Jun – 4 Jul). As press release

collection of paintings, which the press

public unorthodox approaches to, and

explained “the paintings in this show

release states, “echoes the sounds of the

experiences of, the ‘black box’ and the

emerge from her own experience of both

didgeridoo and Cicada beetle”. They go on

‘white cube’ space.

childhood and parenthood. In broad

to explain, “Through abstraction, Maurice

terms, she sees this body of work as a kind

has developed intense depictions that

of love song to life and living – and it has

engage the viewer on a visual level whilst

been remarked that all the best love songs

creating a sensory spectre of the Australian

are marked by this feeling of ‘duende’, the

soundscape”.

performances, readings, discussions and

and

seasoned

by

an

acknowledgement of its opposite of

THE GUN EMPLACEMENT

www.adf.ie

celebration of life and happiness, being heightened

www.projectartscentre.ie

OPPOSITIONS & DIALOGUES

mortality and misery.” www.talbotgallery.com

multiple ‘black box’ installations. Instead I encountered a large industrial building filled with natural light and a great deal of open space. Several works

360° OF THE REEK

alluded quite directly to gaps or elisions in time, space and information and these ideas cohered in a video entitled If Only I Could Weep, 2001, presented by The Atlas Group. This work, part of which can be viewed at http://www. theatlasgroup.org/data/TypeFD.html, consists of fragments of sped-up footage of

Mark Clare – 'Oppositions & Dialogues'

people on a seaside promenade, many of them young couples, watching the

Kerlin Gallery, Dublin presented a new

setting sun in an area of Beirut identified as the ‘Corniche’. Reportedly submitted

‘Oppositions & Dialogues’ was presented

body of work by British painter Paul

at the Kunstverein Hannover, Germany

Winstanley (1 May – 30 May). The press

recently (30 May – 9 Aug) and was curated

release explains that for this exhibition

in cooperation with Matthew Packer of

“Winstanley confronts an aspect of nature

An exhibition of new works by Breda

the Glucksman Gallery, Cork. The show

that has intrigued him since childhood,

Burns, entitled ‘360° of the Reek’, was

featured a diverse group of artists

that most minimal and transient of visual

presented at Custom House Studios, Mayo

including several Irish artists. Exhibiting

phenomena, the sea. The resulting body

(4 Apr – 10 May). As the press release

artists included Francis Alÿs, Nina Beier &

of

described it, the show “is the culmination

Marie Lund, Rolf Bier, Mark Clare, Nathan

obsession with the surface of painting,

of

by a Beirut security employee (known as Operator # 17) who used the surveillance camera to record sunsets, it is one of a number of ‘documents’ gathered by The Atlas Group over a period of several years. As is now well known, The Atlas Group is substantially a creation of the artist Walid Raad, informed by the ideas of others (such as Jalal Toufic). Alluding to multiple processes of viewing, recording, archiving and forgetting, Raad’s project asserts the institutional and political significance of absence in relation to both the archive and the figure of the author.

Initially favouring the persona of historian or archivist, Raad has recently adopted a more curatorial perspective. His 2009 exhibition at REDCAT in Los Angeles focused specifically on the problem of the museum retrospective and his own role in the reconfiguration of the Arab world as a site and context for contemporary art production. Entitled ‘Scratching On Things I Could Disavow: A History Of Modern And Contemporary Art In The Arab World / Part I_Volume 1_Chapter 1 (Beirut: 1992-2005)’, the exhibition included a three dimensional architectural model of an imagined retrospective of works by The Atlas Group,

Paul Winstanley,Sanatorium, 2009, oil on linen, 155 x 155

Breda Burns – work from '360 degrees of the Reek' installation view.

a

process

self-discovery,

emphasizes

Winstanley’s

a

Coley, Jeremiah Day, Öyvind Fahlström,

with its immaculate suspension between

two

Claire Fontaine, Lotte Lindner & Till

actuality and illusion and finds a ready

landscapes - that of the mountain and of

Steinbrenner, Alex Morrison, Garrett

echo in the shifting and dissolving

her body - in 360 paintings. These detailed

Phelan, Ulay & Marina Abramovic,

surfaces of the sea and sky.”

renderings of the physical presences of

Bettina Pousttchi, Jens Ullrich, Stephen

human form and landscape observe and

Willats and Arthur Zmijewski.

topographical

of

work

exploration

of

question, and finally maturate into expressions of acceptance.”

www.kunstverein-hannover.de

www.kerlin.ie

THE PREHISTORY OF THE CRISIS II Project Arts Centre, Dublin (2 Jul – 15

179TH RHA ANNUAL EXHIBITION

Aug) and Belfast Exposed (1 Jul – 7 Aug)

The 179th RHA Annual Exhibition

invited four artists with a common

model alluded to the institutional strategies that circumscribe the limits of any

COMPOUND

opened recently at the RHA, Dublin (26

interest in the complexities of multi-

self-consciously ‘political’ art practice. But within the context of ‘Scratching On

‘Compound’ at DELAWAB was a gathering

May – 25 Jul). The exhibition features

cultural living to make new work for ‘The

Things I Could Disavow’, it also offered a space in which meaning could be

of work by five artists who work through

recent work by Academicians, invited

Prehistory of the Crisis (II)’. The exhibition

generated as well as contained, calling to mind all previous experiences of the

the medium of moving image – Anthony

artists and emerging artists in the

brought

Kelly and David Stalling, Phil Hession,

disciplines of painting, print, photography,

Haughey, Daniel Jewesbury and Sinéad

Michael John Whelan and TS Beall (8

sculpture, drawing and architecture.

McCann together at a time in history

May – 5 Jun). As the press release noted

Invited artists this year included Martin

when economic recession underscores

“Each disparate piece of work creates a

Healy, Nevan Lahart, William McKeown,

every cultural and artistic event taking

dialogue with the room it has been

Isabel Nolan, Mark O’Kelly, Paul Seawright,

place in Ireland, North and South.

allocated; implying and imparting new

Ulrich Vogl and Margaret Corcoran.

complete with miniature versions of video pieces such as If Only I Could Weep,

www.customhousestudios.ie

playing on a tiny LCD screen set into the wall. Like the exhibition as a whole, the

works of The Atlas Group and powerfully asserting the significance of context in their ongoing interpretation.

Note (1) See reviews by Anna Dezeuze in Art Monthly May 2009: 24-26 and Vivian Rehberg in Frieze, May 2009: 119.

www.royalhibernianacademy.ie

Susanne

Bosch,

Anthony

www.projectartscentre.ie www.belfastexposed.org

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

7

July – August 2009

ROUNDUP IT GOES ON

scratched away the surface of the cards

– 19 Apr). ‘Onesheet’ is a series of single-

to leave only a bridge hovering in an

broadsheet publications, each featuring

empty space.

the collaborative art work of a visual

FARPOINT RECORDINGS

artist and writer. To launch the series,

Farpoint Recordings launched two new

visual artist Dáinne Nic Aoidh and poet

projects at the Goethe-Institut, Dublin

Annemarie Ní Churreáin created

on 2nd April. LISTEN hEAR, a book and

‘Constellations’, an exhibition of printed

audio CD by Danny McCarthy and Tesla,

imagery, paintings and art installations

an audio CD by The Quiet Club (Danny

www.butlergallery.com

THROUGH TIME AND SPACE Blue Leaf Gallery, Dublin presented an exhibition of new works by Suzy O’Mullane (8 May – 19 May). ‘Trajectory Through Time and Space’ was a series of

ÉIGSE CARLOW ARTS FESTIVAL

McCarthy & Mick O’Shea). The launch

in response to words. www.eek.ie

Eileen McDonagh – work on show at Eigse, Carlow.

drawings and paintings that O’Mullane

Soft Blond Moustache - work from 'It goes on'

Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, Dublin

curated by Rayne Booth features work by Alan Butler, Brendan Flaherty, Eilis McDonald, James Merrigan, Ivan Twohig and Soft Blonde Moustache (3 Jun – 30 Jul).

Previously on show at the venue was The Present, a five-piece film installation by renowned Finnish artist and filmmaker Eija–Liisa Ahtila (18 Apr – 23 May). www.templebargallery.com

FERGUS MARTIN

deal with intensely personal issues

Context Gallery, Derry, hosted the work

through allegory and metaphor. The

of Sharon Hayes as the fourth show in

press release explains, “The central

the series ‘We The People...’, curated by

theme of ‘Trajectory’ is emotional

Gregory McCartney (17 Apr – 1 May).

connection.

confronts

The exhibition, entitled ‘I March In The

AQUILA

darkness mystery, joy and humour in

Parade Of Liberty, But As Long As I Love

The Achill Artists Group, a collective of

equal measure.”

You I’m Not Free’ consisted of an audio

visual artists living on Achill Island

O’Mullane

www.blueleafgallery.com

Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast presented ‘Energy Class B’, to celebrate the culture and talent of Polish artists and performers as part of Polish Culture Week. The gallery

exhibited

work

from

13

established and innovative Polish artists who work in sculpture, photography, film, video installation and performance

work, the press release says, “The geometric forms that consistently appear in his work give shape to his preoccupation with space, form and materials. This is also present in his new wall sculpture, Hoops, a continuation of his thinking in his other work, Steel, a permanent sculpture for the entrance to

took place between December 2007 and January 2008, where Hayes walked from the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York to sites of public speech such as Union Square, Confucius Square in Chinatown, and Christopher Street Park and read a love letter aloud. www.contextgallery.co.uk

MEDIUM RELIGION The Model Arts & Niland Gallery, Sligo

Niezgoda, Jozef Robakowski, Andrzej

recently presented ‘Medium Religion’

Tobis, Super grupa Azorro, Joanna

(24 May – 2 Aug) which tackled

Rajikowska, Oskar Dawicki, Elzbieta

contemporary

Jablonska, Marek Wasilewski and Hubert

religion and religiosity. As the press

Czerepok.

release stated “Medium Religion provides

representations

comprehensive reproduction

15 Jun). The show is described in the

insight and

into

significance

of

the of

contemporary and ancient religions, and how they currently manifest themselves, above all in geo-political hotspots such as in the Middle East”. www.modelart.ie

press release as “a filmic essay about contemporary Dublin and a collection

ON AT DRAIOCHT

of photographs, essays and video works

‘The habit of remembering’ at the First

beautifully produced in a new hard

Floor Gallery, Draíocht, Dublin, featured

cover edition”. The collection of

the work of artists Marie Connole and

documents such as videos, photographs,

Mary Noonan (17 Apr – 27 Jun). Through

interviews, sounds and stories have been

watercolour, drawing, installation and

amassed by the artists over two years of

mixed media both artists use the

travelling around the city. www.broadcastgallery.ie

IMMA. While Steel is very concrete and definite, Hoops is more like a transparent

FORSYTH AND POLLARD

funnel of air, very light and floating".

Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard exhibited

individual body as a means of understanding and exploring the external world. As the gallery notes explain “Memory and the recurring fascinations formed through this

Prior to this show, John Cronin’s

two works recently at Void, Derry (21

‘New Paintings’ was show at the gallery

Apr – 29 May). Forsyth and Pollard’s

(1 May – 30 May).

exhibition, curated by Maoliosa Boyle,

imaginative and often humorous

included Walking After Acconci (Redirected

manner.”

www.greenonredgallery.com

KILKENNY SHIFT The Butler Gallery, Kilkenny hosted an exhibition of the multi-media works of Welsh artist Tim Davies (2 May – 14 Jun). For this exhibition, Davies spent time exploring Kilkenny Castle, and delved into issues around its social, historical, geographical and cultural location. A DVD work resulted from this

Castle, taking a static shot of each individual step. Also among the exhibits was Between a rock and a hard place, a work that employs postcards, a form that he has used in the past. Davies

David Stalling. www.farpointrecordings.com

Aidan Crotty – work on show at Eigse, Carlow.

The Éigse Carlow Arts Festival returned to celebrate the 30th year of this annual arts and culture festival recently (13 Jun – 21 Jun). The festival visual arts programme was hosted throughout Carlow town in locations such as, Carlow IT, St. Patrick’s College, and the new Plaza Shamrock Square in Carlow and

‘Aquila’ featured new works in sculpture, painting and printmaking by Mary Lavelle Burke, Ronan Halpin, Amanda Mac Mahon, Günther Beckers, John Mc Hugh, René Böll, Margo Mc Nulty, ClausDieter Geissler, Kim Hye Mee, Dorothee Freitag, Margaret Morrisson, Willem Van Goor and Francis Van Maele. www.rhenaniakunsthaus.de

encounter are reworked in a sensitive,

Sealy. www.eigsecarlow.ie

LATENT CONNECTIONS ‘Latent Connections’ was an exhibition of work by three artists, Sinéad Curran, Pallas Contemporary Projects (4 Jun – 6 Jun). The press release describes how the

event considered for inclusion

possibility and non action, presented by

in the round-up section, simply

means of light, video and temporary

e-mail text and images to the

fragile structures”. According to the

editor (jason@visualartists.ie).

artists, they “reconstruct and re-present social situations and unrealised spaces

■■ Your text details / press release

as a means of re-addressing these

should include: venue name,

concerns or making visible that which

location, dates and a brief

has become invisible through a lack of

description of the work / event.

implementation, an impossibility or an

Note that ‘hard-copy’ cannot be

over-familiarity”.

accepted due to the volume of

Previously on show at the space

material that needs to be

was ‘Unsolicited Fabrications: Shareware

collated for this section of the

Sculptures’ a solo show by Stephanie

publication. Inclusion is not

Syjuco.

guaranteed, but we aim to give

everyone a fair chance.

www.pallasprojects.org

Art’, an exhibition of seven new sound

presented an exhibition exploring

the artist Vito Acconci’s installation

works by artists David Bickley, Jenny

contemporary Polish culture as part of

Walk-Over, 1973. The press release states

Brady and Andrew Fogarty, Maeve

the year long, UK wide Polish Season.

“the artists worked closely with two

Collins, Michael Doocey, Aileen Lambert,

‘Agent Absurd’ (1 May – 7 Jun)

young MC’s, Plan B and Miss Odd Kidd to

Paul McAree and Fiona Reilly ran at

endeavoured “to bring to Belfast some of

update the script and re-shoot the video,

Draíocht, Dublin (17 Apr – 27 Jun). As

liberally adopting the style and aesthetic

the press release explained, “our

of urban music video”.

relationship and response to sound and different contexts, some private, some

CONSTELLATIONS

public. From reverb to high pitch, from

Dublin Art Collective, Eek presented

sounds of the sea to a cityscape, this

‘Constellations’, the first in a series of

exhibition will explore the familiar and

collaborative projects exploring the

the surprising.” www.draiocht.ie

■■ To have your exhibition or

artists address “the tensions between

AGENT ABSURD

our experience of listening is explored in

Get into The Roundup

Elaine Hurley and Suzannah Vaughan at

(Misdirected Reproaches), a re-working of

& art at Thisisnotashop, Dublin (17 Apr

Cologne, Germany (16 Apr – 26 Apr).

MacDonagh, Eddie Kennedy and Una

The Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast

relationship between the written word

work to the Kunsthause Rhenania in

Moss, Joan Coen, Adam Bohann, Eileen

Also on show was ‘Sounds Like

www.derryvoid.com www.iainandjane.com

recently brought an exhibition of their

Sutton Taylor, Chris Carter, Richard

Approaches) and Walking Over Acconci

research, in which Davies photographed one of the servant’s staircases in the

joined by guests Anthony Kelly and

including Nick Evans, Sinéad Aldridge,

Kobas Laksa, Julita Wojcik, Jacek

Broadcast Gallery, DIT, Dublin (24 Apr –

performance from The Quiet Club,

featured a variety of works by artists

were Pawel Althamer, Arthur Zmijewski,

Denis Connolly recently ran at the

Martin (4 Jun – 4 Jul). Describing his

New York. The eight-part performance

(7 May – 6 Jun). The exhibiting artists

‘Moving Dublin’ by Anne Cleary and

a solo exhibition of new work by Fergus

installation, based on recordings from a multi-part performance performed in

ENERGY CLASS B

MOVING DUBLIN

Green On Red Gallery, Dublin presented

Dr Francis Halsall from NCAD and a WE THE PEOPLE... 4

www.ormeaubaths.co.uk

Fergus Martin Hoops

event included a short introduction by

had been working on since 2005, which

recently held an exhibition of work by six emerging Irish artists. ‘It Goes On’

www.gtgallery.co.uk

the most challenging art being made in

■■ Our criteria is primarily to

ensure that the roundup

section has a good regional

spread and represents a

diversity of forms of practice,

from a range of artists at all

stages in their careers.

Poland today featuring, Little Red Riding Hood, a miner, and a minor earthquake!”

■■ Priority is given to events taking

according to the press release. The work

place within Ireland, but do let

ranges from installation, objects, to film

us know if you are taking part

and video.

in a significant international

event.

The previous show in the space was Benjamin de Burca’s ‘Uncertain Refuge’ an exhibition of photographic work at the venues project space (2 Apr – 16 Apr).

8

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

NEWS

News Printed Project SUCCESS in Venice

The audience at the Printed Project 11 launch.

Homi K Bhabha speaking at the Printed Project launch

Gao Shiming speaking at the PP11 launch

Sarat Maharaj, Charles Esche and Homi K Bhabha

Daniel Birnbaum (standing) at the PP11 launch

Sales and networking – PP11 launch.

The current edition of Printed Project, issue 11, (which VAI members have received with this copy of the VAN) was recently previewed to much acclaim, at a launch / discussion event at the Venice Biennale. Sarat Maharaj, the curator / editor of the edition, invited a panel of high profile theorists and curators, including members of the international jury of the biennale, to respond to the issues and themes covered in the publication. Entitled ‘Farewell to Post-Colonialism’, Printed Project 11 considers the demise of western cultural and economic dominance and focuses on the proliferation of cultural debate and activity – in the form of large scale biennale type projects and exhibitions, taking place across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean.

The launch event, took place 12.30 – 14.30 on 5 June at Istituto Santa Maria della Pietá – the Irish exhibition space in Venice. The esteemed panellists were – Sarat Maharaj (Professor of Art History & Theory at Goldsmiths College and Professor of Visual Art and Knowledge Systems, Lund University, Sweden); Chris Dercon (Director, Haus der Kunst, Munich); Charles Eshe ( Director of the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven); Daniel Birnbaum (Rector of the Staedelschule international art academy, Frankfurt and curator of the 53rd Venice Biennale ‘Making Worlds’); Homi K Bhabha (Professor of English and American Literature & Language and Director of the Humanities Center, Havard University).; Gao Shiming (Deputy Director of the Advanced School of Art and Humanities, China Academy of Art). Noel Kelly, VAI CEO introduced and chaired the discussion.

An audio recording of the discussion can accessed at www.printedproject.ie The event was supported by Culture Ireland, The Arts Council, The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, The British Council. VAI also wishes to specially thank Caoimhín Corrigan, Commissioner/Curator of Ireland Venice 2009 for hosting and facilitating the launch. Jason Oakley, VAI Publications Manger organised the event in collaboration with Dorothee Albrecht, co-curator /editor of Printed Project 11.

Printed Project is a curated contemporary art journal, based in Dublin, Ireland. It is published twice a year by Visual Artists’ Ireland. Each issue is directed by a specially invited curator / editors. Printed Project is a unique publication, that presents in-depth debate, critique and analysis. Now in its 11th edition, Printed Project is a critically well-regarded visual arts journal with a steadily growing international profile. www.printedproject.ie

VAI ARTISTS’ CHARTER PROJECT Most not for profit publicly funded galleries and many private ones put on exhibitions solely for the purpose of making the work of an artist or group of artists available for public view. These form a ‘once off’ arrangement whereby the gallery and the artist work together with the gallery as the exhibition organiser and in some cases as a commissioner. Although ‘once-off’ exhibitions are common, agreeing their detailed arrangements is not a simple matter and misunderstandings between gallery and artist often occur, particularly when a written agreement is not used - which is usually the case. This can be detrimental and costly to the gallery, the artist and the public, and needs to be avoided.

It is therefore a goal of this project to prepare a charter document that sets a number of points of reference that not for profit publicly funded arts organisations will work towards so as to develop a common code of practice to work to.

We are calling on interested parties to register their interest with us to take part in a public consultation on the contents of this document, and to support its implementation across the country. To register your interest please contact Visual Artists Ireland at : info@visualartists.ie

AICA Congress The fourth AICA (International Association of Art Critics) Congress was held in Dublin in 1953. In the post-war era there was a great suspicion of the value of science within culture given the horrors of the previous decade. Now over fifty years later Dublin once again hosts the AICA Congress and will re-visit the theme from a 21st century perspective, at a time when the field of Art and Science has become firmly rooted across artistic disciplines.

The Congress aims to address the many contemporary theories and approaches within art and science from a fresh and independent critical perspective. With the dearth of new terminology, corporate funding, government initiatives, new venues both real and virtual, the question is not whether art can be science or viceversa,but how has the production of knowledge benefited from these avenues of cultural research and investigation?

The question arises as to how art criticism can engage critically with this phenomenon outside of curatorial and / or instrumental perspectives. What discourses or aspects of enquiry have been over-looked or side-lined within recent discussions and practices? This call for papers invites submissions from the widest possible range of disciplines within contemporary art criticism and art practice.This could include topics and approaches from Technology as Art as Science; New Media and Net.Art; Psychoanalysis; Art, Politics and Science; Art and Climate; Body Art and Biotechnology; (Art) Historical Perspectives; Supporting Agencies, Festivals, Biennales; as well as submissions from Artist and Curatorial Practitioners.

The forty-third AICA Congress and General Assembly will take place in Dublin Castle, Ireland 25 – 31 October, 2009. Further information is available from the AICA Ireland website. www.aica.ie

CANELL Gets BASEL Prize Mother’s Tankstation gallery, Dublin has announced that Nina Canell has been awarded one of this year’s two prestigious Bâloise Art Prizes at Art 40 Basel. Canell received the prize for her work Soon You Will Have Forgotten All Things, And Soon All Things Will Have Forgotten You which was presented at Art 40 Basel by Mother’s tankstation.

In addition to a substantial financial prize, the award commissions a new body of work which will form a solo exhibition at the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna in September 2010. www.baloise.com

RESEARCH ON ARTISTS As part of joint research being undertaken by the Arts Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, independent consultancy firm Hibernian Consulting have been commissioned to conduct extensive research into the living and working conditions of the

professional artist on the island of Ireland.

Hibernian Consulting are leading a team that also includes Insight Statistical Consulting and Dr. Clare McAndrew, who has built an international reputation in the field of artists in the economy, taxation and benefits.

The research for this joint project is being undertaken in order to establish an up-to-date evidence base that will be used to inform government funding decisions, effect changes in the regulatory environment for artists, and to modify policy and funding strategies within the Councils themselves. A detailed context paper, Research into the Living and Working Conditions of Artists in Ireland has been prepared and is available from the Arts Council’s website.

This is the first study of its kind to be enacted since 1979. Research will take place during the remainder of 2009 with anticipated completion and publication of the commission’s findings in 2010 www.artscouncil.ie www.artscouncil-ni.org

ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE ARTS The Arts Council recently published a new document on animal welfare in the arts. Framework for the Welfare of Animals Presented in the Arts strives to ensure that the welfare needs of animals presented as part of both classical circus shows and visual artworks and events are met. www.artscouncil.ie/Publications/AC_Animal_ Framework_ENG_Web.pdf

126 ARTISTS FOR BLANKSPACE 126 in Galway have announced the lineup of artists who will exhibit with 126 at Blankspace gallery in Oakland, California from 6 August 2009. An open call for the exhibition ‘How Do You Know?’ was put out in February.

The selected artists are – Vera Klute, Paul Murnaghan, Padraig Robinson, Christopher Banahan, Jackie Nickerson, Emma Houlihan, Adelle Hickey, Bernie Masterson, Emmet Kierans, Fiona Chambers, John Jones, Theresa Nanigan, Paul Hickey, Helena O’Connor, Tanya O’Keefe and James Luke Hayes. www.126.ie

SCULPTOR ON HONOURS LIST Mr. John Anthony Sherlock, a sculptor from Newtownabbey in Co. Antrim, was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List on Saturday 13 June 2009 for services to the visual arts in Northern Ireland. In the announcement he was conferred with the title Officer of the civil division of the most excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE).

ROUND 1 BURSARY AWARDS The Arts Council recently announced its decisions on the first round of Bursary Awards for 2009. A total of €669,539 was offered to 69 individuals.

Arts Council bursaries aim to support professional artists working in any context or in any artform at all stages of their careers in the development of their arts practice. Bursary Awards allow artists to buy the space and time needed to concentrate on a body of work

and provide the equipment, facilities and third party expertise to develop their practice. Recipients can receive up to a maximum of €15,000 per year through the Bursary Award scheme.

To view the individuals in receipt of funding in Round 1 of the Bursary Awards 2009 please go to the decisions database on the Arts Council website, select ‘Bursary Award’ from the ‘Fund’ menu, then select the year ‘2009’ and click on ‘Search’. www.artscouncil.ie

NEW IMMA JOURNAL Irish Museum of Modern Art recently launched Boulevard Magenta, a new bi-annual arts and literary publication featuring contributions by visual artists, architects and writers. Inspired by the inclusively of early international avantgarde magazines, the journal is intended to underscore the multi-disciplinary nature of IMMA’s exhibition policy.

Boulevard Magenta is the brain child of IMMA Director Enrique Juncosa and the first issue is edited by Juncosa and Seán Kissane, Curator: Exhibitions at IMMA. Named after a street in Paris, the inaugural edition of the publication includes contributions by Francesco Clemente, Seamus Heaney, Nalini Malani, David Mitchell, Sean Scully, Colm Tóibín, Czeslaw Milosz, architectural firm Amanda Levete Architects, Tran Anh Hung and Kevin Volans, amongst others. Copies are available via IMMA’s website and at the Museum bookshop, priced €25. www.imma.ie

ROI AT VENICE The Irish Pavilion at the 53rd International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia presents Irish representatives Sarah Browne, Gareth Kennedy and Kenny Browne at Istituto Santa Maria della Pietá Calle della Pietá, Castello 3701, from 7 June to 22 November 2009.

A preview and press reception to launch the exhibition was held at 5pm on Friday 5 June 2009.

Curated by Irish Commissioner Caoimhín Corrigan (Arts Officer of Leitrim County Council and curator of The Dock in Carrick-on-Shannon), Ireland’s presentation at the 2009 Venice Biennale seeks to foreground two artists (but three practices) for whom an engagement of and with people is central to their practice.

Sarah Browne has commissioned a bespoke hand-knotted carpet from Donegal Carpets and produced a video piece documenting discussions with workers at the factory. Since graduating from NCAD Sarah Browne has participated in projects, residencies and artist exchanges in Ireland, Japan, Iceland, and the UK. She has also presented her work in Poland and China.

In 2006 she was awarded the Apexart international residency in New York.

Gareth Kennedy investigates the cultural capital associated with music from Ireland by inviting buskers transplanted from Dublin city centre to the Docklands area of the city to recreate

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

9

July – August 2009

NEWS their performances in Venice. Kennedy has previously exhibited in Ireland, England, Scotland, USA and Thailand.

Although grounded within his background as a sculptor, his practice embraces contemporary realities inherent within economic, environmental, social and aesthetic realities.

At Venice 2009 Kennedy Browne, the collaborative partnership of Sarah Browne & Gareth Kennedy that authors work distinct from their solo practices, presents a new video work addressing Dublin as a city of 167 languages and ‘the city Google chose’ for its EMEA operations. www.sarahbrowne.info www.gkennedy.info www.kennedybrowne.com www.irelandvenice.ie

NI AT VENICE The Northern Ireland Pavilion at the 53rd International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia presents ‘Remote Viewing’, a solo exhibition of work by Northern Ireland representative Susan MacWilliam at Istitute Provinciale Per L’Infanzia, Santa Maria della Pieta, Calle de la Pieta, Castello, 3703A. The exhibition opened with a press preview at 10am on Thursday 4 June 2009.

‘Remote Viewing’presents three video installations by Susan MacWilliam curated by Karen Downey. Dermo Optics (2006) is an account of MacWilliam’s visit to the Dermo Optical Laboratory of Dr Yvonne Duplessis in Paris, where the artist participated in experiments testing ‘fingertip vision’; Eileen (2008) explores the social world of Eileen Garrett, Irish medium and founder of the Parapsychology Foundation in New York; and a major new work commissioned especially for Venice, F-LA-M-M-A-R-I-O-N (2009), which draws on the TG Hamilton Spirit Photograph Archive in Winnipeg and features Belfast poet and writer Ciaran Carson and Atlanta-based poltergeist investigator Dr. William Roll.

Susan Mac William has exhibited extensively and has recently taken part in residencies in both New York and Winnipeg. She is a full-time lecturer in the Painting Department of the National College of Art and Design and is a Board member of Visual Artists Ireland.

The exhibition is accompanied by the launch of the book Remote Viewing (144pp, ed. Karen Downey, designed by Pony Ltd. Writers: Ciaran Carson, Brian Dillon, Martha Langford, Slavka Sverakova, Marina Warner). Now available from Black Dog Publishing, Amazon and other outlets. www.blackdogonline.com/all-books susan-macwilliam.html www.susanmacwilliam.com

painting, wall drawing, drawing and Lego picture. The themes of Štrukelj’s artistic practice arise from a fascination with media-manipulated images and expand into the iconography of anonymous urban topography, and the isolated, quiet presence of the human figure”. Miha Štrukelj (1973, Ljubljana) work is currently artist-in-residence at ISCP in New York – in 2007 he was based at the Firestation Artists Studios, Dublin JUNCOSA CURATES AT VENICE Enrique Juncosa, Director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, is curator of the Spanish Pavilion at the 53rd International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, on show from 7 June to 22 November 2009. Mallorcan artist Miquel Barcelé, winner of the Spanish National Visual Arts Prize in 1986 and Prince of Asturias Arts Prize in 2003, is representing Spain at the Biennale. www.imma.ie

RHA AWARDS Introduced by Stephen McKenna PRHA and Academy Secretary David Crone RHA, on Sunday 24 May 2009 the RHA Annual Prizegiving Ceremony took place in the atrium of the RHA Gallagher Gallery on Ely Place in Dublin 2.

This year’s ceremony saw artists exhibiting in the 179th RHA Annual exhibition presented with 15 awards.

The Hennessy Craig Scholarship was awarded to Ann Quinn, Tim Millen and Gabhann Dunne; The Curtin O’Donoghue Photography Prize worth €7,500 to Jackie Nickerson; The IrelandUS Council & Irish Arts Review Portrait Prize of €5,000 to Jonathan Dalton; and The AXA Insurance Prize for Drawing valued at €5,000 was presented to Joe Dunne.

Other prizewinning artists included Patrick O’Reilly, Francis Matthews, Patricia Burns, Colin Davidson, Redmond Herrity, Michelle Considine, Rita Duffy, Willie Evesson, Marc Reilly, Patrick Horan and Eilis O’Connell.

The RHA Annual Exhibition 2009 will be on show at the gallery until 25 July 2009. www.royalhibernianacademy.com

BANGKOK TRIENNALE Three Irish artists were selected to represent the country at the 2nd Bangkok Triennale International Print & Drawing Exhibition which took place at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre in Thailand in June 2009. The artists chosen to exhibit their work were printmakers Daryl Slein and Laura Hazel McMorrow, and Samuel Walsh, who showed drawing wok on paper. www.interprint.su.ac.th

VAI CEO CURATES IN VENICE VAI CEO Noel Kelly co-curated, the Slovenian exhibition at this year’s Venice Biennale – working alongside the curator Alenka Gregoric . Slovenia is represented at the Biennale by an exhibition of works

by Miha Štrukelj. As the press release for the show outlines, the exhibition has been “conceived as a total artwork and based on four thematic levels and media:

PRINTMAKERS IN CONNECTICUT Seven Irish printmakers were selected to exhibit their work as part of the 7th International Mini Print Biennial in the Center of Contemporary Printmaking in Connecticut, America, from 28 May to 15 August 2009.

Printmakers Catriona Leahy, Jenna Kirkwood and Paula Pohli exhibited

alongside Fine Art Print students from NCAD – Esther Breslin, Lisa Dunne, Rachel Likely and Sarah Gordon www.contemprints.org

ARTS COUNCIL’S EVENT GUIDE The Arts Council of Ireland’s new event guide has gone live at www.events. artscouncil.ie and is ready for its official launch. The service aims to provide information on current arts events countrywide and to encourage public attendance and participation.

The Arts Council requests that individuals and funded organisations submit information on public events for inclusion in the new online guide. The site provides users with the ability to search for arts events by category (e.g.

Literature, Film, Visual Arts & Architecture), location by county, or by date. Full details of how to submit events for inclusion in the guide’s listings is available online from: www.artscouncil.ie/Publications/Instructions%20 for%20event%20calendar.pdf www.events.artscouncil.ie

ARTLINKS AWARDS In mid-May, ArtLinks announced the names of the five cultural practitioners, including three artists, who will each receive an ArtLinks Bursary Award of €5,000.

The five ArtLinks Bursary Awards of €5,000 were awarded to Gwen Wilkinson, documentary photographer from Co. Carlow; Tunde Toth, fibre and paper artist and course facilitator from Co. Kilkenny; Sharanne Long, documentary filmmaker, photographer and installation artist from Co. Wexford; Corina Duyn, writer and illustrator from Co. Waterford; and Annette Cleary, classical musician and educator from Co. Wicklow.

ArtLinks is a free five-county partnership initiative, supporting and profiling more than 1,200 members from Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. www.artlinks.ie

ANDREW DODDS AT AIRFIELD DLR Arts and the Airfield Trust recently announced that London-based artist Andrew Dodds is the recipient of the Airfield Residency 2009.

The residency, worth a total of €12,000, will see Dodds engage with Airfield’s rich archive to create an immersive ‘social sculpture’ within Airfield’s grounds in Dundrum, Dublin 14. The work will tease out links between cultural and ‘natural’ histories, with a specific focus on Airfield’s recent past.

The sculpture and a series of participatory public events will take place between 22 and 31 July 2009.

Originally from Belfast, Andrew Dodds is now based in London where he received an MA from the Slade School of Fine Art. His work incorporates a wide range of methods and media and is usually made for a particular place or time. Previous projects have included installation, sculpture, sound, video and talking birds and his practice is concerned with uncovering the social

and political resonances often hidden within landscape representation. His work has been commissioned and exhibited widely at many public galleries, artist-run spaces and sites outside the gallery. www.andrewdodds.com www.airfield.ie www.dlrcoco.ie/arts

PALLAS – NEW DIRECTORS On Tuesday 12 May 2009, Pallas Contemporary Projects announced that after 13 years, co-founder Brian Duggan was leaving his position as Director and Curator at Pallas.

Throughout his time with Pallas Heights, Studios and Projects, Duggan organised 49 exhibitions and played a vital role in the development of PCP. His work was instrumental in helping Pallas play its part in the contemporary Irish art scene, and Pallas have expressed their thanks to him for his years of service. In the future he will be focusing on his own artistic projects full-time, but will retain his position on the board of Pallas Contemporary Projects.

Meanwhile, co-founder and Director Mark Cullen will be joined by artist Gavin Murphy as Co-director of PCP, and artist Fiona Chambers will continue her role as Assistant Studios and Gallery Manager. In a statement issued at the time Brian Duggan thanked Mark Cullen, Gavin Murphy and the artists who he worked with over the years, as well as the Arts Council and Dublin City Council for their valued support of Pallas Contemporary Projects. www.brianduggan.net www.pallasprojects.org

HALLWARD AWARD The winner of this year’s Hallward Award, presented annually by the Hallward Gallery to an artist exhibiting in the annual ‘Sculpture at the Hallward’ open submission exhibition, was announced at the opening of the Hallward’s new exhibition space, Hallward 2, on 7 May 2009.

The Hallward Award 2009 was awarded to Mark Ryan for his work Farmyard Line Drawing. Ryan receives the €1,500 prize and will exhibit his work in a solo show at Hallward 2 in 2010/2011. The other nominations for the Hallward Award 2009 were Michael Keane for his work Kontra, Ken Drew’s Beech Turn, and Neither Here Nor There by Alan Ardiff. www.hallwardgallery.com

AOSDÁNA NEW MEMBERS Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland, elected 8 new members, including 2 visual artists, at its annual General Assembly which was held at the National Gallery on Merrion Square on Wednesday 6 May 2009.

The new members are writers Mary Dorcey, Christine Dwyer Hickey, Colum McCann, Maurice Scully and Gerard Smyth, musician Louis Stewart, and visual artists Gary Coyle and John Gibbons. This brings the current membership of Aosdána, which was established by the Arts Council in 1981

to honour artists whose work has made an outstanding contribution to the arts in Ireland, to 235.

BUSINESS TO ARTS AWARDS The winners of the Allianz Business to Arts Awards 2009 were announced on Wednesday 6 May 2009. The 2009 Awards were presented at a Winners’ Lunch which hosted by the Office of Public Works at Castletown House, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, on 20 May 2009.

Each year Dublin Airport Authority commission an artist to create the suite of seven sculptures which are awarded to the winning companies, and this year the awards designed by commissioned artist Cheryl Brown were be presented

by President Mary McAleese.

This year’s winners included Bord na Móna and Sculpture in the Parklands for Corporate (Cultural) Social Responsibility, Strawberry Hill Creative and Mundipharma Ireland’s ‘Cancer Tales’ for Best Use of Creativity, Roscommon County Council Arts Office’s Art@work residency programme with Arigna Fuels, Bank of Ireland, FDK Engineering, Feelystone, Gleesonís Guesthouse and Molloy’s Bakery for Best Sponsorship by Small to Medium Enterprises, and artist Paul Meade with the Irish Council for Bio-Ethics, who won the Jim McNaughton / TileStyle €10,000 Bursary for Commissioned Artists. www.businesstoarts.ie

TULCA 2009 CURATOR On Wednesday 29 April 2009 the Tulca Board of Directors announced independent curator Helen Carey as curator of Tulca 2009.

Now based in Dublin, Helen Carey was formerly the inaugural Director of the Centre Cultural Irlandais in Paris, Director of the Galway Arts Centre, and Public Art Project Manager at Bristol Landmark Millennium Project. She is currently working on several exhibitions and projects both in Ireland and internationally.

Tulca 2009 will take place in Galway from 6 to 22 November 2009.

Tulca is an annual season of contemporary visual art exhibitions, live-art performances, talks and discussions that takes place in Galway city and county. It aims to offer opportunities to local, national and international artists, and promote Galway as a meeting point for artists.

More information on the Tulca 2009 programme will be available online in the coming months. www.tulca.ie

MORE NEWS Further news on the latest developments in the arts sector can found on the Visual Artists Irelands website – www.visualartists.ie/sfr_ news.html and the E-Bulletin – the VAI's free information email information service (to register go to – www.visualartists.ie/sfr_ ebulletin.html)

10

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

VAI PROJECTS

Meeting along the long front of culture Ben GEOGHegAN OFFERS some critical reflections relating to ‘The role of the Curator in the career of the Artist?’ at Galway City Museum (3 April) – an event organiSed as part of the VAI’s Professional Development Training Programme photography, painting, etching, bronze casting, video editing, computer graphics etc, that are concerned with exploring and exploiting the specific qualities of the medium / technology. On the other hand discourse specific practices, are led by the various contexts and ideas the artists is working with – the mediums can be various and moreover the themes of interest may not necessarily follow a linear logic.

In relation to this Foster cites the critic Leo Steinberg’s observation in the 1960s, based on a critique of Robert Rauschenberg’s work, that art practice was shifting from “a vertical model of picture-as-window to the horizontal model of picture-as-text – from a natural paradigm of image as framed landscape to a cultural paradigm of image as informational network, which he regarded as inaugural of postmodernist art making”.

Foster uses Steinberg’s analysis as the basis of a rather neat schematic model for contemporary ‘discourse specific’ art. Foster referred to “a horizontal broadening of artistic engagement across the long front of culture” which serves as the inspiration for the diagram I devised to accompany this article.

It was going to be a grand day out.

The chairperson, Mike Fitzpatrick, and the panellists – Tara Byrne, Caoimhín Corrigan Fiona Woods, Dobz O’Brien of ArtnotArt, Neva Elliott and Lynn Harris – along with an array of delegates (artists, curators and interested parties) were coming from all over the country to arrive in Galway’s newest visual arts venue – The Galway City Museum. The first Friday of April was wet, very wet, and as I donned my wet gear I remember walking to the Museum thinking, "that’s what will go back around the country, how wet it was in Galway" and "it always rains in Galway".

I must confess, that initially I hadn’t paid a huge amount of attention to the question which formed the events title – “the role of the curator in the career of the artist?” I was going simply because there would be artists and curators talking about art stuff.

But some interesting thoughts began to quickly form in my mind. Is it fair to imply that the role of the curator is to enhance the career of the artist? What if we reverse the semantics? Couldn’t it also be asked, “what is the role of the artist in the career of the curator?” Who is pimping who and to what end? Furthermore, both versions of the question seem to suggest a collaborative condition – but between what type of artist and what type of curator?

There are many factors at play in the assorted relationships between artists and curators. Some are business-like – related to money and marketing. While others are philosophical and reflective.

All these factors determine the terms of exchange and the outcomes.

Combined effort, knowledge, expertise, insight, social networks and a large helping of trust allow for the realisation of artworks and curatorial projects. The shared aims are progression; intensification – further improvement of the quality and value of the activities undertaken by either one or both parties. But the criteria for appraising these undertakings are as varied and as complex as the myriad of possible interrelations between artists and curators.

The dominant ideological system used to decipher a successful contemporary artists or curators practice is the length and breadth of CV; the amount of books, catalogues, periodical reviews; shows in galleries and biennales; rounded out in later years with retrospectives generally hosted in national institutions. The final significant endorsements may be from public institutions, and somewhere in this mix is also the role of commercial institutions. And also mixed up with this, is the function of non-commercial artist / curator led spaces – because artists and curators nowadays work across both private commercial and public spaces.

Each interaction between the various agents (artists, curators, directors, cultural brokers, facilitators and art strategists, or any combination of these roles) inform future engagements with individual agents and institutions. This system seems hierarchical and

very competitive – with a small number of artists achieving this variety of career success. Only a minority of artists’ practices will gain this type of sophisticatedly mediated recognition. None the less, a fair majority of artists will still experience a broad range of contacts throughout their careers.

The panel for ‘The role of the Curator in the career of the Artist?’ was similar in make-up to the majority of the presentation panellists I have been to over the past few years (1). In that it comprised of people working either within or partly involved with publicly funded institutions. Often, this can result in a recurring focus on a set of issues particular to the public realm – the mechanics of administration; notions of good and bad public practice; debates around the ‘instrumentation’ of art practices in light of funding and policy goals.

These are of course all important topics of conversation. However, what seems to be missing from these types of events is discussion, which throws light on the seemingly furtive workings of commercial spaces and their relationship to public cultural institutions. After all, many commercial spaces receive public funds from Culture Ireland to support their presence at overseas art fairs – as well as having works purchased from the Office or Public Works. More indirectly, their artists can benefit from Arts Council funding or publicly funded residencies and commissions.

Moreover at this event there were no gallerists or agents represented amongst the delegates at the event. This is probably due to a fundamental kind of ‘filter system of agency’ – i.e. this part of the community did not think it important or relevant to attend. I think that another big day out would provide the opportunity for the commercial sector of the arts community to converse some pertinent issues, but that’s something for another rainy day.

A shower of confusion may call for some larger umbrellas.

If it hasn’t been clear to the reader so far, for the sake of clarity, the type of curator under discussion at this event was the contemporary, active, creative, critical definition of a curator – rather than the more custodial, care-taking role of old.

During the break away sessions of ‘The role of the curator in the career of the artist?’ three key and interlinked issues arose. Firstly there seemed to be some confusion as to what contemporary curators actually do – and secondly what the differences between independent and institutional curators might be. Thirdly, the view was expressed that curators seemed increasingly to be overlooking more traditional forms of visual arts practice.

In the chapter entitled The Artist as Ethnographer in Hal Foster’s The Return of the Real (2), Foster proposes two concepts, which to my mind are very useful in addressing all of these questions. Foster makes a distinction between two forms of art practices – ‘Medium specific’ and ‘discourse specific’. Medium specific art practices, be they

The break out sessions of ‘The role of the curator in the career of the artist?’, including a ‘speed-dating’ styled networking session proved to be very valuable. Between juggling the small triangular sandwiches, chicken wings and cups of coffee provided in the breaks, informal oneon-one conversations drew like minds together to suggest possible interpretations, working combinations, and arrangements for future plans.

Through these conversations, the various types of artists and curators could make sense of their common interests and these in turn become solutions – if only temporarily. The speed-dating activity allowed for a particularly pro-active engagement by various practitioners; enabling them to seek out the conversations appropriate for their practice. At these breakout events the conversations crucially included plotting plans for further meetings and dialogues.

To sum up, umbrellas are handy, particularly when in Galway.

Discourse specific practice has a lot in common with contemporary curatorial practice – many of the skills employed to engage with various sites of enquiry appear in both practices. Both discourse specific artists and contemporary curators, change between and manage various roles as part of a broad, encompassing practices.

Furthermore, I would suggest that, as collaborators, both parties are agents and catalysts of production – be that either concrete or abstract; and moreover that they have a shared interest in each other’s practice.

But where does this leave the medium-specific artist? The suggestion that many curators, independent and otherwise are not engaging with traditional, medium specific artists does have a certain weight to it. A number of delegates at this event agreed that curators are currently more interested in what could be broadly described as discourse specific practices.

This may be the cause of some animosity between medium specific artists and their discourse specific colleagues and curators.

Media specific artists are in a venerable position as the current ‘ecology of the art community’ places more value on broader explorative and research based art practice.

Where this leaves medium specific artists has only one of two answers in the long run. A) The death of this particular approach to art-making by natural causes, as the ecology of the art community evolves; or B) A re-examination of the relationship between the two approaches allowing a median, overarching ‘umbrella’ position, moderated by both.

Perhaps the time is now ripe for a re-examination of the differences and similarities between the notion of medium and discourse specific practice. I think an opportunity exists for these three groupings – media specific; discourse specific and contemporary curatorial practitioners – to find working relationships.

Ben Geoghegan Notes (1) The full details of the panel – Mike Fitzpatrick, Director Limerick City Gallery; Tara Byrne, former director National Sculpture Foundation (NSF) and Curator; Caoimhín Corrigan current Commissioner for Ireland at the Venice Biennale and Local Authority Arts Officer Leitrim County Council; Fiona Woods Artist-Curator; Dobz O’Brien of ArtnotArt and recently appointed programme manager at NSF; Neva Elliott and Lynn Harris Artist-Curators.

(2) For example – ‘Do you speak Art? Cork (2007) ‘Art and the Life World’, Ballymun (2008), ‘Mueseum21, IMMA (2008), ‘Global Modernities’, Tate London (2009), and ‘Curatorial Sessions, Project’ (2009)’.

(3) Hal Foster, The return of the real: the avant-garde at the end of the century Massachusetts: An October Book, 1996.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

11

PROJECT PROFILE

Do we still need the F word?

Megan Johnston DIRECTOR OF THE MILLENNIUM COURT ARTS CENTRE, Portadown talks to THE GUERRILLA GIRLS about THEIR APPROACH AND PROCESS FOR CREATING ART AND THEIR NEWLY COMMISSIONED WORK INSPIRED BY THEIR RESEARCH INTO THE STATE OF AFFAIRS FOR WOMEN IN THE ARTS IN IRELAND.

different from the Guerrilla Girls’ work and artists whose work is similar; I count myself among the latter. That’s not a surprise, since, like Frida, I am one of the founders of the GGs and have been involved in pretty much everything we ever done.

FK: GG work is what I do collectively, when I focus outside myself on the world at large. My own art practice is what I do alone: it’s more introspective, about my individual life experience. Sometimes they overlap but both are necessary to do the other. GG work has empowered me not to take the art system so seriously. By its nature, it is unfair and unkind to artists: so many are called and so few are chosen. GG work has helped me detach my art practice from what the art world does with it.

MJ: In contemporary art today the notion of socially engaged art practice is not only understood but embraced. Do you think the Guerrilla Girls have contributed to this new wave of political art, e.g. art historians and social commentators like Grant Kestor’s ‘littoral art’ (1)?

FK & KK: Art and politics have always been intertwined, especially in the 20th century. We think we are a model for putting issues you really care about into your art practice. That’s true for other artists, but also for all sorts of people from 8 to 80 all over the world, who write us and tell us they are using our strategies in their activist work.

MJ: What kind of advise would you give artists working in Ireland today who want to create and engage with socio-political and / or economic issues utilising an activist-orientated process?

FK & KK: We are firm believers in failure, or rather, not worrying about failure. Try something, and if it doesn’t work out, try something else. We also say don’t just preach to the converted. Find new ways to say things, and new places to say them. The art system based on museums and collectors only grudgingly gives time and space to work that is seriously critical of it, especially of its economic structure. Side step the system and the media that follows it. Form artists’ collectives. Do street projects. Do internet culture jamming. There are lots of art worlds to pursue besides the one in Artforum and Flash Art.

The Guerrilla Girls – Frida Kahlo and Kathe Kollwitz photographed at the University of Ulster.

Formed in 1985, the Guerrilla Girls were influenced by the political movements of the 1960s and 1970s in the US, and were a part of the opposition to the backlash against the Feminist movement and, later, central to the dialogue responding to issues in post-Feminism and art.

The Guerrilla Girls explore such taboo subjects as feminism and fashion, attempting to achieve equality of the sexes and ‘races’ in art, politics, film, and popular culture, and so calling themselves the ‘Conscience of the art world’. They wear gorilla masks in public, to conceal their identities, and place the focus on issues rather than personalities, and work collectively and anonymously, to produce posters, films, billboards, public actions, books and other projects.

I first heard of the Guerrilla Girls while studying art history at the University of Minnesota in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The group served as a beacon of intelligent, socially engaged political art that spoke to a broad layer of young women (and men) dedicating our lives to art. Importantly, the activist art movement included artists and others who were engaging in art practice that ‘had something to say’.

Some of the exhibitions in Minneapolis that I worked on during this time included artists Carrie Mae Weams, Lorna Simpson, political posters from the former USSR, Helio Oiticica and Jacob Lawrence.

Artists such as Jenny Holzer and Magdalena Abakanowicz were commissioned to create sculpture in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. And Frank Gehry built his first Museum (the Weisman Art Museum) encouraging us all to see differently and think differently about art and architecture. Griselda Pollock was a visiting scholar at UofM, and many of us studied with her, where she not only expanded our knowledge of feminist art criticism, but also encouraged activism in our academic pursuits. There were also several gigs by the punk group the Riot Girls at First Avenue, where music, art and politics collided every weekend.

For those of us who were studying art history and art practice and volunteering and working in local museums and galleries, the Guerrilla Girls and artists like those mentioned above encouraged activism in the main spaces where we believed meaning, value and understanding was being constructed—in art practice, universities and the museums.

We thought art was a way of creating dialogue, meaning and had the capacity to reflect and influence thinking in society—and we believed that activism in art was essential.

Many people have asked why I commissioned the Guerrilla Girls to come to Ireland. A patient pause on my part usually allows the necessary time for individuals to consider the question and answer it themselves. You too can come to your own conclusions. There were, and are many motivations, however, the most important reason is to allow for, and to provide further, space for artists to ask socioeconomic, political and contextual questions that get us to think, talk and act in relation to the world we live in—to be creative human beings who are socially engaged.

Megan Johnston: The Guerrilla Girls’ artistic process to creating work is an activist-centred and statistic-based approach. Can you explain what that means?

Frida Kahlo and Kathe Kollwitz: We’ve found that the best way to get through to people is with facts, humour, and outrageous visuals. The Guerrilla Girls don’t do posters that, like a lot of political art, point to something and say, “This is bad.” We try to twist an issue around and present it in a way that hasn’t been seen before, in the hope of changing people’s minds. Making someone who doesn’t agree with you laugh is a hook we use over and over. We’ve created more than 100 posters, five books, billboards, actions, museum installations, etc., but we have no grand plan. We’ve done lots of work about discrimination in the art world. We’ve also done anti-war posters, works about the homeless, politics, social issues, Hollywood, female stereotypes, and the environment.

MJ: I think it’s important that we understand that there is a difference between your Guerrilla Girls artwork and your individual artistic practice – though as you have said there are overlaps. Do you consider the Guerrilla Girls posters and interventions as activist propaganda and how does it differ from your own individual artwork, particularly that which is political?

KK: I think of myself as two artists in one body. The first does the collaborative Guerrilla Girls’ work, and the other has an individual practice, but there are many connections in sensibility and strategy. In our group there have been artists whose own work is completely

MJ: The All Ireland Guerrilla Girls Research and New Work aims to be a lens through which power and powerlessness are identified, gender examined and issues about women in contemporary society are discussed. Can you give us a glimpse of what issues you might look at for the newly commissioned work on Ireland?

FK & KK: We had an amazing experience talking to artists, educators and curators all over Ireland last spring. One impression: we met lots of women who said, “I’m not a feminist”, but then began venting about all sorts of discrimination they encountered. So we think there’s something simmering under the surface that we can tap into.

The All Ireland Guerrilla Girls Research and New Work project is part of my curatorial vision, which centres on fundamental questions about art practice, its display and mediation. At MCAC our vision is about where visual culture and civil engagement converge with contemporary art practice and our curatorial process is rooted in collaboration— between artist and MCAC; between artist and notions of ‘space’ and ‘place’, and mediated between artwork and audience. The Guerrilla Girls project is a fantastic example of this kind of work and MCAC couldn’t, and importantly wouldn’t, create a project like this that wasn’t collaborative.

I believe that this project is historic and significant in relation to the museum and galleries of Ireland-both North and South. These seminal artists have something very important to reveal to us in the visual arts sector, as they comment on the status not only of artists who are female but also on gender, race, nationality and religion in contemporary society. To participate in the Guerrilla Girls project will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see art history in the making. We encourage all those who are interested in the All Ireland Guerrilla Girls project to check out our website (www.guerrillagirlstourireland.com) or email me directly (megan@millenniumcourt.org) to tell us what you think about: the state of play for women artists working today (in any area); women’s issues in Ireland; comments, questions or facts that you would like the Guerrilla Girls to know.

Megan Johnston The Guerrilla Girls Irish research project is a collaboration with Millennium Court Arts Centre, Portadown; the Glucksman Gallery, Cork; the University of Ulster, Belfast and the National College of Art & Design, Dublin. In April 2009 the Guerrilla Girls presented ‘gigs’ throughout Ireland as part of the research project that will inform the newly commissioned work. It will be shown at MCAC in October 2009 and the co-commissioning venues in 2010. For more information see the website www.guerrillagirlstourireland.com Note (1) Grant Kester Dialogical Aesthetics: A Critical Framework For Littoral Art . http://www.variant. randomstate.org/9texts/KesterSupplement.html www.guerrillagirls.com.

12

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

INTERNATIONAL Profile I had been in contact with the programme director / curator of Test! and the secretary by email for a number of weeks leading up to the event. Much of the organising was completed in advance of our arrival in Zagreb, with accommodation, meals and airport transfer arrangements provided. We were met at the airport by the secretary along with a number of volunteers who transported us to our accommodation and provided us with a welcome information pack, which included the exhibition programme, maps and traditional Croatian souvenirs. We were assigned a volunteer who was available as our guide to bring us throughout the city for the duration of our stay. The following morning our guide came to collect us and escort us to the galleries and student centre, which was the festival base. We met with the programme director and discussed the final arrangements for the installation of the work in the space. That night the festival opening was hosted at a bar located in the festival centre.

A learning experience for me was realising the importance of ensuring that all the instructions provided to the event organisers are fully understood. On arrival, I discovered that the sound element of my installation had been overlooked. The programme director appeared to have been unaware that any sound was to be installed when we met, even though this had been outlined by me in emailed instructions. In hindsight, it would have been better if we had followed up on my full final summary of requirements, with a phone Sinéad Curran, Who, What, installation view, SC Gallery, Zagreb.

conversation. I was also unaware that once the projectors were installed on the ceiling it would prove more difficult to introduce the sound equipment, but luckily at the time of my arrival they had not been installed yet.

The festival was attended by students from universities in Belgrade, Skopje, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Pristina, Sofia, Zagreb, UK and two from Ireland. The festival took place from 31 March until 4 April 2009, with an opening event on 31 March – and DJs sessions were organised in the student centre bar for each night of the festival. The

Elaine Hurley, Untitled, SC Gallery, Zagreb.

opening event may however have worked much better had the visual art exhibition opened the same night as the rest of the festival, instead this opened the following day.

My work was exhibited at SC Gallery, with other artists exhibiting in this space including Elaine Hurley, Roxanne Billamboz, Nevena Petro Pilizota, Vesna Rohacek, Natalijia Cosic and Gordana Ciric.

Elaine Hurley’s video installation Untitled, conveyed domestic tensions, through the repetition of looks and the ‘silent dialogue’ of body language. The work was based on the notion of home as an arena where subtle psychological power struggles are played out between men and women. Roxanne Billamboz’s video Remixes Tapes, explored cinematic conventions and the evocation of human loneliness. Nevena Petro Pilizota’s video installation Regusta, considered the ‘objectification’ Natalijia Cosic & Gordana Ciric, Documentary film, SC Gallery, Zagreb.

Nevena Petra Pilizota, Regesta, installation, SC Gallery, Zagreb.

Experiments and Tests Sinead Curran reports on ‘Test! 9+10’ an International Festival of Theatre and Multimedia held annually in Zagreb, Croatia (31March – 4 April 2009)

of the perception. Vesna Rohacek’s photographs – entitled Kapelanka’s Story, were based on the artist’s experience of living in Kapelanka, Krakow. Natalijia Cosic and Gordana Ciric’s Documentary Film focused on the village of Bolijev Dol, in the Stara Mountain, Serbia, where there are only two men left living.

Performance and theatre events also took place throughout each day and night in venues throughout the festival centre. I attended a daytime performance Counting Footsteps by Phonebox Theatre – a group of UK performance artists – on the first day, and on the second day I witnessed a memorable night-time performance by two Slovenian

, an annual international festival of theatre and multimedia

Zagreb has a population of one million and has seen rapid

actresses, entitled Vjecna Medikacija (Endless Medication). The audience

work that takes place in Zagreb each year, was founded in 2000.

development of the economy and transportation over the last decade

for Vjecna Medikacija were in hysterics – the work according to the

Originally set up as a festival for Croatian student work, the event has

or more. The centre is connected by an excellent tram system. The city

press release was “the story of Rosa, a girl who cannot weep, [...] gets a

since grown to become an international project. Test! brings together

is often called the museum city, reason being that the number of

visit from God, who tells her the new messiah is growing in her large

European and Croatian theatre, dance, performance; and more recently

museums per square meter in Zagreb is larger than in any other city in

intestine” (2). While I couldn’t understand the dialogue, the dramatic

music and multimedia artists who are at the beginning of their

the world. It has an excellent selection of museums and modern

outbursts from the audience and the onstage scenes more than made

creative careers. Test! is a member of the world student theatre

galleries, with a strong contemporary art scene. Since the Croatian

up for this.

organisation AITU / IUTA – and its aims include the promotion the

people achieved their independence in 1991, Zagreb became a capital,

Overall, the exhibition was very well-organised with frequent

creative potential of young artists in a non-competitive, thought-

a political and administrative centre for the Republic of Croatia, and

communication by email during the lead up to the show. However, I

provoking environment. It also promotes exchange projects bringing

the government has recently provided much of it arts funding to

do feel that there could have been more cohesion, between the visual

together art institutes and independent artists, and hosts conferences

Zagreb for this reason.

arts programme and the other strands of the festival. For example an

Test!

(1)

and workshops.

My proposal included the display of a two-channel video

introductory event where all the participants could have met would

In 2004 a multimedia programme was integrated into the festival,

installation, originally entitled Where Do I Belong, but as the work

have been beneficial. Nonetheless my experience of being a part of

allowing for the works of visual artists to be exhibited. My participation

developed it was renamed to Who, What. This installation comprised

Test! was a very positive one; and I especially appreciated the help of

in Test! 9+10 festival came about after I responded to an open

two projections, which were displayed side by side into corner walls. It

the volunteers and guides who offered great support and assistance.

submission call at the end of last year, for visual artists to submit

was important that the work was displayed in this way, as both

moving image works under the theme of ‘communication’. I received

projections were based on the same concepts idealism and uncertainty;

confirmation in January that my proposal was accepted. I also

Who, the original footage and What, the reconstructed footage. My

discovered that my peer and friend, artist Elaine Hurley was also

intention was to test out using the exhibition space, the social

accepted. This was a great opportunity for both of us to bring our work

concerns addressed in the original footage against the reconstructed

to an international platform.

footage.

Sinead Curran Notes 1. www.testhr.com 2. Test! Programme: 7

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

13

July – August 2009

CONFERence

With Not And Kevin Ryan reports on ‘Art With Africa’ a one-day Conference and exhibition held at NCAD, Dublin (1 April 2009)

Catherine Muigai Mwangi, the Kenyan Ambassador, speaking at 'Art with Africa'

‘Art with Africa’ was a one day conference and exhibition held at NCAD on April 1, 2009. The event was organised by a group of the same name, made up of artists, student artists and NCAD staff. Art with Africa (1) was founded on the basis of links formed with community and local organisations in Nairobi while attending the World Social Forum in Kenya 2007.

The conference and exhibition event was organised by the group in order explore the potential for artistic, social and political interaction with artists, art institutions and community organisations in Nairobi.

The event featured speakers from Cameroon, Ireland, Kenya and Spain – artists, writers, community workers and politicians – alongside an exhibition of international artist and filmmakers. This article concentrates on the conference and some of the most important and interesting points made during the daylong event.

The ‘Art with Africa’ conference consisted of a day of talks and presentations with the aim to initiate discussion and debate from different perspectives and experiences from Ireland and Africa. Some of the issues raised were ethical issues – both cultural and political – relating to art in the community; western perspectives on Africa; generating discussion and knowledge on how artistic and cultural exchange could facilitate valuable communication and positive change.

The first speaker, Labour TD Proinsias De Rossa, outlined the policies that the European parliament and its African counterpart, the African Union have adopted in working together to create a strategy plan for economic growth and stability across Africa. De Rossa also addressed the contentious issues of African debt and aid to Africa.

Some of the key concerns of the joint strategy plan were to do with the roles the EU and African Union’s in setting up peace and security initiatives to tackle conflict and promote democracy and human rights. The regional standardisation of trade and the development of infrastructure in African countries were also considered – as well as the need for exports to be built up in order to create independent economies.

But, how viable are these ambitions? They seem very much open to question in light of issues, both the current global economic crisis and the issue of climate change. Compared to countries in the EU, not enough attention has been paid to the effect this situation is having on Africa – will these aims still be met and how will they really affect the ordinary lives of Africans?

In a perhaps too brief, question and answer debate held after De Rossa’s talk, filmmaker and educator Florence Ayisi suggested that “it is not in the interests of Europe or the US to allow Africa to feed itself”.

She argued that if the EU believes Africa has to build up its exports, and yet has nothing or little to export; this is due to the EU and the US trade policies. Specifically Ayisi noted how, the US and EU, while advocating free and open markets, at the same time adopt protection and trade restrictions for their own interests – large, western corporations still control the growing and trading of many natural resources in Africa and thus control the finished product.

Name, the speaker from New Communities Partnerships, a body for the coordination of the immigrant voice in the participation of political and cultural debates in Ireland echoed some of these points.

He noted that “Charity is fine but the real answer is trade, fair trade”.

They argued that Aid to Africa can work better and be more productive,

A speaker from the floor – at 'Art with Africa'.

Florence Ayisi speaking at 'Art with Africa'

only if Africa can rid itself of dependency.

The western perception of Africa is one of countries dependant on aid, politically unstable and in almost constant conflict. Is this a true picture of Africa? How can the relationship between Africa and the EU shift from one of dependency to one of parity and fairness? And how can art and artists, in Ireland and Africa compete with this image of aid and dependency and help create a lasting influence in building strong social and civic societies? The challenges such projects face – ethical, social, cultural and political – and how to engage critically with them were the key issues the conference set out to address. As well as this, there was also the question of the power of art to shatter the myths that Africa is powerless; that the future of Africa is in the hands of the EU and the US power brokers and to reveal a truer picture of Africa. Speakers also concentrated on art’s ability to reveal both the cultural differences and commonalities we share. The conclusion being that we must acknowledge and recognise these differences – not as hierarchical or as being in conflict, but as equal – if we are to come together, in a cultural exchange of knowledge.

Drawing on his experiences as cultural co-ordinator of Fatima Groups United, Niall O’Baoill (2) spoke of the potential for art to develop

consideration”.

But is it even necessary for projects like Slum TV and the ‘Art with Africa’ event to be seen in the context of contemporary western art practices? ‘Art with Africa’ emerged from the cross disciplinary platform of the World Social Forum – where artists, politicians, trade unions, community social and activist groups come together to share information and experiences in the face of global capitalism.

In his presentation, Professor Brian Maguire, talked of the inclusiveness of events like the WSF in comparison with large-scale art events like the Venice Biennial. As he put it “the art world is cloned.

Exhibitions are the same and there is only one parent – the market.

There is a conceit in the arts and exclusion is at the heart of that conceit and those excluded the most is the African artist”. Maguire saw ‘Art with Africa’ as an attempt to breach this exclusivity and instead forge links with artist and institutions outside of Europe – while he did acknowledge these links are harder to make.

One of the final speakers Fintan O’Toole, discussed ethical frameworks and guidelines. O’Toole stressed that ‘culture’ is always a contested concept. He noted that ‘culture’ is a powerful tool – and whoever controls culture, also controls power. Earlier in the day Florence Ayisi had talked about western art about Africa and the ‘misuse’ of culture. Ayisi called for true representations and a cultural re-shaping of Africa that was not tied to a colonial past. She felt that African art and culture can shift the dominant image of Africa as a place in need of aid and food, and replace it with a dignified contemporary understanding of Africa as existing in the present – moreover a present where culture is complicated and contradictory.

Catherine Muigai Mwangi, the Kenyan ambassador to Ireland spoke of culture as a force for unifying people and as diplomatic process that can help build sustainable relationships across the world.

In terms of such cultural exchange, O’Toole emphasised that the relationship with the ‘other’ is how we define ourselves – and to be aware of the other is not only to recognise the differences but also the similarities. He added that we must always ask ourselves “how do we imagine the ‘other’? Can you identify with the ‘other’?”

The ‘Art with Africa’ event showed that while those in positions of power may engage in political and economical strategies, those strategies – that are susceptible to outside economic and global factors – often fail the people they are meant to aid. As an alternative strategy, art with its potential to stay under the radar of institutional power, can be a mechanism to create new forms of relationships networks and knowledge that will help and support individuals and peoples in their struggle for human rights, dignity and political and cultural freedom.

Culture can be a process of reinforcing norms and assumptions; and art projects such as ‘Art with Africa’ must question such familiarities and assumptions. Art with Africa is a project worthy of attention and support but any project which seeks to engage critically with another culture must always remember that this exchange is a process of questioning and there must also be a questioning of yourself about how you relate to the world and your place in it.

critical thinking and strategies – that can shift the paradigm in political debate and theory. Moreover, O’Baoill argued that art practices could contribute to developing frameworks outside the usual intuitional models, empowering people to create strong communication processes about who we are and where we’d like to be.

According to NGOs and aid agencies, Africa is a suffering victim, scared by famine and conflict and in constant need of western intervention. The presentation by Slum TV (3) who create and broadcast newsreels form the Mathare slum in Nairobi, Kenya, offered a counterview. They explained the tensions existing in Mathare; the lack of food and money and the communication breakdowns that can occur between the slum and the outside world. But within this “shadow city”, home to almost 500,000 people Slum TV showed the existence of an alternative economy, a thriving DIY culture. People work, produce and sell goods, there are cafes where people meet and discuss the day’s events.

The Mathare slum operates a pirate cinema network, showing European football, Hollywood and Bollywood films. Established by Sam Hopkins, Fred Ofieno and Julius Mwelu, Slum TV taps into this resource. Their short films are made by the people of the slum, who are taught the skills needed to use a camera and to document the day-today existence of life in Mathare. Sam Hopkins described the camera, when placed in non-expert hands, could be a liberating device, enabling a questioning how reality is portrayed by the dominant media – in other words bringing about a self-representation of Africa

by African people. Copies of the films are distributed under ‘Creative Common’ licenses so that other non-profit TV stations can use them for free.

By using strategies from fine art – performance and intervention, Slum TV establishes a discourse that acts to shift customary modes of representation. By doing so, they break away from the conventions of traditional community TV programming. Hopkins however did concede, that Slum TV was open to criticism, in so much that he acknowledged the problematics of making work that was perhaps first and foremost “a form of social work with art as just a secondary

Kevin Ryan

http://artwithafrica.wordpress.com www.fatimagroupsunited.com http://slum-tv.org

14

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

Art in the public realm – FoCUS

Brian Duggan, image of cement factory taken from o machine o machine’.

Dan Dubowitz Outlaws of History installation shot.

Enriching Place Sarah Lincoln reflects two projects arising from FINGAL COunty council’s Arts OFFICES most recent percent for art initiATIve. developing an artwork, which could amplify the skewed positions, which these towers hold in relation to rationalism and surveillance on one hand, and the messiness of humans and history on the other.

“genericized into undifferentiated serialization” (3).

For the curator Charles Esche the stakes around safe-guarding the development of publicly funded artworks (and institutions) are high.

There are currently six other public art projects under way in

Esche is pessimistic about the continued public funding of such

Fingal County; each initiated by Fingal Arts Office; funded through per

projects stating that “the withdrawal of funding may happen suddenly

cent for art schemes; and each interacting with the local terrain in nuanced and curious ways (2). While each of these other projects are

or gradually, but it is more than likely”. Esche regards publicly funded

works in progress and differ enormously from each other, it is apparent that the projects share a commitment to exploring the topography and

relation to market forces, which helps to define “both art’s irrelevance and also its possibility to become tools for thinking” (4). While Kwon

demographics of Fingal in significant and enduring ways.

focuses upon the potential artwork’s hold to resist the homogenization

art projects as being positioned in an ‘engaged autonomous’ position in

Brian Duggan is developing a project based in film and sculpture

of place, Esche focuses upon the strange position that art occupies in

having explored the Fingal landscape through the eyes of an E.M.

being both dependent upon market forces for funding, while also

Forster science fiction story from 1909 called The Machine Stops. Images

being given enormous freedom to hold critical positions in relation to

The din of the generator reassures me that I am in the right place. I

of cement objects dominate in a book entitled o machine o machine,

these forces.

angle my umbrella against the rain and march up to the door of the

which is a collection of thoughts and images, which relate to his

Fianna Fail T.D, Pat the Cope Gallagher, as chairperson of the joint

Martello Tower in Skerries, North Dublin.

research in the area so far. Beyond the apocalyptic references throughout

Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and

Dan Dubowitz is carrying-out a test installation of a video work

this book, I wonder is there also a connection being made between the

Gaeltacht Affairs, shares both Kwon and Esche’s commitment to

called Outlaws of History. Dan and the dancer / choreographer, Fearghus

rate at which cement is being used in a county like Fingal and the

defending arts funding. On the 11 March this year, a delegation from

O’ Chonuir, have been developing this piece in collaboration over the

funding of projects, such as his, through per cent for art schemes?

the Arts Council made a presentation to the Joint Committee of the

Dan Dubowitz. The Martello Tower, Skerries.

past two years, through a Fingal County Council Per Cent for Art Scheme (1). I move carefully through the interior of the space; dodging

how our rapidly shifting economy may impact on public art projects

Oireachtas, arguing for the need to resist the current undermining of public arts funding (5). Alan Stanford highlighted the urgency of the

flexes which are powering builder’s lights and stepping over freshly

in Fingal? She was pragmatic in her response: “basic services will

matter, “the reality is that with less money available, it is no longer a

laid electrical cables. This is the first time that the tower will be open

always be in demand – our funding won’t disappear, but we might have

case of how much more can we tighten the belt. With less money, we

to the general public and moving deeper into the space I am struck by

to alter the speed at which projects are rolled out”. According to

can say goodbye to the arts in Ireland. That is the cold reality”. In his

that exciting sense of exploring a place, which contains layers of

Caroline the key ingredient for a successful public artwork is time –

closing remarks Gallagher demonstrated his commitment by saying

history and is possibly on the threshold of a new existence.

“give a project enough time and it will gestate, ensuring that it makes

that each member of the Joint Committee will “do their bit as

I pick my way up the dimly lit staircase and I’m met by a series of

sense for the locale to have the work there, while also making sense to

individuals to amplify very clearly the difficulties that will arise if

12 pristine plasma screens arranged in a large circle. Each of the high

the artist’s practice - that way the project will feel organic and

there are further cuts”. He goes on to say that “the multiplier effect of

resolution images on the screens pan around slowly in a uniform

unforced”.

an investment in the arts is unquantifiably large”.

I asked Caroline Cowley the Public Art Officer with Fingal CoCo,

manner, inviting the viewer to remain attentive to the individual

When speaking about the legacy of public art projects, Caroline

There are currently ominous signs around cuts in funding for the

image on the screen, whilst also viewing the piece as a whole. Each of

was honest in saying that it is difficult to evaluate the success or failure

arts in Ireland – such as the €9 million reduction in funding to the Arts

the images have a consistency about them, with each of them being

of a public artwork which is generated over a long period of time.

Council announced in the 2009 budget. We need to resist this erosion

filmed from the exact same position at the centre of different Martello

When Caroline began working with Fingal CoCo in 2005, two major

of financial support for the arts, while valuing the achievements made

Towers. As I remain for a period of time watching the screens I am

projects were underway: one by the English artist Amy Plant and the

by progressive groups such as the Fingal Public Arts Office in developing

engaged by the hypnotic nature of the images, which slowly move

other by Irish artist Gerard Byrne. The works, which these two artists

challenging public art works over the past number of years. There are

around these structures in a 360-degree clock-wise motion. The

created, are still active within the community. In the case of Plant, the

a myriad of financial pressures being made on our public money at the

geometric shape of the camera pan, mirroring the circular shape of the

mobile unit, which she developed as part of her project, has been used

moment, people like Esche would encourage us to recognise the value

installation-further reflects the circular shape of the towers. The

for years as a meeting place for a Nigerian women’s group. Byrne’s

of maintaining funding and a space for public artworks. In a world

anomaly amongst all of these quietly consistent images is the presence

archive of photographs travelled for a long time with the mobile

where decisions are often driven by statistics and charts, it is often

of humans. In one image a man is caught by the panning camera

County library. The library in Swords would now like to house the

difficult to quantify the effects of such work; we need to remain

casually tapping out Morse code on an electrical contraption, on

collection. In these cases it is interesting to note that with age, these

protective of these artworks, as they hold the potential to hugely

another screen a little boy leaps about, oblivious to the camera- busy in

public artworks have evolved, allowing for a new range of meanings,

enrich and challenge our understanding of place.

a game. In six of the 12 screens Fearghus is filmed moving about the

or suggestions to be generated around the work.

tower absorbed in a dance, which abstractly reflects the environment

Miwon Kwon in her 2004 book One Place After Another examines

of that particular place. Certain towers are in ruins and others contain

the significance and genealogy of public art projects. She states that

roofs and swish contemporary furniture.

works such as these, which share a “relational sensibility”, can turn

Dan explains that himself and Fearghus were drawn to making

“local encounters into long-term commitments”. For Kwon moments

work around these towers due to their original function as surveillance

such as the temporary opening up of a space such as a derelict Martello

posts. The towers were first built in Ireland at the beginning of the 19th

tower are significant, in that these types of gestures re-activate a space

century in order to help fortify Britain against a Napoleonic attack.

and possibly inspire us to re-think the functionality of spaces in an

Dan describes the towers as ‘misfits’ – a shot was apparently never fired

area. Kwon is alert to the danger of simplifying or flattening-out the

from their canons, and they quickly became defunct as military

idiosyncrasies alive in localities and regards culture as playing a

installations. The two artists recognised the poetic potential in

potentially important role in ensuring that sites do not become

Sarah Lincoln Notes 1. Outlaws of History at the Martello Tower, Skerries will be open every Saturday from the middle of July until late August ’09.

2. Mark Garry is responding to the presence of multi denominational religious groups in Fingal.

Garrett Phelan is developing a bird hide structure. Martina Coyle has taken the Balbriggan Smyth & Co textile Factory as the site for her installation. Dennis Mc Nulty is developing a sound piece, while Aileen Lambert is working-on a performance piece.

3. Miwon Kwon, One Place After Another, 2004, MIT press, USA. P. 166 4. Charles Esche, What’s the Point of Art Centres Anyway? Possibility, Art and Democratic Deviance, 2004, accessed 19/5/09. http://www.republicart.net/disc/institution/esche01_en.htm 5. The Arts Council delegation was made up of Pat Moylan, Mary Cloake, Alan Stanford and Philip King.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

15

July – August 2009

Conference

Uncovering Wisdom at Random Sara Baume reports on e v+ a 2009’s Colloquies on Contemporary Art and Culture (Friday 15 – Sunday 17 May) blinking streetlights outside City Hall) to the annual exhibition. This gave rise to much talk about the importance of community engagement and the possibility that e v + a should be making attempts to forge a more embedded role in the locality. Klaus Ottoman questioned the value and feasibility of introducing extended artists residencies, workshops and talks, elongating the process in order to produce a more lasting result. Susan Holland, of Limerick City Gallery of Art, argued that Young e v + a (the exhibition’s programme of education and outreach projects) already achieves this to a certain extent, and Paul M. O’Reilly reiterated that e v + a had never existed in order to help artists make art, but to support the unstructured innovation of talented local and international practitioners.

Later in the afternoon’s proceedings, Adam Budak remarked that the clear majority of work selected for e v + a 2009 was lens based, and it was conceded that this had become normal for the exhibition in recent years. It was debated whether it was a curator’s responsibility to find ways of coaxing artists back in the direction of more traditional or three dimensional form – in the case of Limerick, perhaps by producing an exclusively sculptural e v + a at some point in the future. During the Sunday colloquies, Paul M. O‘Reilly talked about how the earliest exhibitions had consisted solely of traditional painting and sculpture, and how the works were sold and went directly into people’s homes.

He reminded us that today’s world is so saturated with imagery, people perceive and process information differently. Adam Budak had talked about how the vast majority of contemporary artists, if asked to tell a story about a place or respond to a situation, will find it most obvious and easy to do so through the narrative of film or photography. It was generally agreed that the profusion of lens-based media is merely a

Audience and speakers at the e v+ a colloquies at Limerick City Gallery of Art.

sign of e v + a changing in line with changes in contemporary art practice, which is merely changing in line with the world.

In the historic King’s Island Quarter of Limerick city, alongside a

e v + as a model through which to address the broader complexities of

refurbishment of the original Potato Market, in a colourful row against

the art world. And such was the wide-ranging experience of the invited

Such is e v + a’s reputation, the international guests were curious

a railing along the edge of the river, sit a line of ordinary recycling bins.

professionals, comparisons could be drawn with examples across the

as to the existence, or lack thereof, of similar endeavours, specifically

For e v + a 2009, Argentinean artist Eduardo Navarro positioned a pine

globe, from the San Paulo Biennale to Kassel’s Documenta and

for Ireland‘s capital city. Conversation about the rumours of an

hut, not unlike a garden shed, between two of the plastic bins,

Munster’s Sculpture Project.

impending Dublin Biennale shed light on fears that this could threaten

encouraging locals to donate their recyclables for him to transform

There was much to be talked about in relation to, and arising

to divert funding from e v + a. Yet every topic of discussion over the

into tiny objects and books. During a bus tour of the exhibition venues

from the continuously changing structure of e v + a. Conversations

course of the weekend had made it abundantly clear that various

as part of the e v + a 2009 Colloquies, I overheard somebody suggest, in

swelled to encompass issues from curatorial practice and institutional

aspects, practices, quirks and individuals, not least the specific contexts

a totally throwaway comment, that the piece was remarkable simply

support to public art and community activism. The e v + a committee

of Limerick city, its vibrant artistic community, even the difficult

because it had managed to survive thus far without being burned

has pushed every push-able boundary across the 33 years of the

social situations that tarnish the city’s reputation, combine in such a

down. Anyone who pays even the vaguest of attention to news

exhibition’s existence, only rarely deviating from its open submission

way as to render e v + a utterly unique and thoroughly inimitable.

sections of the Irish media will not need to have this comment

policy. The practicalities and pitfalls of open call selection procedures

contextualised. Navarro’s hut, entitled From Your House to My House,

were examined in detail.

I have never been to Limerick before, and I was surprised to find that the streets were not, in fact, paved with prostrate stab victims. The

was probably the singular most important piece of work in this year’s

For the 2009 exhibition, Nollert and Dziewior initially approached

weekend was fun and accessible, the colloquies proving both an

exhibition. Not for what the artist ever intended it to be, but for the

the 560 applications with no fixed agenda, allowing the theme to

insightful and enjoyable experience, peppered as they were with

meaning it took on of its own accord, the symbolism impressed upon

surface naturally from the work submitted. The result, Reading the

anecdotes and storytelling of exhibitions past. The Limerick art

it by the geography and the society in which it was situated.

City, was a very cohesive and challenging exhibition that dealt with

community exuded a welcome and a warmth that felt distinctly at odds with the often diffident self-importance of the Dublin scene.

The e v + a Colloquies on Contemporary Art and Culture take

‘multiple perceptions of urban space’ . As open calls generally attract

place every second year, bringing together past e v + a curators, invited

a younger generation of artists, this kind of curatorial approach

The colloquies wound-up with speculation as to what the future

guests, artists and the general public for a weekend of conversation,

succeeds in pressing a finger to the pulse of the contemporary scene,

has in store for Ireland’s premier annual exhibition of contemporary

discussion and debate. After the launch of the catalogue for OPEN e v

underscoring the most prominent issues concerning 21st century

art. Members of the e v + a committee considered whether it is

+ a 2009 / Reading the City, Paul M. O’Reilly (the e v+ a administrator)

practitioners from Ireland, Europe and beyond.

becoming necessary to implement a more forceful administrative

(2)

introduced the first session by explaining how the colloquies “began

Of course the format is not without its flaws. Artist / photographer

structure, in order that e v + a can survive into the future more-or-less

and have so far continued as a gathering with no imposed, preconceived

Deirdre Power raised the issue of artists ‘googling’ curators to establish

as it is now. I cannot help but think that it would be a shame to risk

idea of what to talk about, the structure already being there in the

their predilections in advance, then tailoring the proposed artwork

limiting the exhibition’s significant freedom or scope in any capacity.

thoughts and experiences of those participating”. (1) There were to be

accordingly. The curators themselves expressed concern that their

At the moment, it is the committee that selects each year’s curator, but

no devised topics, no prescribed subjects, no chairing of the proceedings.

decision to select according to a particular dominant theme could

always on the advice and recommendations of the national and

O’Reilly even promoted the benefits of having a quick sleep during

exclude very strong work simply because it was off-subject. John

international art community. The curator is then trusted absolutely

sessions, as justified by Immanuel Kant’s philosophy that the three

O’Reilly, a Dublin-based artist whose paintings were chosen and on

with the responsibility to create an exhibition that is interesting and

best times for thinking were just before going to sleep, straight after

display in Limerick City Gallery of Art, said that he would not be

engaging. As with Nollert and Dziewior, often the show takes its own

waking up, and in the midst of an argument. While I didn’t notice

offended if the general tone of the exhibition transpired to block his

shape according to the most obvious concerns of the submitting artists

anyone falling asleep, there were certainly a few stimulating and

specific access. He emphasised the singular importance of the

themselves. Like Eduardo Navarro’s hut that found its own meaning in

enthusiastic disagreements over the course of the days that followed.

opportunity, for younger and emerging artists especially, to have their

a row of plastic bins, like the colloquies that roamed in all directions

work assessed by such esteemed and experienced outsiders looking

uncovering wisdom at random, e v + a stands aside in an art scene

in.

generally more eager to dictate than to listen, in a world filled with

Angelika Nollert and Yilmaz Dziewior, the e v + a 2009 curators, were joined by invited guests Klaus Ottoman (curator of e v + a 2007), Adam Budak (Curator of Kunsthaus, Graz), Keren Detton (Director of

Saturday morning’s tour of the exhibition venues led to

Le Quartier, Quimper, France), Sean Kealy (Director, Model Arts, Sligo)

discussions surrounding reception and audience throughout Saturday

and the critics Caoimhin Mac Giolla Leith, Dr. Birgit Sonna, Uta Maria

afternoon. Limerick City Council Arts Officer and secretary of the

Reindl and Jens Asthoff. Also present were Mike Fitzpatrick (Director

committee Sheila Deegan related how e v + a has needled its way into

of Limerick City Gallery of Art) and Hugh Murray (Director of MOLA,

the psyche of the city’s inhabitants, who now tend to automatically

Murray O’Laoire Architects and Chairperson of the e v + a committee.)

attribute anything slightly peculiar or misplaced (such as Nevin

Overall, the subsequent conversations tended to look to the specifics of

Aladag’s exterior curtains on the Hunt Museum or Diango Hernandez’

filofaxes and blackberries that compete to instruct our lives.

Sara Baume Notes 1. Paul M. O’ Reilly, in correspondence 2. A.Nollert & Y.Dziewior, from the OPEN e v + a 2009 catalogue essay entitled Reading the City, pg.15

16

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

CONFERENCE REPORT

Demystifing Curation John Gayer reports on ‘MAVIS Curatorial Session: Inquiries into Curatorial Practice’ 2 May 2009, Project Arts Centre, Dublin.

From left to right – Bart De Baere; Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev; Raimundas Malasauskas and Tone Olaf Nielsen

Speakers and audience at 'MAVIS Curatorial Session'

The audience at 'MAVIS Curatorial Session'

When I read the announcement regarding an open session in which

institutions close to society and preventing petrifaction. MuHKA is

events. One might well wonder if another is really needed? For

four international curators would answer IADT’s MA in Visual Arts

currently temporarily closed for technical upgrading and renovation;

example the first Brussels Biennial, held in 2008, failed to attract

Practices students’ questions on the current state of curatorial practice,

the collection has been dispersed throughout Belgium and abroad.

audiences in sufficient numbers and was forced to close prematurely

I immediately registered for the event. My interested was piqued as I’ve

Bart De Baere observed that this has lead to a contradictory situation

(1)

always found the notion of ‘the curator’ and ‘curation’ mysterious, and

– while the programme of special exhibitions makes the collection

devised the event to be critique of the biennial system and utilized the

this seemed like a welcome opportunity to familiarize myself with

more accessible by extending its reach, it also moves the focus away

innovative model of inviting a range of international art institutions to

current curatorial issues and approaches.

from its traditional space of attention, thus to some extent reducing

create a series of exhibitions relating to the theme of ‘re-used modernity’

visibility.

– which also served as the title of the exhibition. Also the subject of the

In preparation for the discussion I downloaded an introductory

. This was more than disappointing as the artistic director had

text entitled Curatorial Session: Reader – Inquiries into Curatorial Practice

Tone Olaf Nielsen responded to the notion of the curator as

privileged position and status of the curator within the contemporary

from the MAVIS website (www.mavis.ie) and sifted through the 17

public intellectual, whilst also addressing the importance of input and

art world was not tackled. Some form of debate on notions of curatorial

students’ questions. The range of questions leapt from considering the

collaborations with non-art publics in projects dealing with issues of

ethics, I think could have enriched the discussion and added an

type of biennial most suitable for Dublin to speculations about

colonialism, xenophobia and globalization. In what seemed to be a

interesting additional dimension to the proceedings.

curators as cultural anthropologists. Overall, the questions looked at

delicate balancing act between politics and art, Nielson’s presentation

The general discussion following the presentations turned to the

the evolution of the concept of the curator, away from a custodial

consisted of an outline of Kuratorisk Aktion’s activities and goals – the

current economic crisis and the increased professionalism of curators.

occupation to more of a culturally trailblazing role akin to that of a

primary purpose of which is to engender sustainable change by

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev who has been appointed artist director of

film director, cultural producer or public intellectual.

addressing inequalities in class, gender and race. Seeing the input of

the upcoming Documenta 13 (2012) conceded that much would have

In terms of patterns and rationales underpinning the questions

the non-art public as an opportunity to avoid blind spots, she noted the

to be rethought. A key point was made by Tone Olaf Nielson, who

and citations included in the reader, the main focus was on the last five

incidence of questions such as “where is the art?” that this type of work

observed that there are many crises today and that the effects of the

years. Manifesta 6 (www.manifesta.org), – slated for Nicosia in 2006 –

generates.

financial crisis do not affect everyone in the same way. The

but that never happened, stood out as the most frequently cited

Raimundas Malasauskas began his presentation by distancing

professionalisation of curation and the art world was also questioned

exhibition; as did the names of curators Okwui Enwezor, Raimundas

himself from his introductory tag as a ‘speculative curator’. He went

– and the validity of curatorial studies programmes, such as MAVIS,

Malasauskas (one of the invitees) and Jens Hoffman. But outside of

onto reflect upon analogies for curatorship, as well as the connection

also came under criticism. The chief concerns being the use of overly

these points, no obvious patterns presented themselves. Besides the

between a conscious suspension of disbelief and being a willing viewer

programmatic methods and turning curatorial studies programmes

notion of the exhibition as a subject of critical inquiry, overall the

to the unexpected with regard to viewing exhibitions. In Malasauskas’

into trade schools for an overly commercialized ‘art industry’. On the

reader text emphasised the idea of the art exhibition as an increasingly

view, the creative terrain occupied by the curator has parallels with

plus side, MAVIS was deemed to be a healthy model. In general it was

complex phenomenon.

that of the author, more than a film director. He also talked about the

recognized that good curators come from various backgrounds and

‘Inquiries into Curatorial Practice’ took place at the Project Arts

precarious position of freelance and independent curators – noting

that diversity within the student body should form an important

Centre Dublin on 2 May. The four contributing panelists were – Tessa

specifically that because one’s track record was what led to more work,

component of curatorial programmes.

Giblin, Curatorial Seminar Module Leader MAVIS and Curator of

there was a danger of overly working to meet other’s expectations and

Offering an abundance of opinions, observations, pregnant

Visual Arts, Project Arts Centre; Bart De Baere, director of MuHKA, the

requirements. In Malasauskas’ view, curating with a view to offering

pauses, half finished sentences, plus the occasional admission of

Antwerp Museum of Contemporary Art; Tone Olaf Nielsen a member

the viewer the unexpected was crucial. And in relation to this he noted

incomprehension, the curatorial session provided anything but a tidy

of the curatorial collective Kuratorisk Aktion; Carolyn Christov-

that the current trend for transparency and access was sometimes at

summation of current curatorial practice. This event served to

Bakargiev, Chief Curator at Turin’s Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte

odds with this – stripping work of its content and ability to surprise.

underline how curatorial practice is a constantly evolving entity, that

Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev delivered the final presentation.

is intent on responding to various contexts, societal shifts, as well as its

In light of the complex and contradictory positions outlined by

Utilizing a 17 minute long time lapse video of Pierre Huyghe’s 2008

own history. Moreover, the participants conveyed a sense of mutual

the reader, I did wonder how all these issues could be adequately

Sydney Biennial installation as visual counterpart to her comments,

acceptance and of a common purpose – despite differences in interests

addressed in a single meeting, by just four speakers – however

Christov-Bakargiev revved through answers to all of the questions

and experience.

knowledgeable they might be. As it happened this predicament never

posed in the reader. She followed this with readings of three texts on

Interestingly, my prior uncertainty about the curation was

transpired. As Tessa Giblin, Curatorial Seminar Module Leader MAVIS

the subjects of composition; ‘what are artworks?’ and understanding

actually added to by this event – but in a constructive way. The MAVIS

and Curator of Visual Arts, Project Arts Centre, noted in her opening

artworks and their contexts.

Curatorial Sessions, for me, underlined how curation is akin to art

Contemporanea; and ‘speculative curator’ Raimundas Malasauskas.

statement, the participants had been invited to respond to the questions

Overall this event shed light upon the multifaceted and

practice – multifaceted, complex, inconclusive and necessarily always

that interested them. This allowed the curators to respond in greater

multidirectional nature of curatorial practice, and emphasized the

explainable – and thus open to audiences to draw there own

detail to a few select questions or address the host of them.

inherent complexity of what is an increasingly dynamic field. Curation

conclusions. As an educative experience, I found the curatorial session

The ensuing discussions offered a whirlwind tour that took the

has evolved from its classic definition as a managerial and custodian

provided a lot of food for thought.

audience through a range of current and past projects, ideas, opinions

role, to now comprise a hybrid activity encompassing the roles of

and observations. Bart De Baere, director of MuHKA, the Antwerp

impresario, theorist, critic, producer, director, anthropologist,

Museum of Contemporary Art, spoke of “culture with continuity” and

researcher, author and talent scout

noted the importance of collaboration, whilst also stressing the need

An issue that to my mind that was overlooked was that of the

for ever-changing relationships with audiences as a way of keeping

consequences of the global proliferation of large-scale biennale style

John Gayer Notes 1) Niels Van Tomme/Sam Steverlynck, Crossroads: two critics’ assessments, Brussels Biennial 1: Re-used Modernity, Art Papers, vol. 33, no. 2 (March/April 2009), pp. 44-47.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

17

July – August 2009

CONFERENCE

Collaboration and its Discontents

(1)

Liz Burns ON ‘From Context to Exhibition: The Learning Development Programme (NCAD, DIT, IADT, Tisch School of Performing Arts NYU)’ managed and produced by CREATE. (2)

tour open to the public centred on the neighbourhood of Ballybough.

Defined by the French Marxist theorist Guy Debord, psycho geography is “a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for exploring cities”. By allowing the women to develop their alternative and playful maps and walking routes of Ballybough, the artists were in Debord’s works “jolting people into a new awareness of the urban landscape”.(6) The video piece titled The Picnic by Aoife Leddy, Emma Clarke, and Bridge Lucey perhaps best captured the tensions and discontents within collaborative arts practice and the difficulties artists might encounter when trying to work with people. The piece used the metaphor of a ‘picnic’ to address the over-romanticisation of working collaboratively with ‘the community’. The 17 minute looped video depicted a rather odd picnic scenario, where endless cups of tea are being poured, overflowing onto a picnic rug where food and drink become a unrecognisable mush. This work stemmed from what the artists described as the “hours spent drinking tea waiting for their collaborators to turn up”. As further described by the artists on their blog “theory becomes redundant, when the raw materials of art in context are not present, and the ideological picnic becomes a logistic mess” (7). This logistical mess however is strangely evocative and suggestive of the difficulties and conflict that can exist within

Nadia Shah. Beyond the Veil. Installation view. The Lab, Dublin.

collaborative arts practice and how artists might translate this experience to the gallery space.

The roundtable discussion focused on the difficulties and ambiguities of the very terms ‘community’ – which is forever in flux, and often contested. It was encouraging to note that a more complex and sophisticated understanding of what a ‘community’(might be) was held by the students – some had opted to explore alternative communities, or even create their own. Amie Lawless’s and Sarah Johnson’s project came about through a call the students put online for those interested in engaging in what they called ‘guerilla knitting’ – an activity in the city involving ‘yarn bombings ’ which critiqued aspects of urban planning within the cityscape (8). The Community 53 project was a collaboration between students Siobhan Carroll and Caitriona Rogerson with commuters of the No 53 Bus route. Through free tea

Siobhan Carroll and Caitriona Rogerson Community 53.

Emma Geraghty and Casey Craig, Discover Ballybough

‘From Context to Exhibition’ which took place in the LAB 23 – 30

programme, was both challenging and thought provoking, and posed

April 2009 presented the work of 29 undergraduate arts students from

many pertinent questions regarding collaborative and socially engaged

The Learning Development Programme – a partnership between the

arts practice.

(3)

national development agency for collaborative arts CREATE and the

The politics of representation was a key issue discussed in

four art colleges NCAD, DIT, IADT and Tisch School of Performing

relation to the work presented in the gallery and how decisions were

Arts, New York University. The programme has been ongoing for the

made by the students when translating this work from the context of

past seven years –with the recent additions of DIT and Tisch in 2007

production with the community to the gallery space. Paul O’Neill

and IADT in 2008 – and is offered to third year students, who are

posed the questions: “are you doing it for them? are you doing it with

interested in expanding their practice outside the studio to engage in

them? are you doing it about them?” One of the students, Nadia Shah,

collaborative arts practices. It consists of a six-week placement with a

discussed the difficulty of representation with her Beyond the Veil

prescribed or elected ‘community’ of place or interest, with mentoring

project. The aim of this project was to counter the misrepresentation

and support provided through CREATE and the colleges in the lead in

of Islam in Ireland today largely through the media. Nadia together

and during the placements.

with her fellow student Catherine Clarke chose to work with a small

This year saw a shift in focus in The Learning Development

group of Muslim women to counter their representation particularly

Programme, with further training and support for the students prior to

in relation to the wearing of the Hijab. The end result of this

and during their placements. Prior to their placements students were

engagement was multifaceted and ambitious, consisting of an archival

asked to consider two key questions – “what makes a community?”

type installation in the LAB which charted the artists’ experience and

and “what type of community they might wish to work with and how

challenges of working with their elected community and the launch

would this collaboration inform their own arts practice?” This was

of a specially hand printed newspaper titled The Revealer with articles

followed by a week-long orientation programme in the lead in to the

by the Muslim women and other invited writers. The difficulty of

placements where students were exposed to cross disciplinary,

representing ‘the other’ was very effectively highlighted in the archival

experimental and innovative contemporary collaborative arts practice

display where blank audio tapes and empty photo albums were

and weekly sessions during the placements. In addition the students

carefully placed side by side , tagged with the lines “photographs were

were given examples of some best practice internationally, as well as

taken but we were asked to not show them for the sake of anonymity”.

prescribed reading of seminal texts around socially engaged and

“Conversations were recorded but we were asked to delete them for the

collaborative arts practice from key art historians and critics such as

sake of anonymity.” The danger of exoticising the perceived

Grant Kester, Claire Bishop, Miwon Kwon, and Claire Doherty.

marginalised ‘other’ within socially engaged practice was also

This exhibition presented some of the outcomes of this six week

discussed. As pointed out, such perceived ‘exotic’ communities in

programme and was accompanied by a week long series of talks and

Ireland such as the Muslim and Jewish communities are being

events in partnership with the LAB, the aim of which was “to explore

‘researched to death’ by the social sciences and now by artists, where it

some of the critical questions around artists working collaboratively

was stressed that artists must seriously consider their motivations for

with communities to co-author work, and to question the politics of

wanting to work with such communities in the first place. It was

translating the work from the context of production (the community) to a formal arts space ( the gallery)”(4). Speakers included UK artist

interesting to note that Beyond the Veil project has a life beyond the

Faisal Abdu’Allah; US Performance artist Peggy Shaw; Milena

six-week placement programme, where it is now part of an ongoing blog (5).

Dragicevic-Sesic (a cultural policy advisor to the Minister for Arts,

Paul O’Neill questioned whether it was perhaps more strategic for

Republic of Serbia) and curator, artist and writer Paul O’Neill. Like all

the students to take a more psycho geographical approach? One

such talks series, some were more successful than others with the final

particular project that nicely echoed this approach was the off site

roundtable discussion chaired by Paul O’Neill, adding a level of

project entitled Discover Ballybough by students Emma Geraghty and

analysis and criticality that was to be welcomed. This discussion

Casey Craig, that was carried out with women from the Larkin

attended primarily by the students who had taken part in the

Community Centre. This consisted of a performance based walking

and coffee services, free afternoon concerts on the bus routes, as well as the creation of a free 53 Community Newsletter , the artists were sought to counter the anonymity of public transport, creating what Jean Luc Nancy calls a temporary “community of being” (9) in the process.

This alternative exploring of ‘community’ is no doubt attributable to a shift this year in the learning development programme, where provocations were made to the students as well as a more intensive orientation programme. The importance of capacity-building was another important issue that came out of the roundtable discussion.

The difficulties faced by undergraduate students attempting to engage and facilitate processes, within a short six-week time frame were discussed.

In particular the tensions between having to facilitate a process with people, and the challenge of translating this process or outcome into a gallery context were highlighted. One student felt more akin to the ‘itinerant artist’ as identified by Miwon Kwon (10) – who is parachuted into a marginalised community for only a short time frame. Issues of power and censorship within communities themselves, and how artists might choose to deal with this, were also discussed.

Rather than seeing socially engaged and collaborative arts practice as separate to artists’ studio practice, it is important that initiatives like the learning development programme seek to integrate this type of work within the wider field of contemporary international arts practice. There is still a disjuncture between artists’ studio practices and critical theory as taught in third level art institutions. As contemporary art practice continues to engage in what Claire Bishop calls ‘the social turn’ of recent years, now is an apt time for new ways of thinking and working within third level institutions with organisations like CREATE , that offer students opportunities for exploring their practice both inside and outside of the studio.

Liz Burns Notes 1. This title is taken from an article by Claire Bishop titled The Social Turn: Collaboration and its Discontents published in Artforum February 2006 pg 178.

2. www.create-ireland.ie 3. For further information on all works developed during this programme go to CREATE’s blog http://ldprogramme2009.com 4.Create News No 6 March 2009 5. For further information on this ongoing project go to the blog created by Nadia Khan and Catherine Clark http://misrepresentationinislam.blogspot.com 6. Discover Ballybough – Exhibition Brochure distributed at exhibition in the LAB. 7.http://ldprogramme2009.com 8. http://ldprogramme2009.com 9. Jean Luc Nancy , The Inoperative Community , University of Minnesota Press, 1991.

10. Miwon Kwon, One Place After Another; Site –Specific Art and Locational Identity, MIT Press 2004.

18

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

HOW IS IT MADE? eventually offered a sum to pay for the flights only. Not that Culture Ireland have been lacking when it comes to facilitating exhibitions in China; they have been very generous in supporting the 411 Galleries in China for a number of years now, and long may it last, as the 411 Galleries are the only way most young and emerging Irish artists can show work in China at all. One would hope that Culture Ireland’s support of non-profit visual art exhibitions in unfamiliar countries will not be affected by the current dwindling of resources. The State and artists need such agencies.

Gaining the support of Culture Ireland, the Irish Consulate and the 411 Galleries meant that the exhibition was moving forward, and after taking out a personal loan I was able to finally plan the details of the entire three week trip to Shanghai. Money being tight (the majority was going on production costs for the art works and book, hotel and travel) I set about constructing new photographic projects to commence while in Shanghai. This was effectively a return trip to Shanghai for me as I had been awarded an Arts Council Travel Award to attend the ‘Céad in China’ group exhibition organised by the 411 Galleries in 2007. Back then I had only one week and returned home to Ireland with two small photographic series which have since been published in various magazines. Having three weeks this time, it meant I could plan a considerable project and employ a more concerted approach – when undertaking such a long distance excursion one should be prepared to utilise every aspect of that excursion.

Ms. Chen JiaLe (curator at the 411 Galleries) and James were more than generous with their time and efforts in bringing the entire project together. Organising the printing and publishing of the book, and acting as intermediaries with the local government agencies and Consulate involved a large amount of work, and never failed in pushing me for the necessary documents, press information, art works and designs. With JiaLe’s help the exhibition was physically produced, hung and presented to the local Chinese and Irish audience (the Irish ex-pat group Le Chéile were there to offer their support also), and so the opening was orchestrated without any difficulties.

The exhibition opening, on Saturday 18 April began with a number of speeches from Ms. Wang Hong of Jing An District Culture Barry W Hughes. 'Engage'. Installation view..

Engaging China

Bureau and the Jing An District Culture Centre Curator Ms. Xing Zhang, followed by Irish Vice Consul Mr. John Lynam, Director of 411 Galleries Mr. James Ryan and finally myself. A translator was on hand throughout and assisted in explaining the works to each of these. As is

Barry W. Hughes reports on his show ‘Engage’ a multimedia exhibition on the language of politics in Northern Ireland, HELD AT THE Jing An District Culture Centre, Shanghai, China FROM 18 – 25 April 2009. THE PROJECT WAS Supported by Culture Ireland, 411 Galleries AND THE IRISH Consulate.

Putting together a solo exhibition is never easy; it took three years to

displaying his disbelief and inherent opposition. With Endgame (26

make the work which made up the Engage project and another year to

September 2005) there was more of a focus on General De Chastelain’s

plan the final solo exhibition – the 'Engage’ exhibition, which was held

hand gestures and facial expressions which both display a sense of

at the Jing An District Culture Centre in Shanghai, China, from 18 – 25 April 2009. The first instalment for the 'Engage' project was Statement

assertion to reinforce his position as eye-witness to the IRA’s destruction

(28 July 2005), a series of six digital photographs with text, was

Once the Engage project was completed, there was the inevitable

produced in 2006. It was published in Abridged Magazine (Northern

need to exhibit the works in total. Having previously used the print

Ireland) and then again on a larger scale in Circa art magazine.

Following this Endgame (26 September 2005) (1), a 22 second digital

media and the internet to display two of the works, the next step was a

animation with audio and text, was produced specifically for Circa’s

posterity. So, having built on my relationship with the 411 Galleries in

website in 2007. In late 2008 the third and final instalment was made;

China over the past five years I approached Mr. James Ryan, Director of

this was Counterparts, a series of six text pieces using repeated words

the 411 Galleries, to consider hosting the exhibition and publishing

from statements made by the North’s various political rivals and

the book in China. This would be the final leg of the journey for the

individuals involved in the so-called Peace Process.

project as it mirrored the news media’s involvement with the Troubles

of weapons.

full exhibition and book to permanently catalogue the project for

The intention of the Engage project was to look at the language

of Northern Ireland in past decades – to bring local politics into the

used by those making decisions and those directly affected by the

global arena. It also seemed fitting to exhibit the project in China

decisions being made. The language however, was filtered through the

considering that country’s own political stance with annexed territories

local and international news media, so effectively every word uttered

and (somewhat ironically) new found position as the calming influence

had been scrutinised by someone other than the speaker and the

in Asia, chairing negotiations between North and South Korea, Japan,

receiver. The work explores how certain words with various

and the West.

connotations can have the ability to build or destroy, to be positive or

It took two attempts to gain assistance from Culture Ireland for

negative depending on what side of the tracks one stands. It is the

the production of the project. Since the Arts Council no longer provide

language of politics – the use of power words and the deliberate use of

services for such outings Culture Ireland was the only option. So as a

ambiguous words to communicate with the general public – to engage

young independent artist still struggling to make a name for myself, I

the people. Each word can be read differently according to the

felt a government agency set up to facilitate such undertakings would

intention behind it, and as we are all too aware, politicians never speak

see the merit in my professional experience and the project to date.

in a straight-forward manner so there is a necessity for personal

Having exhibited work throughout Ireland before graduating from the

interpretation involved (a reading between the lines as it were). The

National College of Art & Design with a BA in Fine Art Media, and

visual side of the work involved taking digital photographs directly

being involved in many international exhibitions since, one would

from the TV screen, focusing on the body language of the politicians

assume the outcome positive. I was lucky to have the support of the

who were speaking; for Statement (28 July 2005) this was the Unionist

Irish Consulate in Shanghai to act as referee and following a second

politician Peter Robinson’s robust chin and suited shoulders, clearly

application (asking for considerably less money than before) I was

customary in China, we all cut a red ribbon to officially open the exhibition and this was followed by a wine reception and viewing of the works. The opening was recorded as a DVD and through photos.

The Culture Centre, Consulate and 411 Galleries were very pleased with the exhibition itself and the turnout by the local Chinese (around 50 to 60 people attended), and so I was invited by Ms. Xing Zhang to return in the future to exhibit in the centre once again. Ms. Xing commented that this exhibition marked a new beginning in the Centre’s role in Shanghai for bringing international art to the city and stressed hers and the city’s enthusiasm for developing further cultural relations with Ireland.

The small, hardback book titled Engage – three works on the IRA decommissioning of 2005 published by 411 Galleries will be available to purchase for a small fee covering postage through the 411 Galleries and my own personal website, while I am also talking to others who may make it available through their website. Maintaining links and contacts is always important for any business and being an artist is no different. It takes time and a lot of patience to foster such relationships, but with time and a determination to succeed despite the many setbacks, not to mention the occasional gamble, one can achieve such goals. Being realistic is also an important aspect – the idealism of the art student must be subdued by a more professional approach or any money invested in projects like this one will be squandered. The success of the Engage project, as with most conceptual works, is not measured in sales or monetary value but in terms of completion and achievement of goals. The work has existed in print, on the internet and as an exhibition, all of which was viewed by the public in Ireland and China (possibly beyond?), and all of which has served me well in terms of artistic practice, professional experience and has even taught me one or two new skills along the way.

Barry W Hughes www.barrywhughes.com www.411galleries.com.cn Notes (1) Endgame (26 September 2005) can be viewed here – www.recirca.com/online_projects/ index.shtml

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

19

International – Venice Q & A

How conscious have you been of showing work in the context of the Biennale – and the city of Venice ?

SMcW: Venice is a curious, mysterious place, it is perceptually disorientating. It is a place from the past in the present and in this respect there are similarities to the works that I make. My works present narratives and histories from the past in the present. Venice is layered and looped and repetitious and this echoes a structure used in the editing of my works. The combination of works exhibited reflects the move of my practice in recent years from a studio-based practice to one that sees me travelling and entering obscure and hidden spaces and working with researchers, parapsychologists and the families of subjects. The book is a major part of the project and we invited both those familiar and unfamiliar with my work to write about it.

Susan MacWilliam Eileen 2008, 28mins 53secs. Video Still.

Susan MacWilliam Eileen 2008, 28mins 53secs. Video Still.

Susan MacWilliam Q & A The Visual Artists News Sheet quizzes SUSAN MACWILLIAM about reprESenting Northern Ireland at thE 53rd Venice Biennale with her exhibition 'Remote viewing' How and where does this questionnaire find you?

Susan MacWilliam: 31 May – in the venue in Venice, as we install the exhibition.

Where are you at with your work for Venice?

SMcW:The work was finished during the first week of May. Are you showing all new works or old and new?

SMcW:A combination.

Could you briefly outline the works you will be showing?

SMcW: Three video installations: Dermo Optics, 2006; Eileen, 2007 and F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N, 2009 and two stereoscopic images, 2009. We also produced the book Remote Viewing.

Dermo Optics presents footage recorded in the Dermo Optical Perception laboratory of Madame Yvonne Duplessis, Paris – in which she tests the supposed ability to read or perceive colour without the use of the eyes. The subject of Eileen is the Irish-born medium Eileen J Garrett, 1893–1970, one of the most celebrated psychics of the twentieth century.

Eileen features Garrett’s daughter Eileen Coly, her granddaughter Lisette Coly and parapsychologists Dr Stanley Krippner, Dr William G Roll and Dr Rex Stanford.

F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N is developed from research conducted in 2008 with the TG Hamilton spirit photograph collection housed at the University of Manitoba Archives, Winnipeg. On 10 June, 1931 a ‘teleplasm’ spelling out the name FLAMMARION appeared on the wall of Hamilton’s seance cabinet during a sitting at his Winnipeg home.

Camille Flammarion, 1842–1925, was a French astronomer and psychical researcher. F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N features a reconstruction of TG Hamilton’s séance cabinet, the Belfast poet Ciaran Carson, Atlantabased Danish-American poltergeist investigator Dr William G Roll and Arla Marshall, Canadian granddaughter of Hamilton’s Scottish sitter Susan Marshall. Carson, Roll and Marshall come together in F-L-A-MM-A-R-I-O-N and respond to the photographic image of the textual teleplasm. The two photographic stereoscopes Can we explain the poltergeist? and N to Z present three-dimensional images of Dr William G Roll and Ciaran Carson.

Has the Venice exhibition given you the opportunity to realise works that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible?

SMcW: The Biennale provided the funding and context to develop the book Remote Viewing. It features essays and contributions from Ciaran Carson, Brian Dillon, Marina Warner, Slavka Sverakova and Martha Langford. The book has had an integral role in the development of the new work. Having already written one essay for the book, it was obvious that Ciaran, a man of words and language should be in the new work F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N and I invited him into the work. He writes an additional essay about this experience. The writers’ texts have been valuable to me in terms of me re-looking at my practice and approaches.

Have you found making and installing work for the Biennale different from previous exhibitions?

SMcW: Developing works is always an intense and demanding experience for me – Venice has been this in excess and I have taken time out from my job to work on the project. It has been exhausting and exhilarating, I have had very little sleep, at times it has felt traumatic and there were points when I couldn’t get to the new work because of working on the book.

Adrenaline has kept me going and my overall perception of the experience and what has been achieved is positive in terms of developments I have made in the work and connections I have made with new subjects (people) and writers.

F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N is significant in terms of how it brings together various approaches used in my practice over the years; the use of first hand archival research material; an international residency; working directly with parapsychologists; reconstruction and object making (the séance cabinet); the use of studio shot footage of a person (Ciaran) with the reconstructed object and a developing use of audio and language.

I have begun shooting on HDV – this has been a steep learning curve. I have worked for the first time with an assistant and this has been a worthwhile and positive experience. Installation in Venice in some ways is no different from any other installation however the advance planning months ahead when I didn’t know the form of the work was hard to get my head around. Many things in Venice are infinitely more complex – in terms of sourcing materials, permissions required etc – this squeezes an already suffocated budget.

Has it been a learning experience?

SMcW: I have been overwhelmed by the personal support there has been for myself and the work – from my subjects, researchers in parapsychology field, artists, friends, writers, teaching colleagues etc.

This convinces me of the importance of what I do – of my role in making connections between people; between pasts and presents; between researchers; writers; family of subjects etc and in the importance of being ‘in the world’, getting out into the world and making visuals and manipulating ideas and imagery about the ‘stuff’ that exists in the world.

Having administered my work without external support for nearly 20 years I have had to learn to let others help with this. I realise that I can’t do everything myself and as both a fulltime artist and fulltime lecturer there is less time and suddenly everything has more urgency. (I cut the last line here) Have you been conscious of the Biennales overarching theme ?

SMcW: The theme Making Worlds has not deliberately been an aspect of the project, however I consider the works I make to act as windows onto other worlds, narratives, spaces and times. The analogy between the works and the space of the séance room can be made, in that people and historical narratives are brought together in the space of the works.

What kind of schedule have you got lined up around the show?

SMcW: This is an ongoing aspect of my practice – the work is about making connections. In making the book, a priority was to have worldwide distribution and we focused on making a book that would have longevity beyond the event of the Biennale. The parapsychology world is a significant force in the work and the book has been supported through the field, with parapsychologists promoting/ reviewing it through their websites and journals. There are a number of published projects alongside my presence at Venice, including articles about my research with the Hamilton archive and my new work F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N in Photo8 (May), British Journal of Photography (June) and artist pages in the Venice/Summer issue of Art Review. Art World magazine (June/July) highlights the exhibition in their Venice Biennale guide and features the book Remote Viewing in their review; Three of the best – Venice monographs.

Is the notion of ‘representing’ your county of relevance to you?

SMcW: It is great recognition of my practice to present my work at Venice. I regard it as an opportunity to represent my practice rather than ‘representing’ Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland’s presence at Venice is a collateral event and is not a national pavilion. I live in Belfast and have my studio there, I work in Dublin and so my time is split 50/50 North and South. I have been overwhelmed by the support of friends and colleagues, both North and South and beyond during the past year.

What are you most looking forward to about showing at the Biennale?

SMcW: I look forward to: seeing the work and the project come together; letting the work exist for an extended period of time for new audiences and for many thousands of viewers; to what future projects and opportunities arise; to finishing the year’s work and to leaving the project and to moving on to new work.

Is there anything you are apprehensive about?

SMcW:As with any project I want it to ‘work’, and for the install to run smoothly. I am confident about the works and without originally knowing what form it might take - with F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N I have made the work I wanted to make for Venice.

Have you any anticipation (or plans) for how showing at the Biennale might advance your practice and career?

SMcW:Developing the new work and making the book has already extended my range of contacts and through them we have brought new people to the work. It is planned that F-L-A-M-M-A-R-I-O-N will be screened in Dublin, Belfast and Winnipeg in 2010.

Do you have any strong thoughts about biennale’s as contexts for showing work?

SMcW: Biennales present the opportunity for many artists to be shown to wider and different audiences - it is interesting to look at the countries/artists presented in terms of funding structures, gallery representation etc, and in terms of considering the varieties of ways that this works for artists at different career levels, in different economic situations and from different countries. http://venicebiennale.britishcouncil.org Susan MacWilliam is based in Belfast, she is a full time Lecturer in Fine Art, National College of Art and Design, Dublin and is a Director of Visual Artists Ireland. For information about Susan’s work and her exhibition Remote Viewing at the Venice Biennale see http://www.susanmacwilliam. com/ Susan MacWilliam: Remote Viewing ed. Karen Downey, ISBN-13: 978-1906155780 is available from Black Dog Publishing http://blackdogonline.com/, Amazon and other outlets

20

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

International – Venice Q & A

Has it been a learning experience?

SB & GK: The experience has been full of lessons, at every stage. It’s been a great privilege to work with a great team of people – Caoimhin as our curator; Alice Lyons, assistant curator and publication editor; Peter Maybury, our designer; and our technical crew; Ross McDonnell, Antoinette Emoe and Martin Readingin Venice. This of course is just the core group. Many more individuals have already invested of themselves to get us this far.

Sarah has been working with 16mm film for the first time, the new work for Kennedy Browne has entailed working with HD and a production crew, Gareth has been working with new materials and media also, so there is a learning curve like with any new project. This has been accelerated in some ways by the platform of Venice and the Kennedy Browne 167 2009 HD on DVD. Installation view.

sense of expectation placed on the work, both by ourselves and others.

How much have you been conscious of the context of the Biennale’s overarching theme?

SB & GK: We were making work in advance of Daniel Birnbaum’s thematic titling. The overarching theme, 'Making Worlds,' does have some relevance to our practices, but often such themes tend to be open enough so that most artists might feel some kind of affinity with them.

It hasn’t been a decisive factor in how our work has developed.

And in general how conscious have you been of showing work in the context of the Biennale – be that the context of Venice in general or the specific characteristics of the biennale and the particular audiences and attention it gets.

Sarah Browne Carpet for the Irish Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. 2009. Installation view.

Gareth Kennedy. Immediate Money. 2009. Installation view.

Kennedy Browne Q & A Sarah Browne & Gareth Kennedy quizzed about representing Ireland At the 53rd Venice Biennale, with thier collaborative and individual practices

SB & GK: Venice is a special place and unique in terms of how contemporary Biennales are organised. We have been very conscious of these issues, but it’s not like you can really adapt your work or practice to suit the five minute attention spans of what is thought to be the ‘typical’ Biennale visitor. You just want to make the best work you can make, which is the same as for any exhibition or project. Of course the scope, scale and tradition of Venice and the Biennale necessitate an ambitious but also well considered approach.

How and where does this questionnaire find you?

Sarah Browne & Gareth Kennedy: This work finds us both in Venice,

What kind of schedule have you got lined up in terms of making

completing the installation of the works in the Istituto Santa Maria

professional contacts and / or conducting events and talks around

della Pieta. Tomorrow is the Vernissage.

the show?

SB & GK: There were preview talks in advance of the Biennale at NCAD, Temple Bar Galleries, and the Glucksman. Our programme of

Where are you at with your work for Venice – all done / in-transit

activities in Venice includes VAI’s Printed Project launch; a talk on art

or working on the finishing touches?

education led by NCAD; and the launch of Maeve Connolly’s new

SB & GK: There are three artists presenting in the Irish pavilion at

book on artist’s cinema, all of which are planned to be around the time

Venice – Sarah Browne, Gareth Kennedy and Kennedy Browne, which

of the opening. We have three MAVIS interns working on organising

represents our collaborative partnership. Kennedy Browne’s and

contacts for us: Annette Moloney, Linda Shevlin, and Angel Bellaran.

Sarah’s work is completed and installed, Gareth’s work will partly

Culture Ireland has also been working on PR. This is all in addition to

unfold in public over the course of the Biennale.

our own professional networks – we have already had quite a bit of

Are you showing all new works or a mixture of old and new?

Gareth Kennedy. Immediate Money – installation in progress.

SB & GK: It’s all new work made specifically for the Biennale.

Has the Venice exhibition given you the opportunity to realise

works that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible?

Could you briefly outline / list and describe the works you will be

SB & GK: Absolutely. Both of the solo projects are contextually

showing?

oriented to the Biennale, so they wouldn’t have come into being

SB & GK: Sarah’s work is a new project, Carpet for the Irish Pavilion at the

otherwise, certainly not in their current form. Kennedy Browne’s work

Venice Biennale. This has involved a collaboration with Irish company

was realised with the support of a crew (producer, director of

Donegal Carpets, well-known for their tradition of producing carpets

photography, sound recordist etc) which allowed us to produce the

for Irish embassies abroad and political institutions at home, as well as

work to a different technical standard.

for Eileen Gray at one point. The work includes a newly commissioned carpet for the pavilion, a film, and three works on paper.

Gareth’s project has partly been to negotiate a territory in the city for a succession of Dublin buskers to play within over the course of the biennale. Against the prevailing macro-economic backdrop, the work is concerned with busking as a micro- and socio-economic act. Within the space in the pavilion, a specially constructed cubicle will host an ‘exchange’ between the buskers and the pavilion where their takings from the street will be accumulated and taken out of circulation for the course of the biennale.

The new work by Kennedy Browne (the collaborative practice) for the Biennale is made in Dublin, as the city of ‘over 167 languages’ and ‘the city Google chose’ for their European, Middle East and African head quarters. The work stages a confluence between an iconic piece of Dublin architecture (Liberty Hall), an actor from the city, and a 1980s text by economist Milton Friedman. The project includes two new HD video works, and one work on paper,

Have you found making and installing work for the Biennale different from your usual way of working or experience of exhibiting?

SB & GK: Yes and no. There is a longer lead-in time than is often the case, and for the six months or so in the lead-up to Venice we both focused entirely on the new work – not taking on any other projects or doing any teaching work. We wouldn’t typically be in a position to focus on one exhibition in such a sustained and concentrated way.

In terms of how the work itself might be different, the Biennale is a different scale of production and there were challenges for us in thinking about how the ways in which we deal with people in our work might translate into this new context. It’s also been supported by an intensive, long term relationship with a curator (Caoimhin Corrigan) which is something we hadn’t experienced before.

Although the drive and vision behind us going to Venice was initiated between Caoimhin and us going all the way back to December 2007, the scale of this has necessitated us to delegate and work with numerous other colleagues to realise each project.

interest in the pavilion and it seems set to be a hectic week of meeting and greeting.

How conscious are you of the notion of ‘representing’ your county – is it of relevance or not to you?

SB & GK: It’s a huge honour to be chosen to represent your country, and it gives a certain legibility to the importance of the Biennale to people who may not be involved in art. However in artistic terms it’s clearly an anachronism (that has informed aspects of the work to a certain extent) and impossible for an artist to represent anything other than their own practice. So yes, it is relevant, but we do not bear a sense of obligation to represent the entirety of arts practice in Ireland or any national ‘scene’.

What are you most looking forward to about showing at the Biennale?

SB & GK: Mainly the opportunity to see other exhibiting artists’ work ­– we are in very, very good company. We look forward to meeting other artists, curators and others involved in the Biennale.

Do you have any strong thoughts about the Venice Biennale or Biennales in general as contexts for showing work and hubs for debate, knowledge production, reflection and overview?

SB & GK: We think our feelings regarding Biennales may be changed once we participate in one, but we will see. www.irelandvenice.ie www.kennedybrowne.com www.sarahbrowne.info www.gkennedy.info

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

21

July – August 2009

Institution print

Rua Red – gallery view

Rua Red – exterior view.

Red Alert Fiona Fullam Profiles RUA RED – South Dublin County Council’s new art space.

Rua Red (1), the new South Dublin Arts Centre, opened its doors in Tallaght on 5 February 2009. It comprises a four-storey building with state-of-the-art facilities, including gallery and studio spaces.

Ruairí Ó Cuív, (who is now Dublin City Council’s public art manager), was commissioned in 1999 by South Dublin County Council (SDCC) to write a feasibility study for the construction of a county arts centre. The resulting document was rigorously researched in consultation with local, national and international expertise. Ó Cuív worked closely with an arts centre steering group, established by the SDCC, which specifically involved liaising with local arts providers such as Tallaght Community Arts Centre (2) and Alternative Entertainments (3). The document’s main recommendations were that the design and activities of the centre should encourage countrywide arts activity; support best practice and excellence in the arts; have a diverse programme; and ensure a high footfall (4). Ruairí Ó Cuív was retained to work with Eddie Conroy, County Architect, and Jillian Geraghty, Senior Executive Architect, both internal architects with SDCC, who as Ruairí Ó Cuív says “gave the care, attention and devotion and had the determination to have a building that was first class” (5).

In terms of management, the feasibility study recommended that an independent company should run the facility – and this is now the case. The council has retained ownership of the building, but it is independently managed. While SDCC recruited the staff, they were only employed by the council until June of this year. The staffing has now been transferred over to an independent company, called Rua Red /South Dublin Arts Centre Company, which was established by the staff, with support from SDCC. The current staff of seven (six full-time and one part-time) appears to be a very small number for such a large and diverse space, but Carolyn Jones, Development Officer with Rua Red, envisages employing other staff as and when the need arises. The Artistic Director is Karen Phillips, Linda Mac Donald is the General Manager and Hugh McCarthy is Technical Manager. There is a Board of Directors, consisting of local councillors, members of the County Council – including Eddie Conroy, County Architect and Orla Scanlon, Arts Officer, a visual artist and a theatre practitioner. The Board’s role is essentially to guide the mission of the centre, to help ensure Rua Red is moving in the right direction, to support, and to flag potential problems. Carolyn Jones describes this mission at present as establishing the centre “as a dynamic home for the creation and enjoyment of the arts” (6).

Rua Red is made up of public, semi-private and private zones, with six artists’ studios on top floors. Ruairí Ó Cuív’s feasibility study emphasised the importance of having a variety of spaces within the

Rua Red – gallery view

centre – for the making of art as well as for engagement and participation. As Ó Cuív put it “without artists, we don’t have art”(7). The

were both presented by Tallaght Community Arts. These were entitled

building has two galleries, one of which is a double vaulted white cube

Worlds’ (10 – 27 June). The programming at RUA RED is booked out

space, capable of housing large-scale work. Other facilities include a radio studio, ‘incubation spaces’, a performance space with retractable seating for 70 people, a large dance studio with a sprung floor, music rooms, rehearsal equipment, a large art workshop, a meeting room, a multimedia room and a café (which will be open from July) with free Wifi. These spaces are all available for hire.

Incorporated into Rua Red are a number of other cultural tenants – the largest of these being Tallaght Community Arts (TCA), which was formerly Tallaght Community Arts Centre. Another is Radio Tallaght, a community radio station, which broadcasts from the building over six weekends in 2009, featuring programmes created and presented by people from the local community. In addition there is a mobile recording studio run by Gerry Horan in the building and SDCC dance artist-in-residence, Louise Costello, runs various dance classes at weekends. Tenants of the building are allowed to rent out the other spaces in the building at a reduced rate. A distinction is made between rates for individuals/groups, who are hiring spaces for commercial reasons, running classes, etc and those who are operating on a not-forprofit basis, such as artists or performers making or testing work, the latter generally paying half the commercial rate.

As Rua Red has only been operational since February this year, the facility is still in its teething stage – however the opening show in the space was a great success. Curated by Ruairí Ó Cuív and Cliodhna Shaffrey, and entitled ‘House Warming’,(5 February – 1 May), the exhibition featured the work of eight Irish artists – Jesse Jones, John Jones, Vera Klute, Clare Langan, Sean Lynch, Bea McMahon, Liam O’Callaghan and Beth O’Halloran. The catalogue included an essay by Declan Long. Many of the works were large-scale and exploited the generous gallery spaces. Subsequent shows have included the exhibition, ‘My Place, Our Space’ (12 – 23 May) presented by RUA RED and The Jobstown Youth Arts Project, and ‘Of This Earth’ (2nd – 27th June) was presented by Alternative Entertainments, who are based in Tallaght. Two exhibitions, which were shown in the smaller gallery,

respectively ‘Crippling Images’ (19 – 30 May), and ‘Dancing Between until March 2010, which is no small achievement, given that they have not as yet, received any funding towards programming from the Arts Council.

Tallaght Community Arts, will be involved in much of this years programming. For next year Rua Red aims to develop its own visual arts programme – and to this end a call has been advertised for an open submission show, which will take place during this summer. At present the Rua Red team is working on identifying and developing their audiences; as well as getting as many people making work in the building as possible, in order to have the spaces full and active. It is hoped that international artists will be part of their programming in future years. Other plans include running an artists’ film series. Rua Red’s management are also seeking additional funding sources and partnerships to enhance and support their programming.

Rua Red has a comprehensive website (www.ruared.ie), and Facebook and Twitter are also utilised in their promotional and information strategies, as a means of engaging people in a small way – the management team is trying to be as open and transparent as possible. Naturally, it will take a while for Rua Red to establish its profile. Carolyn Jones hopes that as people gradually start to come into the building for one reason or another, they will see other activities taking place and start to explore what the centre has to offer (7). It will be interesting to watch its development and its programming over the next year, as RUA RED carves out a space for itself in the Dublin art scene, moving towards its potential as a really great resource for all those who are involved in the arts.

Fiona Fullam Notes 1. www.ruared.ie 2. www.tallaght-arts.ie 3. www.altents.ie 4. Ó Cuív, Ruairí, A Feasibility Study for An Arts Centre, commissioned by South Dublin County Council. 5. In conversation with the writer.

6. In conversation with the writer. 7. In conversation with the writer.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

22

July – August 2009

Art in the public realm: roundup

Art in the Public Realm: Roundup

Recent public art commissions, site-specific works, socially engaged practice and other forms of art outside the gallery.

Garan's Stealth Yugo

MUTUAL : ESTEEM

Alan Mongey Carz Project

The Forever Young Choir & Ciara McMahon Mutual: Esteem

Alan Phelan Gorans Stealth Yugo. Installed at IMMA, Dublin April 2009.

The Forever Young Choir and Ciara Mc Mahon presented Mutual:Esteem, a site-specific collaborative event at SIN nightclub, Dublin (28 Apr).

Name: Alan Phelan Title of Work: Goran’s Stealth Yugo, 2009 Materials: chrome plated steel, rubber, plastic Dimensions: 450 x 550 x 550 cms Commissioning body: Irish Museum of Modern Art Project completed: April, 2009 Project budget: €20,000 Type of commission: Direct invitation

The lunchtime event followed a seven-month period of research and interchange between the Dublin based artist and The Forever Young Choir, a mixed choral group from County Clare. In the environment of SIN nightclub, the choir performed such long-standing hits as Lillie Marleen, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and their signature tune, Bob Dylan’s Forever Young.

The project began with researching car designs and through three-dimensional drawings the students designed their own unique

TREE MUSEUM

cars. The next stage of the project entailed casting blocks of plasterparis and carving in their designs.

Project partners: Irish Museum of Modern Art

The theme of the project was to ‘pimp their rides’ – and the

Description: An installation by Irish artist Alan Phelan, Goran’s Stealth

students designed every stage of the process through to the final form,

Yugo, 2009, commissioned by the Irish Museum of Modern Art, is on

colour scheme and any wiring involved such as car lights, to deliver a

view in the fountain of IMMA’s Formal Gardens. Made in collaboration

unique body for their own vehicle.

with the car designer Goran Krstiæ, from the Zastava/Yugo car factory

The students carved the intricate details onto their plaster blocks.

in Kragujevac, Serbia, the work is presented as part of Alan Phelan’s

When finalised they moved onto the next stage – vacuum-forming the

solo exhibition at IMMA which runs from 22 July to 1 November

new car bodies for the remote controlled vehicles. We used plastic

2009.

sheets, which were vac-formed on to their car designs and attached to

Goran’s Stealth Yugo, 2009, continues Phelan’s ongoing

the stripped vehicles creating each individual design.

investigations into car culture where he has in the past worked with

All stages of the project have been documented so far and the

modified car enthusiasts on several projects. Over the past two years

final day will be video recorded for the students to keep. At the end of

Phelan and IMMA have been working in unique collaboration with

the project we intend to highlight their achievements by staging a car

the car designer Goran Krstiæ, manufacturers of the infamous Yugo car, once a proud yet conflicted symbol of the former Yugoslavia.

race with the rest of the school in attendance, cheering them on.

Katie Holten Tree Museum. The Bronx, NYC. Jun - Oct 2009.

The genesis of the work began with an encounter between artist and designer during a visit to Zastava in 2006. Phelan asked Krstiæ to

Irish artist Katie Holten recently launched the Tree Museum in New

produce a CAD drawing of the car in production at the factory in the

York, a project that invites pedestrians to experience the Bronx in

style of one of his ‘infrastructural’ sculptures. This then became the

unexpected ways, offering insights into its hardy communities and

basis for the sculpture which was then further engineered to suit the

fragile ecologies (21 Jun – 12 Oct). 100 green and flowering trees from

site and historical sensitivities of the Formal Garden fountain. The

138th Street to Mosholu Parkway are the points of entry to this

work resembles a stage in

museum. “I’m using the trees as a starting point to look at all the

the design process, where 3D modelling is used to approximate a structural framework for a new car design. This phase has been rendered in chrome-plated steel, supported by extended twin exhaust

with the framework covered in Phelan’s signature fake pine twigs, drawn from the ‘blend-in’ techniques used in the telecommunications industry to hide mobile phone masts (generally as fake trees).

Guiding Star

neighbourhoods, the environment, and how everything is connected,” says Holten. “I see it as a way to give a voice to the inhabitants, the streets, and neighbourhoods from the past, present, and future.” www.nyc.gov/parks/art

pipes, attached to an underwater stabilising base. The effect is both dynamic, as the car turns and points into the sky; as well as disguised,

Alan Mongey Carz Project

Carz Project Artist: Alan Mongey Title: Carz Project Sited: Sept 08 – May 09

The meaning of the work is held in the title - ‘Goran’ is the

Commissioner: Fingal Co. Council

acknowledgment of the collaborator car designer who designed and

Budget / Commission Value: €600

then fabricated the work; ‘Stealth’ infers that the work is improbably

Type of Commission: Artists Residency

hidden, covered as it is with rubber pine twigs but also a subtle

Project Partners: Fingal Co. Council, Balbriggan Community School

reference to the arms factory which was the historical starting point

Description: Since September 2008 Mongey had been working as an

for the final word ‘Yugo’, now called Zastava, the car modelled on a Fiat

Artist in Residence with Balbriggan Community School. Fingal County

126 that was the great industrial success of the former Yugoslavia but

Council employed the artist on a contract basis and this is Mongey’s

ridiculed abroad for its poor design and reliability. As Dusan I. Bjelic

second year as an Artist in Residence. The residency involved working

writes in an essay published in the forthcoming monograph on

with a selected class for the school term, and delivering a two to three

Phelan’s work to accompany the exhibition at IMMA in late July:

hour session on a weekly basis. The residency involved specifically 10

Goran’s Stealth Yugo, 2009 represents the “complex totality of

students and introduced them to life drawing, sculpture, monoprinting

geopolitics, history, industrial production, and aesthetics using the car

and design. The main project the students are working on is customizing

as a central metaphor”.

remote-controlled toy cars.

The students are in second year in the junior certificate and the average age is 14. Most of these techniques were new to them but they were very engaged throughout the residency.

Rachel Joynt Guiding Star. 2009

Artist: Rachel Joynt Title: Guiding Star Client: Louth Co Council Date: 2009 Size: 2m x 2m Materials: Cast iron Location: Port Oriel, Clougherhead, Co Louth Description: Solid cast iron Starfish standing on pier wall of fishing Port. The piece weights over two ton and appears as if in suspended motion, playfully cart wheeling in from the open sea. A slide show of images of the installation of the work can be seen at: http://www.irishtimes.com/indepth/slideshows/starfish/

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

23

Art in the public realm: roundup The Steps

Dublin Plaques

I FEEL…

Sean Taylor, The Steps, 2009, collaborative sound/performance artwork, Step Aerobic Class, UL Sports Arena, University of Limerick. Photo Richard Corrigan.

Artist: Sean Taylor

Chris Reid. A public artwork for Nicholas Street, Ross Road, Bride Street and Bride Road, Dublin.

Title: The Steps Sited: 8 May 2009 Type

of

Commission:

Public

Workshop

Residency

Project Partners: Arts Office of University of Limerick, IMMA National Programme Description: A public art performance with the Step Aerobic Class at the UL Sports Arena, University of Limerick, by Irish artist Sean Taylor, took place on Friday 8 May 2009. Sean Taylor introduced members of the UL Aerobics Class to contemporary film works from the IMMA Collection during their one-hour workout. The videos were screened during the class to instigate and stimulate discussion about contemporary art practices within the group. The result of this relationship was The Steps, a collaborative sound/performance artwork.

The artwork was based on the vocal/whistling instructions of the aerobic instructor, coupled with aerobic and fitness-based patterns/ movements.

Candy Collective – image from 'I Feel'

Artist: Chris Reid

'I feel....’ was an outdoor visual arts event, which recently occurred in

Title: A public artwork for Nicholas Street, Ross Road, Bride Street and Bride

Dublin city centre (30 Mar – 5 Apr). According to the press release, the

Road, Dublin.

idea was “simply to offer a small snapshot into how the people of

Commissioners: Dublin City Council’s Public Art programme and

Dublin are feeling right now, and to present these thoughts as collected

funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local

for all to see”. The project, organised by Candy Collective, presented

Government

the collected thoughts on billboards and posters throughout the area

Advertised: 2004

on the street where the thoughts originated. www.candycollective.com www.myspace.com/ifeeldublin

Dates project was sited/carried out: 2004-2008 Budget: €66,000 Type of commission: Limited competition Project Partners: The artist worked with residents and people

IRIS

associated with the flats on Nicholas Street, Ross Road, Bride Street and Bride Road Description: This public artwork consisted of 21 bronze plaques and a printed book (which is currently in production). The texts on the installed plaques are based on recordings the artist made from 2004 to 2008 with residents and people associated with Nicholas Street, Ross

Sean Russell Statue Restored

Road, Bride Street and Bride Road.

This area is rich in historic sites however the voices of the residents of these old Victorian flats are largely unheard and are often excluded from heritage. These plaques attempt to draw attention to the historical significance of these voices by giving monumentality to the ordinary, the personal and the ephemeral experiences they describe.

The texts on the plaques make explicit the links between these experiences and larger municipal, national and global histories, as well as less central histories such as working class histories and histories of childhood.

The artist is in the process of completing a book that will expand upon the narratives of the plaques and include other narratives that originated in audio recordings with residents and people associated in the past or the present with this area. This book will be available through Dublin City Council Arts Office.

Willie Malone Sean Russell 1993 – 1940. Fairview Park, Dublin 3. Installed May 2009.

Rory Breslin Iris. Work being installed at Branch Road, Tramore. 2009.

A new artwork Iris by Rory Breslin has been installed on the Lower Branch Road, Tramore, Co. Waterford. Waterford County Council held an open competition last year to commission an artwork under the ‘Per cent for Art Scheme’. The sculpture of ‘Iris’ in bronze is almost 5m high. Breslin intends it to be “an emblematic talisman for the local community”. He also explains “In our more environmentally aware

Shelter

society, the sculpture will also represent an acknowledgement of the flora and fauna of the region, bringing the wild and natural into the

Artist: Willie Malone

planned.”

Title: Sean Russell 1893 – 1940

www.waterfordcoco.ie

Materials: Bronze Location: Fairview Park, Dublin 3.

THE STILL CENTRE

Dimensions: 6ft 4ins (850kg in weight)

Irish artist Rhona Byrne installed a temporary landmark – a wind

Installed: May 2009.

powered kinetic sculpture, at Loughborough University, UK (28 May

Commission type: Direct from the National Graves Association.

– 26 Jun). The work was described as “a process of orientation … this

Commissioned by: National Graves Association of Ireland.

project considers the organisation of space and the roles that design,

Foundry: Kilmainham Art Foundry Ltd.

function and experience play in our attachment of meaning to

Description: The work is a Bronze figurative sculpture of Sean Russell

a place”.

(1893 – 1940), sited in Fairview Park, Dublin 13. The piece replaces a

www.arts.lboro.ac.uk/radar

stone sculpture that was damaged by an anti-fascist protest in 2004.

Russell was an Irish republican and a chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Some controversy surrounds him, as in 1940 he travelled to Berlin in order to elicit support for the IRA. Later that same year he died during the course of his return journey to Ireland on a German submarine, some 100 miles of the coast of Galway.

British intelligence and witness statements at the 1945 Nuremberg war crimes trials, have exonerated Russell from having Nazi sympathies – the historical record suggesting that Russell was “a real republican of the old school”, who may have been willing “to use the Germans for his own political ends”, but who “regarded the Nazi philosophy as anathema” (1) Note (1) Erwin Lahousen, witness, Nuremberg war crimes trials in 1945

Stephanie Imbeau Shelter. Channel 4 HQ, London. Installed March 2008.

Artist: Stephanie Imbeau Title: Shelter Materials: Lost and Found Umbrellas, Wire Mesh, Steel Frame Location: Channel 4 Headquarters, Horseferry Road, London Commissioners: Channel 4 Date Advertised: March 2008 Project Unveiled: 1 March 2009 Budget: Approx £25,000 Type of Commission: Limited Competition Project Partners: Freestate Ltd and Millimetre Ltd

YOUR WORK HERE ! If you have recently been involved in a public commission, a percent for art project, socially engaged practice or any other form of ‘art outside the gallery’ we would like you to send us images and a short text (no more than around 300 words) in the following format – Artists name; Title of work; Commissioning body; Date that the commission advertised' Dates project was sited / carried out; The project budget (NB artwork / site work); What type of commission was is? (eg direct invitation, open competition, limited competition, did you have to prepare a submission at a short-listing stage?); Who were the main partners for the project? (eg did you work with a local authority arts officer, community representatives, architects, engineers, project managers?); Brief description of the work

24

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

Opportunities UK-based

Opportunities CO M P E T I T I O N S /AWA R D S competitions / awards

Aesthetica Aesthetica

Creative

Works

Fingal & Draíocht Prize

Competition 2009 is now open.

Fingal County Council and

It is a competition of three parts:

Draíocht Arts Centre are seeking

Artwork (including photography

submissions from Fingal-based

and sculpture), Fiction and

visual art graduates and emerging

Poetry, and one winner in each

critics for their Exhibition &

category will be awarded £500.

Criticism Prize 2009. Selected

Winners and runners-up will

artists will receive a professional

have their entries published in

exhibition fee (group or solo

the Aesthetica Annual 2010

show), chance to exhibit in

edition and all entrants will

Draíocht Arts Centre, and full

receive a free copy of the 2010

colour catalogue. Selected Critics

Annual. Entry to the Creative

will receive initial prize for the

Works Competition costs £10

winning review worth €500,

and allows artists and writers to

professional fee for catalogue

submit a maximum of either 5

essay, and opportunity to work

images, 5 poems, or 2 short

with the selected artists to write

stories. Further details available

the catalogue essay for the

online.

‘Amharc Fhine Gall’ catalogue in

Website

October

www.aestheticamagazine.com

2009.

For

further

information contact Niamh

submission_guide.htm

Ryan, Visual Arts Administrator,

Deadline

at:

31 August 2009

Address Draíocht, Blanchardstown,

Hallward Award

Dublin 15

The Hallward Gallery invites

Telephone

submissions for the for the 2009

01 8098026

Hallward Landscape Painting

Email

Award and the exhibition ‘The

niamh@draiocht.ie

Irish Landscape at The Hallward’

Deadline

which will take place from 15

5pm, 23 July 2009

October to 28 November 2009.

The exhibition/competition is

David Manley Awards

open to artists whose work

Business to Arts is calling all arts

interprets the Irish landscape in

entrepreneurs who have been in

2D in any painting form.

business for 3 years or less to

Submissions must be original

enter this year’s David Manley

and of a high standard and must

Emerging Entrepreneur Awards.

not

Prize fund includes cash prize of

exhibited in Dublin. Entry fee of

€10,000 and mentoring and

€12 for single entry, €20 for two

services from companies such as

entries and €30 for three entries

Deloitte, Mason Hayes+Curran,

applies. A panel of judges will

Enterprise Ireland, Thesaurus

nominate the winner of the 2009

Software, Image Now, Newmarket

Hallward Landscape Painting

Consulting, Dublin Chamber of

Award from entries to ‘The Irish

Commerce,

have

been

previously

Newmarket

Landscape at The Hallward’

Partnership Business & Finance

exhibition. The winner will

and gbc Public Relations. In each

receive €1,500, and other awards

of the 3 areas of Endeavour, Arts,

will be available. Entry forms are

and Business and Social, three

available online.

shortlisted nominees will be

Telephone

selected to go forward to the

01 6621482

semi-final round of judging. The

Website

Awards will be presented in

www.hallwardgallery.com

January 2010. Further details and

Deadline

a copy of the entry form can be

1 October 2009

obtained from: Website

Terry O’Neill Award

www.davidmanleyawards.ie

Submissions are invited for the

Deadline

Independent

18 September 2009

Terry O’Neill Award 2009. The

Photographer’s

competition forms a showcase for both established and new

photographers,

Address

Salon09

Curatorial Competition

providing valuable exposure of

Szpilman Award, Brunnenstrasse

Salon09 is an open submission

The British Council has launched

their work and a prestigious

10, 10119 Berlin, Deutschland

exhibition that creates a platform

‘The Fifth Curator’, a call to find

opportunity to enhance their

Website

for creative practitioners at all

an international curator to select

careers. Entrants can enter 3 to 6

www.award.szpilman.de

stages of their careers and

a final exhibition of work from

images as an exhibition series.

Deadline

presents their work to a range of

the British Council Collection at

Images must fall into the criteria

30 September 2009 (postmark

influential and prominent art

the

experts. The Salon is produced

Previous curators in the series of

of

reportage,

fashion,

Whitechapel

Gallery.

documentary, landscape, wildlife,

Incheon Design Awards

by Matt Roberts Arts, a not-for-

exhibitions were Michael Craig-

portraiture

The

International

profit organisation based in

Martin, Jeremy Deller, Nicholas

photography. 1st prize: £3,000.

Design Awards 2009 (iida) is

south London dedicated to

Penny and Paula Rego. To enter,

2nd prize: £1,000, 3rd prize:

open to professionals, students

supporting the professional

curators based permanently

£500.

and design-enthusiasts from any

development of artists and

outside the UK should submit an

Email

country. The theme of the

creative practitioners. In 2009

exhibition proposal including

info@ipgbattle.com

competition is ‘Green Life’ and

Salon09 offers a Selectors’ Prize

only works from the 8,500 piece

Website

entries may be made in the

of £1,000 and the John Jones

British Council Collection. In

www.ipgbattle.com/oneillaward

following categories: 1. Green

Award

Contemporary

November 2009, 6 short-listed

Deadline

design for humans, 2. City and

Painting, which will consist of 12

applicants will be invited to

31 July 2009

green design, 3. Green design and

months

towards

London to take part in a week of

communication. Projects should

professional development, a

professional development with

Wellcome Trust

not be currently in production,

monetary prize of £500 and a

the Visual Arts Department of

The Wellcome Trust Arts Awards

and previously published or

£200 bursary for John Jones

the British Council to refine their

are open to residents of the UK

exhibited projects will not be

services. This year’s selectors are

proposals and the winning

and Ireland. They aim to support

accepted. The total prize money

Margot Heller (Director of the

exhibition will be shown at the

imaginative and experimental

for the Incheon International

South London Gallery), Ceri

Whitechapel in April 2010. For

arts projects that investigate

Design Awards (iida) amounts to

Hand (Director of Ceri Hand

further information contact

biomedical science. All art forms

US$41,000. The jury (Julien de

Gallery) and Gordon MacDonald

Emma Williams at:

are covered by the programme,

Smedt / JDS, Karim Rashid, Jerszy

(Head of Publications/Editor of

Email

including

Seymour,

Videgård

Photoworks Gallery, Brighton).

emma.williams@britishcouncil.

performance arts, visual arts,

Hansson & Bolle Tham, Birgit

Further details available online

org

music, film, craft, photography,

Lohmann and four Korean

or from:

Website

creative writing and digital

design experts) will select 12

Email

http://collection.britishcouncil.

media. The Small to Medium-

winners for the top prizes.

salon09@mattroberts.org.uk

org/about/news/2210/2212

Sized Projects Award funds

Winning submissions will be

Website

Deadline

projects up to £30,000. Funding

exhibited during the exhibition

www.salon09.co.uk

2pm, 4 September 2009

can be used to support the

period of [DESIGN KOREA 2009]

Deadline

development of new project

from 2 to 8 December 2009.

5pm, 31 July 2009

ideas,

small-scale

Details available online.

workshops,

Email

Chair Design Contest

professionally based in the UK

investigate and experiment with

mail@designboom.com

Zepter International announces

are invited to enter up to 3

new methods of engagement

Website

its 6th international design

paintings, drawings or original

through the arts, or to develop

www.designboom.com/iida

contest for young design talents

prints to the National Open Art

new collaborative relationships

html

worldwide, Artzept 2009. The

Competition. The Competition

between artists and scientists.

Deadline

theme this year is ‘Tea for Two’,

is open to both established and

Further

25 August 2009

and entries should involves a set

emerging artists and offers eight

for making and serving tea, with

prizes of between £1,000 and

or

fine

dance,

deliver

productions

or

art

drama,

information

and

Incheon

Martin

application forms are available

for

support

Open Art, Chichester Artists

originally

from

or

online or by contacting the Arts

Zelli Porcelain Award

the teapot being an obligatory

£10,000, plus seven £1,000

Awards Office at:

Artists working with porcelain

part of the set. Entries should be

regional prizes. This year’s jury

Telephone

are invited to submit work for

unique, signed pieces that are

comprises of artist Gavin Turk,

0044 (0)207 611 7222

the 6th Zelli Porcelain Award.

functional and aesthetically

historian and curator Catherine

Email

The theme of the award for

pleasing, preferably progressive

Lampert, David Barrie and James

arts@wellcome.ac.uk

porcelain sculpture is ‘Proverbs’.

and environmentally aware. No

Stewart. For Stage 1 registration

Website

Artists are invited to choose from

purely conceptual work will be

go online for more information.

www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding

eight proverbs, each one from a

considered for the exhibition.

Website

Public-engagement/Grants/Arts-

different country. Short-listed

Works in all media including

www

Awards/index.htm

sculptures will be exhibited in

glass, metal, plastic, ceramics,

thenationalopenartcompetition.

Deadline

Zelli’s West End gallery from 19

and composite materials, will be

com

17 July 2009

to 31 October 2009. Short-listed

considered. 1st prize: €10,000,

Deadline 31 July 2009

entries will be judged by a panel

2nd prize: €4,000 worth of Zepter

Szpilman Award 2009

of three experts and the winner

products, 3rd prize: €3,000 worth

The Szpilman Award is awarded

will receive a prize of £3000.

of Zepter products. For more

Photography.Book.Now

each year to an ephemeral work

There will be an additional prize

information go online or contact

Photography.Book.Now

of art. The 7th annual Szpilman

of £500 for the sculpture showing

Zepter at:

juried competition open to

Award is open to artists of any

the best use of colour. £10 entry

Address

photographers of any nationality

nationality and the prizewinner

fee. For further details contact:

Zepter

Brid

with a grand prize of $25,000.

will

Address

Marketing, Artzept 2009 ‘Tea for

The 2nd annual competition is

Stipendium (prize money raised

Zelli Porcelain Award, 55-57

Two’, Via Sibilla Aleramo 13,

currently inviting entries of

during the year), a challenge cup

Chiltern Street, London W1U

20092 Cinisello Balsamo, Milan,

creative and innovative self-

and 10 days accommodation in

6ND, England

Italy

published photography books.

Cimochowizna, Poland. For work

Telephone

Email

Entries will be accepted in two

to be eligible for entry it must be

0044 20 7224 2114

artzepter@award.com

categories: General and Themed.

created between 1 October 2008

Email

Website

Submission fee of €30 applies. To

and 20 September 2009. To enter,

info@zelli.co.uk

www.artzept.com

enter, submit completed entry

send a completed application

Website

Deadline

form, available online, three hard

form (available online) plus

www.zelli.co.uk

20 October 2009

copies of your book or Blurb

significant documentation of

Deadline

reference number and entre fee

your work by postal mail only

26 September 2009

to:

collect

the

Jackpot

with SAE for return of same to:

International

Address

is

a

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

25

July – August 2009

Opportunities P h o t o g r a p h y. B o o k . N o w

Deadline

info@shapearts.org.uk

Public Art Trail will provide an

on a major screen complex in

International

5pm, 31 July 2009

Website

interesting

and

America. Work may be submitted

www.adamreynoldsbursary.org.

means

interpreting

the

in any of the following categories:

Juried

Competition, c/o Blurb, Inc., 580

of

innovative

INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS

California Street, Suite 300, San

Daiwa Foundation

uk

landscape/culture/heritage of

‘Funnybone’ (playful animation,

Paper Biennial 2010

Francisco, CA 94104, America

The

Deadline

the area. Further information

fun live action), Here’s the Story

Paper artists of any nationality

Website

Foundation offers grants from

7 September 2009

may be obtained by contacting

(art with a storyline), ‘Art Burn’

are invited to submit work for

www.photographybooknow.

£1,000 to £5,000 to individuals,

The Mourne Heritage Trust at:

(art without a storyline), ‘Going

the next Holland Paper Biennial

com

societies, associations or other

Address

Global’ (visions and insights

which will take place in summer

Deadline

bodies in the UK or Japan to

from

and

2010 at Museum Rijswijk in The

12 noon, 16 July 2009

promote and support interaction

Body/Landscape

Newcastle, Co Down, Northern

cultures), ‘Face the Music’ (music

Netherlands. For consideration,

between the two countries.

A week-long Body/Landscape

Ireland BT33 0HH

videos and other music-driven

submit at least 5 digital images

Daiwa

Anglo-Japanese

WORKSHOPS/COURSE WORKSHOPS / COURSES

87

Central

Promenade,

faraway

places

Spark Plug Award

Grants can cover all fields of

Workshop will take place from

Telephone

motion arts) and ‘Picture This’

or slides of recent work and a CV

The Crafts Council in the UK

activity, including educational

13 to 19 September 2009 in the

0044 (0)28 43724059

(independent film shorts, up to

to:

invites curators from the UK to

and

exchanges,

Burren, Co. Clare. The workshop

Email

30

Address

enter the 2009 Spark Plug

research travel, exhibitions, and

proposes strategies to confront

camilla.fitzpatrick@mourne.

Application forms are available

Museum Rijswijk, Holland Paper

Curator Award. Spark Plug is an

other projects and events that

our bodies with the multiplicity,

co.uk

online.

Biennial 2010, Herenstraat 67,

awards scheme that facilitates

fulfil this broad objective. For

unpredictability, directness and

Deadline

Address

2282

curators in the research and

more see:

autonomy

4pm, 24 July 2009

Victory Arts, 3090 Olive Street,

Netherlands

development

Dallas, TX 75219, USA

Website

Email

www.museumryswyk.nl

info@victorymedianetwork.

Deadline 1 September 2009

of

exhibition

grassroots

of

the

natural

Website

environment and the aim is to

concepts that have craft practice

www.dajf.org.uk

explore

at their core over the course of a

Deadline

consciousness of the body itself

year. Awards of £5,000 will be

30 September 2009

being an ever evolving landscape

Outcasting Season 6

com

and

develop

LENS-BASED/NEW MEDIA LENS-BASED / NEW MEDIA

minutes

in

length).

BR

Rijswijk,

The

within a greater surrounding

Outcasting is an online moving

Website

engage with Contemporary Craft

Pollock-Krasner

landscape. Training is lead by

image gallery for experimental

www.victorymedianetwork.com

Aspex Biennial

and

Nationalism,

Established painters, sculptors

Dutch dancer and choreographer

work in any genre or format.

Deadline

Emerging artists working in all

Internationalism, Globalism &

and artists who work on paper

Frank van de Ven and is aimed at

Outcasting

10 August 2009

media are invited to submit work

Identity, or Post-modern craft are

(including printmakers) are

artists and advanced students

programming for Season 6 which

particularly

made to 5 curators. Projects that Politics,

is

currently

for consideration for ‘Emergency

invited to apply for the Pollock-

working

will run from February to March

4th Gstaadfilm Festival

4’,

Selection will be made by jury

Krasner

Grant.

performance, dance, landscape

2010.

filmmakers,

Organisers of the 4th Gstaadfilm

submission

and applicants should have a

Criteria

are:

art, sculpture, photography,

animators and documentary

Festival invite artist film makers

maximum of 12 artists will be

minimum of three years of

recognisable artistic merit and

architecture, theatre, visual arts,

makers will be selected for

to submit short film works (max.

selected for a group show taking

proven curatorial experience,

demonstrable financial need

biology and natural history. Fee:

screenings of their work and

10 minutes in length) for the

place from 7 November 2009 to

either as part of an institution or

(professional and/or personal).

€320/€280 (concessions). For

Season 6 participants’ work will

festival which will take place in

10 January 2010. From these

as a freelance curator. For more

Grants are intended for a one

more

then be archived on the site. To

Gstaad in Switzerland on 12 and

artists an overall winner will be

contact

year period. The Foundation will

Seamus Dunbar at:

apply, email a link to your

13 March 2010. The jury will

chosen to receive the prize of a

Exhibitions Project Officer, at:

consider applicant’s need on for

Telephone

website or your work via www.

select 20 to 25 films for entry

solo exhibition at Aspex in 2011.

Telephone

all

071 9856148

pando.com or send a data DVD

into the festival and from these

The selectors are Michael Stanley,

0044 (0)20 7806 2515

relating to his/her professional

Email

with .mov files of your work by

five prizewinners will share the

Directory Modern Art Oxford;

Email

work

seamusd62@eircom.net

postal mail to:

SFr 3,000 prizemoney, with the

Deborah

c_dew@craftscouncil.org.uk

including medical expenses. Size

Website

Address

overall winner being awarded

curator; David Blandy, artist; and

Website

of the grant is determined by

http://bodyweatheramsterdam.

Outcasting, c/o Michael Cousin,

the Golden Cow Award. For

Joanne Bushnell, Director Aspex.

www.craftscouncil.org.uk

individual circumstances of the

blogspot.com

116 Paget Street, Grangetown,

more information and entry

For more information visit the

Deadline

artist. To apply, send a cover

Cardiff, Wales CF11 7LA

forms do online or contact:

website or contact Aspex on:

25 September 2009

letter, application form (available

Cló Summer School

Email

Email

Telephone

online) and slides of current

The Summer School 2009 at Cló

contact@outcasting.org

info@gstaadfilm.ch

0044 (0)23 92778080

work to:

in Co. Donegal will feature

Website

Website

Website

Address

classes on Handmade Artists’

www.outcasting.org

www.gstaadfilm.ch

www.aspex.org.uk

Lismore Castle Arts MA

The Pollock-Krasner Foundation,

Books (3 to 7 August 2009, 10am

Deadline

Deadline

Deadline

Applications are invited for the

Inc. 863 Park Avenue, New York,

to 4pm), Etching (17 to 21 August

31 January 2010

30 November 2009

1 August 2009

Lismore Castle Arts MA Fine Art

New York 10021, USA

2009, 10am to 4pm) and

Scholarship at Byam Shaw

Email

Printmaking using Photography

Artgrease TV – NYC

Swansea Fringe Festival

G39, Wales

School of Art, Central Saint

grants@pkf.org

(24 to 26 August 2009, 10am to

Squeaky Wheel and Hallwalls

International

Night

G39, an artist-run gallery in the

Martins, London. The Scholarship

Website

4pm). For further information

invite media art submissions of

Organisers of the Swansea Fringe

heart of Cardiff, Wales, invites

is valued at £5,000 and is for an

www.pkf.org

on course content and bookings

mini-dv, VHS, SVHS, or 8mm

Festival International Film Night

artists, curators and other arts

EU student of Irish origin

Deadline

please contact Marjorie Doohan

video (NTSC) tapes with a

invite artist filmmakers to

professionals at any stage in their

(Republic of Ireland or Northern

Ongoing

on:

running time of 28 minutes or

submit short films that will be

career to submit proposals for

Telephone

less for broadcast on Artgrease,

shown at Elysium Gallery’s

‘If....’, a series of projects that G39

encouraged.

Charlotte

Dew,

FUNDING FUNDING

Foundation for

legitimate and

grants

expenditures

personal

living,

Ireland) beginning the MA Fine

in

the

fields

information

of

contact

Artists,

Film

Aspex’s

biennial

open

competition.

Smith,

A

freelance

Art at Byam Shaw in October

Adam Reynolds Bursary

07491 62800

Squeaky Wheel’s public access

annual international film event

has initiated for their 2009/2010

2009. The scholarship will cover

Disabled and deaf visual artists

Email

cable show. Transmitted on

as a part of Swansea’s Dylan

programme. ‘If....’ offers successful

all tuition fees for the academic

based in the UK are invited to

cloceardlann@eircom.net

Saturdays (8pm) and Sundays

Thomas Fringe Festival (30

applicants the opportunity to

year and a contribution towards

apply for the Adam Reynolds

(10pm) in Buffalo, New York, on

October to 7 november 2009).

use the ground floor space of

maintenance

expenses.

Memorial Bursary 2010. The

Channel 20, selected works will

For £5 submission fee artists may

G39 for a two-week period to

Applicants must be accepted for

award provides one artist with a

also be shown in Squeaky

submit up to five films, each

exhibit new work or showcase

a full-time MA in Fine Art at

£5,000 bursary that is intended

MOURNE HERITAGE TRUST

Wheels’ storefront window.

with a maximum running time

new projects to a new audience.

Byam Shaw and have or expect

to provide time, space and

Mourne Heritage Trust wishes to

Open to local and international

of 30 minutes. To submit work

‘If....’

to have a first or 2:1 Hons

support for the development of

appoint artists to create original

artists. Send submissions to:

post your submissions on DVD

publicity and a small project fee,

bachelors degree from a Higher

their practice, a three month

pieces of public artwork at four

Address

with contact details, CV and

but not a preview event or

Education institution or a HE

residency at a selected arts venue

Gateway locations across the

ATTN:

titles to:

technical assistance so applicants

accredited Further Education

and additional support and

Mourne Area of Outstanding

Wheel, 712 Main Street, Buffalo,

Address

should be fairly self-sufficient. To

institution by 31 July 2009. For

advice from Shape, the UK’s

Natural Beauty (AONB) in Co.

NY 14202, America

FILM NIGHT, Elysium Artspace,

apply for this project, send an

further details of how to apply

leading

arts

Down. Pieces will be of high

Deadline

41 High Street, Swansea, SA1

email outlining your proposal

for the MA Fine Art course at

organisation. Application packs

artistic quality, reflect the unique

Ongoing

1LT, Wales

(max. 300 words) with three

Byam Shaw contact:

are available online or by

assets of the area and will be

Email

images

Telephone

contacting:

created in consultation with a

Victory Media Network

elysiumgallery@yahoo.co.uk

(maximum size 1Mb per image),

0044 (0)20 7514 2358

Telephone

Steering Group and by engaging

Victory Media Network is calling

Website

CV, statement and link to website

Website

0044 (0)845 521 3457 (minicom

the local community in a

for moving image artists to

www.elysiumgallery.com

(if you have one), to:

www.arts.ac.uk/48871.htm

020 7424 7368)

participatory creative experience.

submit work for inclusion in a

Deadline

Email

www.lismorecastlearts.ie

Email

The creation of the Mourne

programme of public screenings

19 September 2009

mike@g39.org

disability

COMMISSIONS COMMISSIONS

ArtGrease,

Squeaky

includes

in

invigilators,

JPEG

format

26

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

Opportunities Website

organisations that are dedicated

Deadline

printmaking,

www.g39.org

to the promotion of the art of

5 September 2009

photography, video, new media

Deadline

felt,

in

order

to

create

opportunities and opportunities

Ongoing

design,

Deadline

developed. Two studio spaces

18 August 2009

(55m2 and 26m2) and ten guest

and land art are welcome.

PUBLICATIONS PUBLICATIONS

for interaction and cultural

rooms are available to resident

Selection for the scholarship will

AKKU Artist Atelier Uster

artists, designers, curators and

be made by jury. For more

The

architects. Applicants should

Artist

Atelier

Uster

Wooloo Project

exchange. Entry fee of €25

SuperMassiveBlackHole

information contact Dr. Danièle

Association promotes individual

send

Wooloo is inviting artists to

applies. For more information

SuperMassiveBlackHole,

Perrier at:

artistic practice by offering visual

documentation of previous work

engage with the issue of climate

contact Lesley Bossine at:

photography journal dedicated

Telephone

artist the use of the AKKU Atelier

and letter of motivation to:

change and submit proposals for

Email

to

0049 2603 94190

in the former ‘Spinnerei Kunz’

Address

sustainable ‘life rules’ that will

bossine@btinternet.com

resulting from the time-based

Email

(textile mill) in Uster, Switzerland.

Het Paleis, Turftorenstraat 30,

be followed by at least 10,000

Website

processes

info@balmoral.de

Artists working with drawing,

9712BR

citizens

www.tessereamano.it

contemporary interdisciplinary

Website

painting, media art, photography

Netherlands

Denmark during New Life

Deadline

art practices, is currently inviting

www.balmoral.de

and sculpture from any country

Email

Copenhagen Festival, 9 to 18

1 November 2009

submissions for Issue 2: ‘Other

Deadline

are invited to apply for this year-

cob10@planet.nl

Worlds’. SMBH is interested in

18 July 2009 (postmark)

long residency which provides

Website

accommodation

www.hetpaleisgroningen.nl

in

Copenhagen,

December 2009. The festival is

photographic

the

imagery

found

in

many

a

project

plan,

CV,

Groningen,

The

part of the official cultural

Woodstock Festival

both photographic submissions

programme for the United

Installation artists working in

and any writing on photographic

Lower Manhattan

space. Applications should be

Deadline

Nations Conference for Climate

any medium are invited to

practices or subjects, reviews of

The Lower Manhattan Cultural

sent to:

Ongoing

Change. Selected proposals can

submit

two

exhibitions, books, websites, etc.,

Council Residency Programme

Address

also include public events or

installations to be exhibited at

under 1,000 words in length.

(LMCC) invites applications for

AKKU Artist Atelier Uster, c/o

Blumen Artist Residence

other physical manifestations.

The Methodist Church and St.

Further

on

Swing Space, a project-based

AmGleis GmbH, Bankstrasse 8,

Blumen Artist Residence provides

Five final artists will be selected

Mary Magdalene Church in

submission

is

space-granting programme that

CH-8610 USTER, Switzerland

international artists with a

and

personal

Woodstock, Oxfordshire, as part

available online. Submissions

matches

Telephone

connected studio and living

honorariums and full production

of the 3rd annual Art in

should be sent to:

organisations with temporarily

0041 1 9414468 / 9421011

space in a former flower shop in

budgets. Processing fee of $10

Woodstock Festival from 24

Email

vacant commercial space in

Email

the Kolonnaden Quarter of

per application applies.

October to 1 November 2009.

smbhmag@gmail.com

downtown

info@akkuuster.ch

Leipzig, Germany, for a duration

Email

Proposals should clearly take

Website

Development, presentation and

Website

of approx. 4 months. Each artist’s

contact@wooloo.org

into

www

office space for visual artists and

www.akkuuster.ch

stay starts with an opening

Website

constraints of exhibiting the

supermassiveblackholemag.com

arts

Deadline

exhibition and culminates in a

w w w.w o o l o o . o r g /

installation in a working place of

Deadline

painting, drawing, media art,

31 August 2009

final presentation. Studio visits

newlifecopenhagen/

worship and detail the meaning

1 August 2009

photography and sculpture are

Deadline

behind the installation. Selected

31 July 2009

artists must install their own

will

receive

proposals

account

for

the

physical

information procedures

artists

groups

and

New

working

arts

York.

with

and

studio

and other events (artist’s talks,

typically awarded for one to four

Newark Museum

lectures, film screenings, music

i-cabin BOOKSHOP

months and are accompanied by

The Newark Museum Arts

etc.) can be arranged in agreement

work and meet related costs and

i-cabin bookshop sells text

a project stipend ranging from

Workshop Artist-in-Residence

with resident artists during their

7.9 Cubic Meters

preference will be given to those

publications

by

$300 to $3,000. Application

Programme provide three artists

stay. Travel and production

7.9 Cubic Metres is a free-standing

able to invigilate their exhibition,

i-cabin, artist’s publications and

Criteria – the LMCC residence in

working with painting, drawing,

expenses are also partly financed

structure within the Stanley

if necessary. Proposals should be

second-hand art books. They are

New York offers studio space

photography,

printmaking,

by Blumen. Professional artists

Picker Gallery in Kingston upon

sent to:

currently looking for artist’s

only.

sculpture, multimedia, jewellery

working with painting, sculpture,

Thames that operates as an

Email

publications for retail through

Applicaiton address

or textiles with studio space for 5

digital

autonomous gallery within the

info@artinwoodstock.co.uk

the shop. Artists who are

145 Hudson Street, Suite 801,

weeks from 4 January to 5

photography, film, video and

public gallery. Submissions are

Website

interested

NEW YORK, NY 10013, America

February 2010. Residents are

performance art may apply.

currently invited from artists for

www.artinwoodstock.com

publications through i-cabin

Telephone

given open access to the

Address

a series of themed exhibitions.

Deadline

should send one copy to the

001 212 219 9401

Museum’s vast collections and

Blumen

The programming of the 7.9

31 July 2009

gallery along with their contact

Email

library, and are encouraged to

Kolonnadenstr. 20, 04109 Leipzig,

details.

info@lmcc.net

tap into the knowledge and

Germany

Cubic Meters space aims to

published

in

selling

their

art,

mixed

Artist

media,

Residence,

explore the gallery as a culturally

Discerning Eye

Address

Website

talents of Museum staff. Each

Email

charged and symbolically loaded

Call to Northern Ireland and

i-cabin, Clarendon Buildings, 11

www.lmcc.net

artist receives a stipend of $1,200.

contact@residence-blumen.de

site. The series of exhibitions is

UK-based artists to submit work

Ronalds Road, London, N5 1XJ,

Deadline

In-kind material and technical

Website

broken down into four thematic

for the ING Discerning Eye

England

17 July 2009

support is supplied to each artist

www.residence-blumen.de

parts: ‘Voids, Corners, Plentifolds’,

Exhibition

Telephone

depending on project needs. Full

Deadline

‘SLASH: Artist/Curator/Artist?’,

submission exhibition selected

0044 (0) 7813 764937

104 Paris

details of application procedures

10 August 2009

‘Disembodying the Who’, and

by an invited panel of two artists,

Website

104 hosts artists in residence

are available by contacting:

‘Warehouse A-Z’. Artists wishing

two collectors, two critics (Gus

www.i-cabin.co.uk

from the conception of projects

Address

to submit work for consideration

Cummins RA, Lincoln Seligman,

Deadline

through

The

should email an exhibition

Peter Bowles, Laurence Llewelyn

Ongoing

proposal (max. 1 A4 PRF page),

Bowen, Julius Bryant, Jackie

image/video

Wullschlager).

samples

of

2009.

Open

Artists

may

RESIDENCIES RESIDENCIES

research,

Corporation of Yaddo 49

Yaddo in New York State offers

experimentation and production.

Washington Street, Newark, NJ

residencies to professional visual

The project involves sharing the

07102-3176, America

artists

creative process with the public,

Telephone

painting,

and residencies can last for

001 973 5966550

photography,

Newark

Museum,

working

with

performance

film, art,

proposed/previous works, and

submit up to 6 works (max.

artist CV with contact details

dimensions

Künstlerhaus Schloss

between 1 and 10 months.

Email

sculpture and video art. Artists

and website, if any, to:

Submission fee of £54 or annual

International Scholarships 2010

Architects, curators, researchers

smckenzie@newarkmuseum.

may apply individually or as

Email

membership fee of £40 applies.

Künstlerhaus Schloss Balmoral

and

org

members of collaborative teams

e.tan@kingston.ac.uk

Belfast

is

in Bad Ems, Germany, calls for

painting, drawing, film, graphic

Website

of two or three persons. Artists

Website

Wednesday 26 August 2009,

applications for its International

design, media art, printmaking

w w w. n e w a r k m u s e u m . o r g /

are selected by a panel for

www.stanleypickergallery.org

10am to 4pm, at Delivery

Scholarship Programme 2010.

and photography are invited to

ArtistInResidence.html

residencies of between 2 weeks

Deadlines

Services, 16 Genoa Street, Belfast

Six

residential

apply individually or in pairs.

Deadline

and 2 months and are provided

various from April 2009 to 12

(corner of Grosvenor Road, West

scholarships beginning in April

Residents are provided with a

20 July 2009

with accommodation, board and

March 2010

Link). To apply go online or send

2010

to

minimum monthly stipend of

stamped A5 size SAE to:

international

visual

artists.

€1,500 and accommodation. For

Het Paleis

Felt Textiles

Address

Participants

will

receive

application information contact:

Foundation

invites

Saratoga Springs, 3 hours from

Coordinamento Tessitori invites

ING Discerning Eye, ParkerHarris

accommodation and a stipend of

Address

applications for residencies at

New York City. Applications

felters and textile artists to

Partnership, PO Box 279, Esher,

€1,200 per month. International

104 Paris, 11 Bis Rue Curial, Paris,

Het Paleis, a cultural venue for

should be sent by post to:

submit work for a juried

Surrey KT10 8YZ, England

artists of any age who have

France

artists, designers and cultural

Address

travelling exhibition of felt

Telephone

completed a Masters of Fine Art

Telephone

entrepreneurs in the city centre

Yaddo, P.O. Box 395, Union

textile art on the impact of

0044 (0)1372 462190

and who have been working as

0033 1 40055171

of Groningen, Holland. Located

Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY

human

Email

practicing artists for 1–3 years

Email

in a former physics laboratory,

12866-0395, America

environment. The exhibition is

DE@parkerharris.co.uk

are eligible to apply. Applicants

appelaprojets@104.fr

Het Paleis facilitates a space for

Telephone

the result of collaboration

Website

working with painting, sculpture,

Website

living and working where new

001 518 5840746 / 212 2449686

between the three European

www.parkerharris.co.uk

installation,

www.104.fr

initiatives and ideas can be

actions

on

the

20

collection

x

20in).

date

6-month will

be

awarded

drawing,

artists

working

with

printmaking,

studio at Yaddo in 400 acres of lakes, woodlands, and gardens in Cob10

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

27

July – August 2009

Opportunities Email

forms available online.

sculpture with accommodation

Interpretation) is a research

Programme. Camac Residencies

application process contact:

chwait@yaddo.org

Email

and studio space in the old

organisation

aims to support residents in their

Email

Website

moks@moks.ee

ironworks village of Fiskars,

exploring,

and

creative

ceramic@ceramic.dk

www.yaddo.org

Website

90km

understanding

and

investigations and professional

Website

Deadline

www.moks.ee

Residencies run from 1 Jan –31

landscape issues. Based in a

growth within an environment

www.ceramic.dk

1 August 2009

Deadline

March, 1 Apr –31 May, 1 June –31

remote area of California, the

of communication and exchange

Deadline

15 September 2009

July, 1 Aug-20 Sept and 1 Oct – 31

residency programme provides

for a concentrated period of 1 to

1 August 2009

Dec 2010. To apply, send

artists with accommodation in a

6 months. Artists will be provided

Flaggfabrikken

west

of

Helsinki.

involved

in

examining land

explorations,

Flaggfabrikken artist collective

P.A.I.R.

completed application form, CV,

self-contained, vintage travel

with accommodation and studio

Stichting Vrij Glas

and centre for photography and

P.A.I.R. in Holland is inviting

project description (max. 1 A4

trailer, a $250 per week allowance

space and access to video editing

VRIJ GLAS Foundation is an

visual

an

visual artists with an interest in

page), 5 printed work samples

plus partial support for travel to

and

international research centre

opportunity for artists working

site-specific work, community

(A4 size), and digital media work

and from the residency and for

Additional funding may be

that

with camera-based media to

art or land art to send a proposal

ONLY on CD/DVD, by post to:

project

an

required, and bursaries are

experimentation and innovation

undertake

month

for the project ‘Landscape and

Address

exhibition opportunity at the

available through UNESCO-

in glass through its artist-in-

residency in Bergen, Norway, in

Memory’. Successful artists will

The Artisans, Designers and

Wendover

Hall.

Aschberg (www. portal.unesco.

residency and researcher-in-

spring 2010. Flaggfabrikken,

be hosted in a container which

Artists of Fiskars Cooperative,

Residencies run for 3 to 8 weeks,

org) and Pepinieres Europeennes

residency programmes for artists,

with financial support from

can be open for presentation to

Residency Committée, Clock

and residents should arrange

pour jeune artistes (www.art4eu.

designers and architects. All basic

Bergen

offers

audiences during the residency

Tower Building, 10470 Fiskars,

access to a car or other motor

net). For more information and

supplies and centre facilities are

successful artists studio space,

period. Your work can start a

Finland

vehicle during their stay. To

to download an application form,

available for resident artists. If

accommodation, travel expenses

discussion about the connection

Email

apply, submit a 1-page essay

go online or contact:

you are interested in being

and a small grant towards

between art and landscape and

sade@kahra.nu

explaining why you want to

Email

considered, send a written

covering other living expenses

make use of your (farmer)

Website

participate in the Wendover

jycoffre@camac.org

proposal (including detailed

during their stay. To apply, artists

neighbours, their knowledge and

www.onoma.org/residenssi/

Residence Programme and what

Website

information on your residency

should send up to 20 (preferably

tools. P.A.I.R. will cover travel

residenssien.htm

you plan to do when you get

www.camac.org/english/intro1.

plans;

digital, 1024x768 px, 72 dpi)

expenses (max. €300) and live/

Deadline

there, along with name, address,

htm

equipment,

images of previous work, a

work expenses of €1,000. The

30 September 2009

phone number, and the proposed

Deadline

preferable residency period) to:

project proposal for the residency

project will be located in

period, an artist statement (max.

Allardsoog

500 words) and a current CV to:

arts

is

a

offering

three

Municipal,

materials,

and

Exhibit

computer

facilities.

aims

to

necessary and

encourage

supplies, assistance;

dates for your residency, to:

Ongoing until 31 December

Address

EMPAC Residencies

Address

2009

Stichting Vrij Glas, Hemkade 18,

(September) and Emmerdennen

The Experimental Media and

Wendover Residence Program

Address

(November).

project

Performing Arts Centre (EMPAC)

Application, CLUI, 9331 Venice

Art Labs at KUBE

Netherlands

Flaggfabrikken, Møllendalsveien

proposal and documentation by

in Troy, New York, invites

Boulevard, Culver City, California

Visual artists working in all

Telephone

17, 5009 Bergen, Norway

postal mail to:

applications from artists, scholars

90232, America

media are invited to apply for Art

0031 75 6141499

Telephone

Address

and researchers for its ongoing

Email

Labs, a new short, intense

Email

0047 45421116

P.A.I.R., Oude Gracht 6, 9341AB

Artist in Residence and Scholar

clui@clui.org

residency programme that will

anna@vrijglas.nl

Email

Veenhuizen, The Netherlands

& Researcher in Residence

Website

take

Website

heidi@flaggfabrikken.net

Telephone

Programmes. EMPAC is dedicated

www.clui.org

changeovers at KUBE in Dorset,

www.vrijglas.org

Website

0592 396933

to advancing research and artistic

Deadline

England. Art Labs aims to provide

Deadline

www.flaggfabrikken.net

Email

production at the intersection of

Ongoing

artists with time and space to

Ongoing

Deadline

henry@peergroup.nl

technology, media and time-

1 October 2009

Website

based arts (media arts, video,

quartier21

(May), Send

Amen

1506

place

during

gallery

PR

Zaandam,

The

work on new collaborative experiments between artists or

IslandWood

www.peergroup.nl

music, dance, theatre, etc.).

quartier21

residency

artists and professionals from

The IslandWood AIR programme

De Overslag

Deadline

Prospective residents may apply

programme developed for visual

other fields. Residencies will last

offers a residency of between 1

De Overslag is an artist-run

15 September 2009

for

and

artists with the objective of

for 3 or 4 days. To apply send a

and 3 weeks to a teaching artist

accommodation support for any

expanding the role of the

proposal (max. 1 page A4), up to

who

5

music/film

teachers and IslandWood staff

centre located at Complex in

limited

travel

is

a

MuseumsQuartier

25 ateliers De Overslag rents the

SINGALONG artist residence

state-of-the-art facilities along

Austria as one of the world’s

documentation on CD or DVD or

during their School Overnight

project space and the office next

programme in Latvia offers

with the logistical support of

largest contemporary cultural

up to 10 .jpgs (72dpi), CV and

Programme. Artists are provided

to it. Artists are invited to submit

accommodation services and

experts in audio, video and stage

complexes and to promote

artist’s statement (max. 2 pages

with accommodation, meals, an

proposals for site-specific projects

physical working space to

technologies,

and

critical

international cultural exchange.

A4), to:

honorarium and a small travel

that can be made and presented

international professional artists

discourse

with

an

Artists are invited to apply for

Email

and materials stipend. By looking

in the cross-space while they stay

and various art/culture activists

interdisciplinary curatorial team.

residencies for between 2 and 6

ania@kubepoole.org.uk

at

at Complex. To apply, send a

with the option to publish their

Residents are encouraged to take

months,

Website

technique, resident artists offer

project plan together with recent

projects in the area of Andrejsala.

risks and experiment with new

candidates will be provided with

www.KUBEpoole.org.uk

ways

documentation material and a

Artists working with drawing,

ideas which do not have to be

free accommodation in one of

Deadline

understanding and relationship

CV to:

painting, film, media art and

attached to specific performances

five live/work studios in Wein

31 December 2009

with both natural systems and

Email

photography,

or a finished work. Application

and a stipend of €1,050 per

overslag@iae.nl

researchers are invited to apply.

information is available online.

month. More information and

Project Network

Website

Small

Address

application forms are available

Project Network is a 6 week long

experience and artistic merit and

www.deoverslag.nl

applies. For more information

The Experimental Media and

online or from:

symposium

experience. For information:

Deadline

contact:

Performing Arts Center, 110 8th

Address

programme for ceramic artists of

Address

Ongoing

Address

street, EMPAC Building, Troy, NY

MuseumsQuartier

any

have

IslandWood Teaching Residency,

curators/

accommodation

Singalong,

fee

ANDREJSALA

/

successful

E+B

Ges.

minutes

of

students,

period of time. EMPAC offers

and

in

with

Singalong

and

Wien

works

Eindhoven. In the cross-space of

process, to

medium

expand

and

students’

cultural communities. Artists are

and

nationality

selected based on teaching residency

who

12180, America

Elisabeth Hajek, Koordination

graduated in the last two years

4450 Blakely Avenue Northeast,

MoKS Residency

ANDREJOSTAS 4, Riga, Latvia

Email

quartier21, Museumsplatz 1,

that

Bainbridge Island, WA 98110,

MoKS Centre for Art and Social

Telephone

empac_air@rpi.edu

A-1070 Wien, Austria

Guldagergaard

Practice in Mooste, Estonia, 40km

00371 26345098

Website

Email

Ceramic Research Center in

Telephone

south

Email

www.empac.rpi.edu/residencies

ehajek@mqw.at

Denmark from 3 November to 16

001 2068554376

info@singalong.lv

Deadline

Website

December 2009 and from 5

Email

Website

Ongoing

www.quartier21.mqw.at/Artist-

January to 17 February 2010. The

ericw@islandwood.org

in-Residence

project aims to create a network

Website

of

applications organisers

Tartu, from working

invites artist in

all

will

take

place

at

International

America

disciplines for its resisdency

www.singalong.lv

season from 1 March to 30

Deadline

Wendover Programme

Deadline

and a dialogue within the same

www.islandwood.org/studies/

November 2010. Residencies last

Ongoing

The

Ongoing

generation of ceramic artists.

art/artist.php

Participants

Deadline

Wendover

Programme

for between 1 and 6 months in

is

Residence an

ongoing

must

Fiskars

residency programme open to

Camac

recommended

Medialab facilities include: Sony

Fiskars Artist Residency in

visual artists of any discipline

Marney Art Centre in France

educational institutions and

TCR- DRV25e mini dv camera, P4

Finland

curators/

who wish to engage with the

invites visual artists working in

should submit a specific work

Glass Centre, Sunderland

computer, digital video and

researchers and artists working

built landscape of the salt flats of

any discipline at mid or advanced

proposal project, statement of

The National Glass Centre calls

sound editing equipment, VCR,

with film, drawing, media art,

California/Nevada/Utah.

stages in their careers to apply

intent and images of recent work.

for applications for its ongoing

video projector. Application

painting,

CLUI (Center for Land Use

for

For further information on the

Artist in Residence programme.

photography

and

The

the

Camac

Residency

their

Ongoing

combined live/work studios.

provides

by

be

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

28

July – August 2009

Opportunities Applications are welcomed from

work without distraction.

Telephone

join the waiting list, send a CV, 3

both individuals and collectives

Address

086 8063618

.jpg images of your work and a

for short or long-term residencies.

100 High Street, Peterborough,

Website

brief artist’s statement to:

The Centre’s facilities include a

New Hampshire 03458, America

www.crowgallery.net

Telephone

visiting artist’s studio, wireless

Telephone

internet access, an experienced

001 212 5359690 / 603 9243886

hot glass studio team on hand to

Email

support the production of new

info@macdowellcolony.org

Curator/Critic’s Studio

Website

work, excellent exhibition spaces

Website

Temple Bar Gallery & Studios

www.lacatedralstudios.org

and an experienced curatorial

www.macdowellcolony.org

invites applications for the use of

team and external panel of

Deadline

one studio for specific, dedicated

Blackbird Gallery

advisers. Applicants do not need

15 September 2009

use by a visual art curator(s) and/

A space is available to rent for

or art critic/writer(s) to support

group activities at The Blackbird

the research, planning and

Gallery at 18 William Street,

087 2753944 Email lacatedralstudios@yahoo.com

to have any experience of working with glass first-hand,

STUDIOS

EXHIBITIONS IRELAND

but should have an interest in

development of new creative

Kilkenny. Would suit life drawing

working with glass in new ways,

RUA Annual 2009

projects in 2009/2010. Individual,

class or writers’ group. Great

exploring the diversity of glass or

The Royal Ulster Academy’s

collaborative

group

natural light, tea/coffee facilities,

its relationship with new media,

128th Annual Exhibition will

applications, as well as proposals

central heating. Cost: €50 per

film

or

science,

take place from 2 to 31 October

made on the basis of public

night. For more information

architecture and design. To

2009 in the former Northern

projects, collaborative projects or

contact Valerie at:

submit a proposal, send a

Bank on the corner of Waring

education

Telephone

statement (max. 150 words),

Street and North Street, Belfast.

activities, are all welcome. The

087 7843015

current CV, contact details,

The exhibition will comprise

studio is awarded on a project

Email

proposal (max. one A4 page) and

work by RUA members, invited

basis and for varying periods of

info@theblackbirdgallery.com

project timetable and budget, if

artists and artists selected by

time from 6 months to 1 year

Website

relevant, to:

open submission. Artists are

from 1 November 2009. The

www.theblackbirdgallery.com

Address

invited to submit a maximum of

studio size is 4.6 x 4.3m and the

Creative Director, National Glass

two works in any medium for

rent for the studio is subsidised at

Centre, Liberty Way, Sunderland

consideration. Work will be

€156 per month including bills.

SR6 0GL, England

selected anonymously by a jury

Successful applicants will be

ISEA2010 RUHR

Email

and a range of prizes will be

notified by the end of August

The

info@nationalglasscentre.com

awarded

2009. Applications will be

Symposium on Electronic Art,

Website

adjudicator.

assessed by a panel and should be

ISEA2010

www.nationalglasscentre.com

adjudicator is Brian Ferran, artist

accompanied by an outline plan

proposals for conference papers,

Deadline

and former Chief Executive of

for the use of the studio over a set

artist presentations, exhibition

1 January 2010

the Arts Council of Northern

period of time. Application forms

projects, live performances, and

Ireland. To receive an application

are available from Claire Power

public art projects to take place

MacDowell Colony

form go online or contact the

at:

during the conference. ISEA2010

Professional artists and emerging

RUA office on:

Telephone

RUHR is a major conference and

artists of recognised ability are

Telephone

01 6710073

exhibition event for art, media

invited

0044 (0)28 90320819

Email

and technology taking place

MacDowell Colony residence

Email

claire@templebargallery.com

from 20 to 29 August 2010 in the

programme. Located in the

info@ruaonline.com

Website

Ruhr

Monadnock region of New

Website

www.templebargallery.com

Submissions by visual artists and

Hampshire,

and

video,

by

an

exhibition

This

year’s

and

community

CONFERENCES CONFERENCES

16th

International RUHR,

invites

Deadline 15 September 2009 Writing Design ‘Writing Design: Object, Process, Discourse, Translation’ conference will take place at the de Havilland campus of the University of Hertfordshire from 3 to 5 September 2009. The conference invites delegates to reflect on their sources, historiography and methodology, research, dissemination and teaching processes to examine the issues mobilised by articulating design and material culture with language, and the ways in which writing about objects has conditioned our understanding of design. For more information on conference fees and content contact: Address Dr. Grace Lees-Maffei, Senior Lecturer in the History and Theory of Design and Applied Arts, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB, England Email g.lees-maffei@herts.ac.uk Website www.tiny.cc/writingdesign Deadline 2 September 2009

potentials

of

woodlands and fields. Facilities

Crow Gallery

La Catedral Studios is shortlisting

electronic

media

include dark room, digital video

The Crow Gallery, a volunteer,

visual artists interested in joining

evaluated by an international

editing, reference library and

artist-run gallery space in Temple

the studios’ waiting list for

jury. Submit projects or papers

print making with lithography

Bar, Dublin 2, has some slots

possible

studio

online at:

and plate presses. There are no

available

exhibition

availability. Applications are on

Website

telephones. Residencies run for 2

programme for 2009. For more

an ongoing basis and further

w w w. i s e a 2 0 1 0 r u h r. o r g /

Bookbinding Conference The Society of Bookbinders will hold an Education & Training Conference at the University of Warwick from 20 to 23 August 2009. Full delegate: £360 (members) / £400 (non-members).

Day delegate: £110 (members) / £130 (non-members). Booking forms available online. For full details on conference content contact David Brown, Conference Organiser, at: Email c o n f . o r g a n i s e r @ societyofbookbinders.com Website www.societyofbookbinders.com

to 8 weeks and give artists the

information

information on facilities at La

submissions

Deadline

space to concentrate on their

Dermot on:

to

apply

for

the

region

of

Germany.

www.ruaonline.com

Deadline

theorists working with recent

Colony provides artists with

Deadline

5pm, 15 July 2009

technologies and exploring the

accommodation,

24 July 2009

the

MacDowell board

and

artistic, creative and critical

studio space on 450 acres of

in

its

please

contact

La Catedral Studios

upcoming

Catedral are available online. To

digital will

and be

Don’t forget Do remember to look at the advertisments in this VAN, also check our web site & subscribe to our e-bulletin for further opportunities.

WATCH OUT While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our information we strongly advise readers to verify all details to their own satisfaction before forwarding art work, slides or monies etc.

Thanks VAI exchanges with and sources information from: A-N:The Artists’ Information Company; The International Sculpture Centre (New Jersey / USA) and the National Sculpture Factory Cork.

20 August 2009

Ballynakill Artists School 2009 Rosleague Manor Hotel, Letterfrack, Connemara, Co. Galway.

October 4 – 9 Five day holiday painting workshop at one of Ireland’s premier hotels.Experienced professional tuition for all levels in all mediums, with internationally known artists Bridget Cox and Laureen Marchand. Residential and non-residential course fees available.

For more information or to register: http://ballynakillartistsschool.wordpress.com email: ballynakillschool@yahoo.ie T: 00+353+95+41101 – attn. Mark @ Rosleague Manor Hotel

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

29

July – August 2009

Visual Artists Ireland REGIONAL RepresentativeS

Testing Site

Northwest Situation

Aideen Barry reports on curRent developments at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre.

Daniel JEwesbury surveys current activity in and around Derry and the Northwest

Last year I reported the re-launch of the Leitrim Sculpture Centre in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim (www.leitrimsculpturecentre.ie). I recently revisited the centre to find out more about the ambitious range of projects they are running this year, kicking off this month with a public art project

by Kathy O’Leary. Entitled ‘Liminal, Different Views Viewing Difference’, O’Leary’s project is based in the venues gallery space from June – July 2009. The LSC has also just launched their round of national and international residencies.

Another important LSC initiative is its engagement with the Peace III cross border project.

For Peace III, LSC invited artists from across Ireland to work with young people from 10 schools on a cross-border basis, in order to explore the human geographies of the borderland region though visual arts practice. The project focussed on the contested nature of border landscapes through the contexts of diverse human histories; whilst providing the inspiration for re-imagining future possibilities and means for social cohesion.

I spoke to Seán O’ Reilly, Curator and Director of the LSC, about the curatorial ethos that drives the centres exhibitions and offsite projects. O’Reilly described the LSC as operating as a “testing site” and offering a “unique opportunity for artists to move across the normally separated aspects of the art production and presentation”. He stressed that “innovation in art form / medium and technique, coupled with an engagement with social, political or environmental spaces are the two main anchors around which projects and exhibitions get developed”. Overall O’Reilly emphasized how he saw the LSC as “an organisation that contributes to and reflects upon the social and cultural fabric of our local region and its relationship to the national dynamic – and we also wish to develop an international centre for cultural exchange, social enquiry and artistic excellence” (1) The LSC aims to function for artists and public alike as a valuable resource and it contributes to the local economy in a number of ways. Commenting on the significance of the ‘local’ O’Reilly made some further interesting observations – “I have always been interested in the potential of genuinely sitespecific engagement. At the same time, what is interesting about the local is if you dig deep enough you can reach universal conditions that apply elsewhere – and certainly within the rural economies of western Europe there is much in common. So its seems in all specific places, the spatial and homogenising forces of the global exist in some kind of tension with the place bound qualities of the local. And there are again some unique aspects to being here – for example North Leitrim’s cross-border status is pronounced – and the idea of borders in the social, political, geographic and ecological sense has informed some of the most interesting projects in the centre’s history.”

I also asked Seán O’ Reilly about artist-led initiatives that have sprung up since the establishment of the centre. In particular we spoke about ‘Sense in Place: Site-ations International (2005 / 06) – a project that involved invited six artist-curators from Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Wales, Latvia and Poland; along with ‘New Sites – New Fields’ (4 Oct – 15 Nov 2008) (2). Commenting on ‘Sense in Place’ O’Reilly noted “I was particularly interested to open up the dynamic of the curatorial centre by inviting six artist / curators to collaborate on the thematic structure of the event before artists were selected”. Similarly for ‘New Sites-New Field’ the curation “evolved out of discussions with artists

Kathy O'Leary Liminal: Different Views/ Viewing Difference. Installation shoots of the exhibition. Courtesy the artist & Leitrim Sculpture Centre.

who collaborated on the development of the themes and through research further pursued a dialogue with specialists from archaeology, art history, science, ecology, cultural geography etc … this idea of working within a process, of developing ideas through a dialogue with artists is very much my curatorial style. Where I do tend to get more individually involved is in the initial conditions that set the parameters of projects and help mark out the social space and critical framework for creative involvement and participation.”

The ‘Sense in Place’ book has been recently published. tThe LSC will launch the publication later this year, It is available now, from the venue priced at €30.

The LSC is an excellent resource, which I encourage artists to make use of. Besides its ambitious and extensive programme, there is a membership programme, which offers artists access to various facilities and excellent technical services – further details can be seen at – www. leitrimsculpturecentre.ie Galway County Council Arts Office In my previous report I highlighted how the issue around the moratorium on the renewal of public service contracts is having a detrimental effect on the provision of support to arts initiatives around the country. Now the impact of this recruitment embargo is becoming apparent. Mary Phelan, who was appointed to the role of public arts officer for Galway County Council just 18 months ago, has now vacated the position – leaving the arts office completely un-staffed. Galway County Council have offered this statement “the County Arts Officer position will become vacant in June on a temporary basis. Galway County Council intends to maintain its activity in the Arts using existing staff resources and is currently making arrangements in this regard.” (3) This is an extremely alarming situation. I have also been informed that Galway County Council has suspended support to a number of organisations and that the overall budget for the arts has been drastically cut from €150k last year to €50K for the period of 2009-2010.

VAI Info Clinic in Donegal During the Earagail Arts Festival I will be running an Info Clinic at An Gailearai in Falcarragh, Co. Donegal on Saturday the 11 July. Keep your eyes peeled for further details in the e-bulletin.

Notes (1) From conversations with the writer.

(2) www.newsitesnewfields.com (3)Brenda McDermott, SEO, Corporate and Cultural Affairs, Galway County Council.

The Context Gallery in Derry was formally reopened by Noirin McKinney, Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, at the start of May. The refurbishment and reopening of the gallery, now independent of the Playhouse Theatre and under the management of its new director Theo Sims, is particularly welcome, given that it is one of only two curated, publiclyfunded spaces in Northern Ireland’s second city.

One of the biggest problems with developing professional visual arts practice in Derry is that it’s been difficult to maintain a critical mass of working artists in the city and the region. The fundamental issue here is the need to leave the city to complete a degree – the North West Regional College offers popular and successful courses up to HND level but no further, meaning that students serious about a career must go to Belfast, or further afield, to complete their studies.

A recent plan to offer a degree course at the college, accredited by Leeds Metropolitan University, fell at the final hurdle, just as it was about to be signed off; it seems unlikely to be revived in the near future. And those who leave generally do not return after college.

Thus the ‘community’ of artists has been reasonably static for some time, as those working in the city will freely admit; it is based around a core of individuals and groups who have mostly taken it upon themselves to try and redress the shortcomings of the city’s infrastructure and provision. For the most part, these artists (and curators and administrators) have been based in the city for fifteen, twenty or more years, and they are not seeing younger generations of artists take up the projects and campaigns that they have initiated.

So the viability of visual arts practice, in the long term, is fragile. This isn’t necessarily a problem, either, with attracting audiences, or with encouraging young people to take an interest in art. Void, through its artist-in-residence Damien Duffy, has been running its ‘Void Art School’ for three years now, offering supplementary classes to local A-level students, in the context of the gallery’s programme of international contemporary art.

The exposure to the processes of art in the ‘real world’ that this offers these young artists, embarking on the first stages of a career, is clearly invaluable, and those participating in the Art School have gained entry to foundation courses across Ireland and the UK. Similarly, it’s not necessarily a problem of the availability of studio space, which artists can generally still find in the city.

Derry is a border city, of course, and Donegal has seen some of the same resurgence in art activity as its neighbours Sligo and Leitrim. But the scope for cross-border collaboration is limited, and mainly focused on short-term educational or public art projects, so the opportunity for this to have a knock-on effect in Derry is limited.

The local arts infrastructure that the Republic has now had for several years, with local authority arts officers given a statutory responsibility to provide arts programming in their regions, is not currently mirrored in the North – the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland are still to agree the timetable for discussions around devolving local arts powers to the super-councils that will be established in 2011. In the meantime, the 26 local authorities are largely left to do their own thing, and to decide for themselves how and whether to fund art production and exhibition.

Derry is currently trying to address its deep segregation by forging new links – tangible, physical ones – between its very separate communities. Ilex, the urban regeneration company set up in 2003 to “plan, develop and sustain the economic, physical and social regeneration of the Derry City Council area”, is well advanced in its plan to build a new footbridge between the Guildhall on the west bank of the Foyle and the Waterside on the east. This new bridge will bring people from the city directly to the massive regeneration site at Ebrington barracks, a 65-acre plot that the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister inherited under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. Ilex’s plans for Ebrington include a ‘regional public art gallery for Northern Ireland’, but whilst this might sound like a laudable aim, it’s currently unclear where the collection for such a regional centre might come from. More official infrastructure may, in any case, not be the highest priority for arts development in the city. Much could be achieved through greater regional and cross-border co-ordination, and the effective channelling of funds into projects that don’t require new physical infrastructure.

Encouraging and supporting a layer of art production that is not dependent on the regeneration agenda should also be possible; this could simply be a question of adjusting the Arts Council’s existing schemes slightly, perhaps to fund independent curation alongside individual artists and organisations, at least while decisions are taken regarding the future of local arts provision from 2011 on.

POINTS BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM Artists’ exchange and residency programmes in the North continue to be adversely affected by the UK Home Office’s new ‘points based’ immigration system. Host institutions now need to pay a fee to be registered as ‘sponsors’ for visiting artists.

Unfortunately some artists have been delayed when entering Northern Ireland by the UK Borders Agency, or have been denied permission to enter the UK at all. Clearly this is jeopardising the mobility of cultural products and practitioners that is defined as a priority not just of the European Union but of the United Nations too. Please let us know of any issues or difficulties that the new legislation is bringing for your projects, by emailing northernrep@visualartists.ie.

Editors Note On a more positive note, readers should be aware that as Brendan McMenamin arts officer with Derry City Council has informed Visual Artists Ireland, there are range of very promising visual arts resources, plans and activities that are taking place or underway in Derry.

These include the the opening up new artists studios by the Gordon Gallery (www. gordon-gallery.com). And on a bigger scale £15 million capital investment is set to take place in 8 major Capital Cultural Projects i.e., The Playhouse , The Nerve Centre, The Verbal Arts, An Gaelaras, Waterside Theatre, Void and Gas Yard all of whom include significant visual arts elements within their projects and programmes.

SQW, the consultants for the ILEX project, have also stressed the potential for developing cultural facilities in the Ebrington area on the waterside of Derry city centre.

30

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

July – August 2009

Problems

PABLO HELGUERA's ARTOONS

The Problem Page

Artoons

Our consiege / curator of agony responds to a selection of queries and conceptual quibbles – offering in return, nothing less than life-shattering, dilemma-inducing, paradigm-shifting nonsense.

The foibles, ironies, and occasional stupidity of the art world – captured with clarity and economy

I’ve upset the apple cart

Conference Rage

Dear Concierge of Agony,

Dear Concierge of Agony,

Oh dear, I think I’ve and gone and done it now. I

My colleague I think has written to you on a similar

recently attended a run-of-the-mill panel discussion

subject, but they are a far gentler soul than I. While

/ seminar cluster – you know the thing – ‘alter

they are only bemused and slightly embarrassed

philoso-curatorial-post-westernisticism today’. And

after their conference experience, I am hopping

it was all going very nicely – the speakers read their

mad. Conference rage – I’ve got it bad.

papers at us with varying degrees of uninflected

And no, I’m not talking about that so called

monotone detachment; and come the appointed

‘little hissy fit’ I supposedly had in the car park

hour, time was given over the ritual of questions

afterwards – as some of my friends have called it,

from the floor. This commenced in the time-

barely concealing their guffaws.

honoured way, with a short episode of utter silence,

It’s like this, I went to a conference and it was

punctuated by some questions – well more like

rubbish and boring. And the whole thing was

complimentary remarks, from the chairperson and

completely wrong about everything.

host organisations staff about how great the

I know I should let it go, and concede that

speakers were, and could they just repeat, but more

perhaps the learned speakers with their years of

slowly some of their most brilliant of brilliant

post-doctoral studies and research might have some

ideas.

valid points to make, which might be apparent if I

Then followed a smattering of the obligatory

did a bit of background reading, or just some deep

– “I’m not going to ask you anything at all, but

breathing exercises. But no! Rubbish. Wrong. Boring.

instead I’d like to use this access to roving mike and

Grrrr.

hi-fidelity sound recording to tell all the assembled great and the good what I am up to at the moment,

Quick Nurse the Screens! Call security! But, no

albeit in a very meandering and infuriating

dear correspondent, in all fairness, I fully

manner”; along with a few ‘questions’ along the

acknowledge your pain and admire your honest

lines of “Oh my God. I so-oo agree with you all, but

'ownership' of your bitter and twisted feelings.

y’know me and my bezzie mates had the same ideas, but only first and better-rer”.

But you are in error. You may be thinking the only solution is to give these events a wide

Oh, and as a special treat there was the

berth and indeed to never ever attend such a

completely confused query – “I am even in the

debacle again. But you are wrong. You need not

right place? You know, aren’t scones nice?”, which

impose a self-banishment from this particularly

the panel gracefully dealt with, by talking more

wondrous branch of the art world spectacle.

animatedly amongst themselves than they had for

While your feelings are entirely justifiable, you

the entire conference for a good 35 minutes.

must in future take an entirely different

What you may ask, could be worse? What could make more of a travesty of this supposed

approach to such events – as I hope my last answer made clear.

learned gathering and occasion of elevated

What I see for you is an important role –

discourse? My mistake, which I think has now

that of silent conference attendee; who by and

placed me beyond the pale and has truly upset the

large make up the majority of any audience; and

apple cart was this …

are thus essential components of it. Your colleague is of a different temperament and I

Please, don’t go on, spare yourself the

think will soon get the hang of the ‘self-serving

embarrassment. Let me guess, you asked a

question technique’ – but for you, no you must

perfectly reasonable question, didn’t you? A

stay silent for the sake of your inner piece and

genuine question – with a view only to shedding

bodily health.

light on area not completely covered by the

In future amuse yourself at conferences

speaker’s papers and comments. It was a simple

and seminars, not by paying attention to

question, a clear question. It was brief and

anything said, but by drawing contentment in

formulated with no thought for self-serving

being seen to be there; scan the crowd for

personal advancement, or point scoring. And it

attractive people to flirt with; or take note of

was asked in the spirit of enlightening yourself

particular sartorial trends you could incorporate

and your fellow delegates, wasn’t it?

into your own ensembles to sport at other art

Was your question met with a polite if not

world social outings.

muted response from the panel and an eerie

If you need more stimulation than this,

murmuring from the crowd, along with a few

bring your MP3 player, or electronic personal

dirty looks over the shoulder? Thought so.

organiser and laptop computer to give the

What an elementary mistake – one that has

impression of a ceaseless engagement with the

been brought to my attention on numerous

art world. You may in truth be writing hate mail

occasions, but hither to, I had thought as

to the event organisers or perhaps listening to

trifling. But it seems with the ever expanding

some choice soft rock numbers – but outwardly

frequency of seminars, reading groups,

you will exclude a beneficent alertness.

conferences, dialogical discursive discourses

If others like you follow my advices, in

and whatnot; that your problem should be

future speakers and conference organisers will

highlighted.

be able to look out contently at a full room of

Let me say thus clearly, and just once.

These events should be wildly grasped as first and foremost the most fabulous of networking and grandstanding opportunities the art world has to offer. To approach them as anything else would be the greatest and gravest of follies.

strangely quiet, and thus presumably attentive audience members.

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