Visual Artists' News Sheet - 2014 March April by VisualArtistsIreland

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet issue 2 March – April 2014 Published byVisual Artists Ireland Ealaíontóirí Radharcacha Éire

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Willie Malone: casting sculpture for over two decades Kilmainham Art Foundry Ltd. t/a Irish Bronze, Inchicore Rd and Griffith College, Dublin 8

Fire Station’s facilities include a Sculpture Workshop. Hire of space is available to all professional visual artists year round: www.firestation.ie/facilities

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Fire Station offers ongoing opportunities for visual artists, including Sculpture Workshop and Digital Media awards and bursaries: www.firestation.ie/opportunities

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The Visual Artists’News Sheet

Editorial

March – April 2014

Contents

WELCOME to the March / April 2014 Visual Artists’ News Sheet. We have profiles on a wide spectrum of VAI’s advocacy work, projects and services: To Work with Purpose: Best Practice Guidelines For Internships; the VAI / Create ‘Recent Graduate Evening’; VAI / Digital Art Studios residency; the Valerie Earley Residency and the VAI Professional Development programme. Columnists Chris Clarke, Mark Fisher, Jason Oakley are in polemic mode, questioning the critic’s authority in light of a proliferation of online arts journalism, praising austere modernism and finding the idea of contemporary art lacking. The ‘contemporary’ is also scrutinised elsewhere in the publication – is there something in the air? We profile ‘Presently’, a showcase of emerging NI artists at Millennium Court Arts Centre, focused on new work and artists’ current preoccupations. Our scoop preview of EVA 2014 in Limerick – an interview by Jonathan Carroll with the show’s curator, Bassam El Baroni – foregrounds the notion of ‘the three tenses of the contemporary’. Armagh is the subject of our regional focus: MCAC, Portadown, the Market Place Arts Centre and Craigavon Borough Council’s arts services are profiled; and we get the lowdown from artists Emma Donaldson and Michael Hanna. VAI’s Northern Ireland Manager, Feargal O’Malley, looks at Flax Art Studios, which this year celebrates 25 years in operation. Aideen Barry, VAI’s West of Ireland Representative, reports on the challenges facing Galway’s artist-led venues and pays a visit to NN Contemporary in Northampton, UK. Critique includes reviews of: Jaki Irvine (Frith Street); Jackie Nickerson (Jack Shainman); Feriel Bendjame (Goethe); Paul Quast (Luan); Kevin Mooney, (Talbot); and Gráinne Bird, (Higher Bridges). What artists make is at the heart of the VAN. Lily Power’s interview with Lynn Harris of AND Publishing considers the implications of digital print-on-demand technologies for artist book makers. This edition’s ‘How is it Made?’ features offer accounts by John Beattie, Margaret Tuffy and Eamon Colman – artists making new works that engage with the landscape and variously deploy drone technology, video, mapping, walking, poetry and painting. Brian Breathnach (2B), an assistant to Michael Farrell in the 1980s, provides a fascinating account of the artist’s studio practice. Our ‘Career Development’ coverage is focused on ‘the other side of the fence’: gallerists and curators. Sabina Mac Mahon interviews director of Taylor Galleries, John Taylor about his 50-year career. Likewise concerned with the ‘business-end’, Marianne O’Kane Boal profiles IADT Dun Laoghaire’s scheme, which invites visiting curators to help prepare final year students for professional practice. Looking at Irish artists’ activities abroad, Bea McMahon describes her experience of her residency at the Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, and participation in Fioricci Foundation event on the Island of Stromboli. Our ‘Art in Public’ coverage focuses on ‘The Truth Booth’ – an impressive public art project co-initiated by Jim Ricks – that recently toured to Afganistan and is due to travel to Pakistan. Joanne Laws reports on Locis, collaborative residencies organised by Leitrim Sculpture Centre and counterpart institutions in Poland and Sweden. This issue also pays tribute to the trailblazing John Coll (25/12/61 – 27/12/13), Mayo Arts Officer and Director of Community and Enterprise. And as always we have the ‘Roundup’ of recent exhibitions, all the latest ‘Opportunities’, ‘News’ from VAI and the visual arts sector and the humour of Artoons.

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1. Cover Image. Jackie Nickerson, Oscar, 2012, digital c-print, 86 5/8 x 70 7/8 inches (edition of 2 + AP) 59

x 47 1⁄4 inches (edition of 3 + AP), image courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

5. Roundup. Recent exhibitions and projects of note. 5. Column. Mark Fisher. Making Demands. 6. Column. Jason Oakley. I wouldn't start from here ... 7. Column. Chris Clarke. Everyone's a Critic. 8. News. The latest developments in the visual arts sector. 8. VAI News. Visual Artists Ireland's research, projects and campaigns. 9. Regional Focus. Visual arts resources and activity in Armagh: Market Place Arts Centre; Micheal Hanna; Millennium Court; Craigavon Borough Council Arts Office; Emma Donaldson. 11. VAI Event. Shape Shifters. Hazel Dixon profiles the VAI / Create ‘Recent Graduate Evening’, (30 January 2014) that offered peer advice for students and recent graduates. 12. VAI / DAS Residency. Creative Space: The Final Frontier. Conan McIvor, 2013 winner of the Visual Artists Ireland / Digital Arts Studios Residency Award, discusses his experience. 13. Residency. Residency Within a Residency. Bea Mcmahon describes her residency at the Rijksakademie Van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. 14. Project Profile. Epicentres of Activity. Joanne Laws reports on Locis, a collaboration between Leitrim County Council and counterpart institutions in Poland and Sweden. 15. Valerie Earley Residency. What Lies Beneath. Jill Christine Miller, the first recipient of the Valerie Earley Residency Award, outlines insights gained during her time at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. 16. Organisation Profile. Scarcity to Abundance. Lily Power talks to Lynn Harris of AND Publishing about new forms of publishing for artists’ books. 17. Profile – Curation. Three Tenses of the Contemporary, Jonathan Carroll previews ‘Agitationism’, the 36th edition of EVA International (12 April – 6 July Limerick), with the Curator Bassam El Baroni. 18. How is it Made? Land & Self. Margaret Tuffy discusses recent and ongoing works. 19. Critique. Jaki Irvine, London; Jackie Nickerson, NYC; Feriel Bendjame, Goethe, Dublin; Paul Quast, Luan, Athlone; Kevin Mooney, Talbot, Dublin; Gráinne Bird, Higher Bridges, Enniskillen. 23. Art in Public – Profile. To Tell the Truth. Georgia Corcoran talks to Jim Ricks about ‘The Truth Booth’, a collaborative public art project that recently toured to Afganistan. 24. Project Profile. Curation & Process. Marianne O’Kane Boal profiles a series of innovative public exhibitions and curatorial reviews of work by final year students from IADT Dun Laoghaire. 25. Career Development. The Accidental Gallerist. Sabina Mac Mahon talks to gallery director John Taylor about his 50 year career. 26. How is it Made? Something in the Air. John Beattie his Artlink commission ‘A Line Of Inquiry’. 27. Exhibition Profile. This Just Happened. Feargal O’Malley discusses curating ‘Presently’, an exhibition of emerging artists from Northern Ireland at MCAC , Portadown (7 February – 29 March). 28. How is it Made? Keep Pushing the Brush. Brian Breathnach (2B) recalls his time working as a studio assistant for Michael Farrell in Paris during the 1980s. 29. VAI Northern Ireland Manager. Critical and Creative. Feargal O'Malley discusses Flax Art Studios in Belfast, which this year celebrate 25 years of operation with a series of exhibitions, talks and events. 29. VAI West of Ireland Representive. Here & There. Aideen Barry, reports on challenges facing Galway’s artist-led venues and a visit to NN Contemporary in Northampton, UK. 30. Tribute. Humour, Vision & Intelligence. Tributes to John Coll, Mayo’s trailblazing Arts Officer and Director of Community and Enterprise.. 31. VAI Advocacy. To Work with Purpose! Introducing VAI's 'Best Practice Guidelines For Internships'. 32. How is it Made? Visual Conversation. David Brancaleone interviews the painter Eamon Colman. 33. Opportunities. All the latest grants, awards, exhibition calls and commissions. 34. VAI Professional Development. Current and upcoming workshops, peer reviews and seminars. 35. Artoons. Pablo Helguera. Artoons. The foibles and ironies of the art world. Production: Publications Manager: Jason Oakley. Assistant Editor: Lily Power. News & Opportunities: Niamh Looney. Invoicing: Bernadette Beecher. Contributors: Mark Fisher, Chris Clarke, Emma Donaldson,

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The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Column

Mark Fisher

Roundup The Artificial Infinite

Making Demands I was recently fortunate enough to be asked by the artist Christopher Williams to speak at his show ‘The Production Line of Happiness’, which opened at the Art Institute of Chicago in January. (The show will be moving to MoMA in New York and the Whitechapel in London.) This was my first proper encounter with Williams’s work, and at ‘The Production Line of Happiness’, I felt something I rarely experience in ‘contemporary’ art shows: fascination. At first sight, some of the images seemed ultra-banal; in most cases, it was not initially clear what we were supposed to be looking at, or why. Nevertheless something in the images drew me back, repeatedly – and each time I returned to look at them I found more to see. Gradually, I found myself drawn into Williams's vision – a vision, which in turn transformed my relationship to the everyday commercial imagery, which his work simultaneously analyses, parodies and extends. This encounter – where initial incomprehension, even irritability, was followed by a growing appreciation – is typical of the mode of engagement that a modernist work of art elicits. And Williams, whose mentors were conceptualists, is perhaps best thought of as a late modernist artist. The clues to this affiliation are provided by the many intertextual references – to the likes of Brecht, Godard and Pasolini – in the show and the catalogue text. The unstable position of the catalogue text itself – some of it pasted onto the wall of the show – is another example of late modernist playfulness. The text can be definitively positioned neither inside nor outside the show – indeed, we might say that in a certain sense the show took place ‘inside’ the catalogue text. It’s worth drawing out the contrast between my experience at the Williams show and what I habitually feel when faced with so much ‘contemporary’ art: usually a mixture of perplexity, boredom and duty. Too often, the work remains inertly unyielding, even after repeated views; there is nothing for us to do with it. At one level, the work makes few demands of us (anti-modernist faux-egalitarianism forbids this, associating such gestures with the ‘oppressive’ figure of the modernist artist); on the other hand, the allegedly participatory nature of the work places the responsibility for providing it with consistency and ‘meaning’ substantially with us. Meanwhile, the often extensive retinue of references upon which the work typically calls does not even have a spurious connection with anything one can sensually apprehend – the relationship between the work and its theoretical-textual supports is present only in the act of articulating them. By contrast, the references in Williams’s work are either directly compacted into the image itself (albeit in such a way that requires a careful act of decoding) or else they can be triggered by the image (not via some vague ‘association’, which can justify a linkage with more or less anything, but by a specific logic or set of implications). Williams's images are like puzzles which solicit us to solve them. They demand a certain attentional focus – we have to learn to look very intently, which is to say, we have to learn not to overlook anything. Everything in these intensely composed images – and in their accompanying titles – threatens to be legible. Take, for instance, the photograph of the 1964 Renault car on its side. We may know – or it may take us a little research to find out – that this model of car was often seen overturned (and used as an improvised barricade) in the events of Paris ‘68. But what does this object – now removed, not only from the context of those events but from any context – now connote? What impossible world are we to construct around or for this immaculately polished and beautifully lit product, gleaming as if it has just emerged from the showroom? Here we come to the key characteristic that perhaps marks Williams out most decisively from the ‘contemporary’: the production values of his work. Williams doesn't take his photographs himself, but like a film auteur, he ‘directs’ the shoots – overseeing professional photographers, lighting experts, and models. The resulting photographs always have a chilling yet seductive sheen – a sheen that both attracts (we long to somehow plunge into it) and repels (the sheen marks the opaque inaccessibility of these images, the way they utterly closed off to us). For me at least, these obsessive production values – and the quasi-fetishistic care that has gone into arranging the objects in the photographs – offer a welcome contrast with the conspicuous, too-cool-for-school nonchalance of contemporary art's eye-wearying low-quality digital video and films shot on mobile phones. In common with the modernist lineage from which it comes, William’s work dares to make demands – but it also gives a great deal in return. In my view, it is long past time that we rejected the kneejerk anti-modernism that informs so much contemporary art – and return to the austerity and enjoyment of a modernism that was prematurely terminated and is now ripe for reinvigoration. Mark Fisher is the author of 'Capitalist Realism' (2009) and 'Ghosts Of My Life: Writings on Depression, 'Hauntology and Lost Futures' (2014). His writing has appeared in many publications, including The Wire, Frieze, The Guardian and Film Quarterly. He is Programme Leader of the MA in Aural and Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London and a lecturer at the University of East London. He has also produced two acclaimed audio-essays in collaboration with Justin Barton: 'londonunderlondon' (2005) and 'On Vanishing Land' (2013).

on and with paper, hand etched aluminium, sculpture, along with video projections and appropriated found objects”.

Andrea Büttner & Coptic Textiles

www.sample-studios.com

Amanda Rice, still from 'The Artificial Infinite', 2013

Amanda Rice’s installation ‘The Artificial Infinite’ ran from 1 Dec – 25 Jan at Kunstraumarcade, Mödling, Vienna, Austria. The artist described the show as comprising “a layered video installation

Vivienne Dick Two films by Vivienne Dick were shown at the London Short Film Festival on 11 Jan. As the press release noted, “Since her major retrospective at Tate Modern in 2010, we have been waiting for Vivienne Dick’s newest film. To mark the UK premiere of The Irreducible Difference of the Other (2013), we are delighted to welcome Vivienne to present her latest work together with one of her classic No Wave films from 1978, She Had Her Gun All Ready". www.shortfilms.org.uk

projected onto fabric – the work was informed by the artist’s interest in the civilization of landmass and the imitation

Andrea Buttner, Votive Glass

From 24 Jan – 19 Mar, the Douglas Hyde Gallery hosted an exhibition of Coptic textiles made between the fifth and eleventh centuries AD. As the gallery notes explained, "Found in the dry desert areas of Egypt, substantial numbers of Coptic textiles have survived. Most of them are fragments of the woven and embroidered garments in which the Copts buried their dead”. An exhibition

Remains

of work by Andrea Büttner ran at the

of natural objects”. The project was

same time. “Devoid of all irony, although

supported by Culture Ireland and AIR

not of humour,” the press release stated,

Krems, Austria.

“Büttner’s art practice treads a fine line between the heartfelt and the knowing, and between faith and critical thought; it

Materials

is this tension that accounts for the

David Ian Bickley’s film artwork,

Willie Doherty, 'Remains', 2013

‘Materials’, was screened at LHQ, Cork

'Remains', an exhibition of work by Willie Doherty ran at the Kerlin Gallery, Dublin (17 Jan – 4 Mar). The show was described as being "situated in the landscape and streets of Derry, Northern Ireland where an uneasy peace is often disrupted by incidents of violence that seem like inexplicable remnants from the past”.

(11 Dec – 30 Jan). The press release described it as an “immersive single channel audio visual piece, which employs

various

cinematographic

techniques to present an impression of the common earth elements that are at once alien and yet familiar”. www.davidianbickley.com

work’s strength and complexity”. www.douglashydegallery.com

FUCKIER, SHITTIER, PISSIER

www.kerlin.ie

The Möbius Strip

Politics of Food Irish artist Christine Mackey recently participated in ‘The Politics of Food’, at the Delfina Foundation, London (24 Feb – 10 Mar). The project brought together 22 artists, curators and thinkers from across the globe to explore "an array of strategies that address the history, politics, economics and ethics of food production, consumption, distribution and display”. www.delfinafoundation.com

Lee Welch, from 'Fuckier, Shittier, Pissier', 2014

Group exhibition ‘FUCKIER, SHITTIER, PISSIER (STICK UP FIR-TREE, IRISHISE)’ held at Broadstone Studios, Dublin (31 Jan – 22 Feb), looked at three very unique but commonly used words – Fuck, Shit, Piss – within an overall theme and design

Interior Sun

set in place by artist Paul Hallahan. The

Aaron Lawless, 'The Mobius Strip, 2014

work was development of an idea

Aaron Lawless’s ‘The Möbius Strip’ ran at

exhibited as part of an Engage Studios

Limerick Arts Encounter (15 Jan – 28

project ‘Too Many Dinner Parties’ at 126

Feb) and was curated by Michele

Gallery in Galway in June 2013. In the

Horrigan.  Lawless's work explored the

Broadstone show, work by Simon

closure of Faber Studios in Limerick, The

Cummins, Lee Welch, Paul Hallahan,

exhibition notes stated, "Now out of his

Teresa Gillespie, Stéphane Hanly, Aoife

studio, Lawless’s work accelerates, and it

Mullan, Oisin O’Brien, Maya Deren and

appears as if everything is spilling out of

Mike Fitzgerald was brought together “in

his own private space into public

an attempt to look at the acquired

view…”

meanings to the chosen words – one Damien Flood, In Brackets

point “the idea of a simple transforming

Damien Flood’s exhibition ‘Interior Sun’ ran at Green On Red gallery, Dublin (16 Jan – 22 Feb). In this body of work, as the press release noted, “the artist continues to intrigue and surprise with paintings that rely heavily on the quality and the direction and brevity of the painted line... The same line varies between having descriptive, diagrammatic or even ideogrammatic powers in a witty and confident turn to an increasingly light

gesture

touch”.

Flip The group exhibition ‘Flip’ was held at Tactic Gallery, Sample Studios, Cork 16 – 30 Jan and featured work by Astrid Walsh, Claire McCluskey, Gemma Kearney, James Hayes, Pam Carroll, Sean Hanrahan, Sharon McCarthy, Steve Sullivan and John O’Donovan. The show was described as taking as its starting that

recontextualises

our

taken by each artist – and also the relationship between them; creating links to patterns and relationships between the works within the gallery space”. www.fuck-shit-piss.com

A Winter Light Mark Garry’s exhibition ‘A Winter Light’ is now on show at The Model, Sligo (8 Feb – 20 Apr). The press release states, “Articulating the complete range of Mark’s cultural activities, this survey

experience of everyday existence.

show includes his acclaimed thread

Responses to the theme include works

installations, new film works and

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

COLUMN

Roundup

Jason Oakley

exciting collaborative music project.

Moriarty and Michael O’Halloran.

pieces the question is in the title; in

Garry’s work is informed by his interest

Curator Ciara Hickey, stated, "This project

others it is a little more oblique”.

I Wouldn't Start From Here

and engaging with the many mechanisms

focuses on a single piece of artwork

that influence and effect how one

–Czechoslovakia Radio 1968 by Tamas St

navigates the world, and in particular,

Turba. The work consists of a red brick

the complexity and subjectivity inherent

with markings drawn onto the sides

in these navigations”.

denoting the dials of a radio. When

How do you write a history of contemporary art – where to start? Isn’t the art world just too big, global and diverse? When does a pile of press releases become ‘history’? Perhaps it’s not surprising then that the history of art doesn’t have a strong relationship with current art practice. And arguably, the history of art was eclipsed in the 1990s by the multi-disciplinary sweep of ‘visual culture’ – an amalgam of media studies, sociology, psychology, feminist and Marxist thought and postcolonial critiques. More recently, new forms of philosophy have become interesting to the art world. But perhaps it could be art history’s time again. Arguments are amassing for the need to look back, beyond and indeed around our present times. Indeed, dissatisfaction has been growing for a while with the term ‘contemporary art’. A good trove of critique can be found in 2010 editions of the E-Flux journal, along with Hal Foster’s Questionnaire on the Contemporary in the autumn 2009 edition of October.1 For many, the crux of the matter is the mere adequacy of the term ‘contemporary art’; as Cuauhtémoc Medina writing in for E-Flux Journal stated, “Above all, ‘contemporary’ is the term that stands to mark the death of ‘modern’… contemporary fails to carry even a glimmer of the utopian expectation”.2 According to its critics, ‘contemporariness’ is a smoke screen for the status quo. As our esteemed columnist Mark Fisher observes in his classic text Capitalist Realism policy makers and the media peddle a consensus that there is no alternative to the globalised free-market economy, and that all revolutionary politics are doomed to failure.3 Accordingly, might the global art industry be complicit in this process? Hito Steyerl offer the sharp aphorism, “If contemporary art is the answer, the question is: how can capitalism be made more beautiful?”4 Paul Wood, well known as a co-editor of the Art Into Theory series, has just published Western Art and the Wider World, a work of art history that takes on board critique of the contemporary. Wood perceives the endeavour of ‘world art history’ as a means to consider our globalised now, via an exploration of evolving relationships between the Western canon since the Renaissance, and the art and culture of the Islamic world, the Far East, Australasia, Africa and the Americas. Western Art and the Wider World is certainly a timely myth-buster in terms of current anxieties and panics about the demise of the West’s supposed cultural and economic place at the centre of things. Wood traces a long history of admiration and indebtedness to the East – in terms of knowledge, art, commerce and governance. He also asserts that the history of western ‘cultural dominance’ has been relatively short – less than 200 years in his reckoning. Western Art and the Wider World tells stories of exchange, parity and mutual curiosity between the West and rest. While Wood’s analysis owes a lot to post-colonial discourse and theory, he makes no bones about valuing aspects of the European canon of thought. But Wood is no euro-centric chauvinist; rather he cites Dipesh Chakrabarty’s view that western thought is “inadequate, but essential” as well as James Elkins’s wry observation that academics habitually over-estimate their abilities to step outside of their respective cultural perspectives.5 The contemporary is explicitly tackled in Wood’s closing chapters ‘AvantGarde, Contemporary and Globalised World’ and ‘World Art History and Contemporary Art’, in which he is critical of readings of globalisation as something unprecedentedly new and distinct from past imperialist or colonialist eras. This is a really damning point – what hope is there for thinking about a better future, when our understanding of the present lacks a proper historical grounding? Wood goes on to argue that many leading theorists – including curators – have been profoundly misguided in seeing the diversity and hybridity of the contemporary art world as inherently up to the job of critiquing the “multiple, internally differentiating, category shifting, shape-changing, unpredictable” nature of current socio-economic realities.6 Wood’s corrective view is that such “normative contemporary art” is merely “a mirror reflecting the self-image of the age” rather than “a tool for cutting through to the larger forces at work”. While it certainly remains a tautological puzzle (how can contemporary art be over?), wariness about the idea of ‘contemporary art’ is more than a storm in a teacup about semantics. At the very least there’s now cause to consider just when and why we use the term ‘contemporary’. Afterall, how often do artists actually use the qualifier these days, other than as a shorthand response to non-specialist queries: ‘what is it?’ – ‘it’s contemporary art’. Isn’t the best art tactically and knowingly out-of-step with the times? As Fintan O’Toole recently noted, “Artists question, transform, challenge, disturb, mock, make strange”.7 There’s nothing contemporary about that. Jason Oakley, Publications Manager, Visual Artists Ireland

www.themodel.ie

Layers & Layers

Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Soviet army in 1968, people resisted through many creative means. After

Set the Twilight Reeling

people were forbidden to listen to radio broadcasts, they started attaching antennas to bricks as a sign of protest”. www.pssquared.org John Kingerlee, A Change of Dream, 2012/3

Lovestock

An exhibition by John Kingerlee and Colin O’Connor, entitled ‘Layers and Layers’, ran at CIT Wandesford Quay Gallery (12 Feb – 1 Mar). As the gallery notes stated, the show paired “one of Ireland’s most respected painters with a promising emerging artist”.

Gary Robinson, Something Changed

www.ccad-research.org

‘Set the Twilight Reeling’ ran at Ballina Arts Centre, Mayo (6 Feb – 29 Mar) and

For Cillian / 5 Keys to Success

features the work of three painters: Derval Symes, Gary Robinson and Gerard McGourty. As the press materials explain “each [artist] explores different aspects of the human condition in their work, but underpinning each of their oeuvres is a commitment to the aesthetic. Derval Symes’s

elegiac

paintings

draw

inspiration from the peat bogs of South Roscommon, while Gerard McGourty’s expressionistic works are rooted in his instinctive

and

natural

grasp

composition, harmony and balance. Gary Robinson creates autumnal, earthy pictures with a stark arresting quality”. www.ballinaartscentre.com

Plathian Mythologies

Smilin' Kanker, 2013, image by Paul O'Connell

On Valentine's night, Market Studios held a live art event (14 Feb) at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios. The press release descried the event as “a one night stand of performance art, interactive installations, sound, screenings and diverse bitter-sweet interventions about love." Continuing, "True to real life, true love at Lovestock is rare; come see the artists pursue love, fail at relationships, indulge sexual proclivity and endure unrequited love”. The event featured work by Bernadette Beecher, Claire Behan, Diana Caramaschi, Anne Cradden, Leona Lee Cully, Niamh Davis, Dublin Laptop Orchestra, Fathers of Western Thought, Francis Fay, Smilin’ Kanker, Kwyer, Eleanor Lawler, Michael McLoughlin, McLoughlinPhelan, Deirdre Morrissey, Niamh Murphy, Marie Phelan, Maria Quigley, Francis Quinn, Ciara Scanlan

Joseph Murphy, Cillian / 5 Keys to Success, 2013

Joseph Murphy recently exhibited For Cillian / 5 Keys to Success (28 Oct 2013) on board The Owl, a historic barge currently at Grand Canal Dock, Dublin. The work, – a text piece on the walls of the boat – refered to Cillian Dickson, a nationally acclaimed young helmsman. The piece offers “insight into Cillian’s life, persona and the success he has achieved. It comments on his personal attributes and those necessary for those who strive to become successful”.

Missing Something

and the Way Wiser Collective. www.themarketstudios.ie

featured artists were: Tamas St Turba,

everything weighs something ‘everything weighs something, only nothing weighs nothing’, an exhibition of work by Niamh Jackman, ran at Tinehaly Courthouse, Wicklow (9 Feb – 15 Mar) . The press release stated, “[Jackman’s] work is concerned with the drawn line, and how this can be translated into other art forms. This exhibition has two strands. The first is a series of tree portraits; each subject has a detailed study and an accompanying sketch, but the usual sequence of drawing is reversed. Here the study is completed first, then followed by the sketch, revealing an exploration of studied spontaneity and the forethought that goes into making something which appears unprepared. The second strand is a series of sculptures made using a mix of found and sourced materials. These objects can be viewed as the uncovering of an idea. Each sculpture

Colm Clarke, Ruth Clinton, Niamh

is a visual answer to a question, in some

Jan Powell, Hag, pencil, charcoal and oil on paper

Jan

Powell’s

exhibition

‘Plathian

Mythologies’ ran at Ballina Arts Centre, Armagh (17 Jan – 15 Feb). The artist stated, “This collection of work takes as its starting point the wide variety of mythical imagery found in the poetry of Sylvia Plath. The images are sourced in classical, historical and folk myth, culminating in Plath’s development of a rich personal mythological language in which the ‘rising woman’ persona plays a key role”. www.marketplacearmagh.com

Notes 1. Some further reading (but not exhaustive) – Questionnaire on The Contemporary, October, Autumn 2009 edition; E-flux Journal 21 (12 / 2010) and E-flux Journal (12 / 1/ 2010) 2. Cuauhtémoc Medina, 'Contemp(t)orary: Eleven Theses', E-flux Journal (12 / 1/ 2010) 3. Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism, Zero Books 4. Hito Steyerl, 'Politics of Art: Contemporary Art and the Transition to Post-Democracy', E-flux Journal (21 /12 / 2010) 5. Dipesh Chakrabarty, Provincializing Europe: Post colonial Thought and Historical Difference, Princeton, 2000 6. Quoted by Wood from Terry Smith, Contemporary Art: World Currents, Lawrence King, 2011 7. 'The idea that art and culture are about rebranding is an insult to artists', Fintan O’Toole Irish Times (7 / 1 / 2014)

www.tinehaly-courthouse.ie

An Active Encounter Ps2, Belfast, hosted the group show ‘An Active Encounter’ (6 Feb – 1 Mar ). The

Fiona Kelly, Missing Something Which No Longer Exists

Fiona

Kelly’s

exhibition

‘Missing

Something Which No Longer Exists’ ran at 126 Gallery, Galway (18 Jan – 3 Feb). The press release noted, “Kelly’s observations of the manmade landscape, topographic movement, stagnation and metamorphosing

debris

are

representations, characters for her contemporary fables; a legacy of longing, disposability and escape. This work was created on the European Pépinières pour Jeunes Artistes Mobility Residency 2013 at the Ratamo Centre for Printmaking, Jyväskylä, Finland”.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

COLUMN

Chris Clarke

7 Roundup The Market

Everyone's A Critic

I often wonder who exactly reads these things. What is the audience for art writing

Conor Ferguson’s exhibition ‘The

– 28 Feb. Artists Cathy Henderson and

Enchanted Way’ ran at Mart, Dublin (27

Robert Ballagh were commissioned by

Feb – 1 Mar). The press release stated,

SIPTU and NCAD to create a visual

“This large exhibition of photos for first-

narrative of over 30 panels. The

time exhibitor, Conor Ferguson, consists

exhibition at NCAD Gallery presented

of images captured by Conor Ferguson

the tapestry panel textile pieces, each

along Dublin’s Grand Canal. In its

measuring 60cm x 76cm (2ft x 2.5ft),

observations of daily and seasonal life,

depicting the epic Dublin Lockout

or criticism, besides the person who writes it and the person being written about? Is

owes an obvious debt to poet Patrick

struggle when an estimated 100,000

art criticism able to inform or generate practices or is it simply a peripheral activity,

Kavanagh, and like him celebrates the

people, one third of the capital’s

a textual accompaniment that serves to justify existing works through evocations of

beauty in the common thing”.

inhabitants faced starvation for five

post-Marxist theory and political economy? Or is it more useful to see such writing as an artistic practice in its own right, albeit one that’s subject to very different rules and expectations?

months in a battle for workers’ rights. www.ncad.ie

Mark Curran, exhibition view of 'The Market'

A Cloud of Soft Equations

Recently, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion entitled The

Mark Curran’s exhibition ‘The Market’

Scratching the Surface

Responsibilities of the Critic in the Arts Today at the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork. The

ran at Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris

‘Scratching the Surface’, a group

event was largely concerned with issues of criticism in the theatre – the panel

(30 Jan – 1 Mar). The project was

exhibition featuring work by Limerick

featured writer and performer Meadhbh Haiced and drama critic Joanna Derkaczew

described as “a critical and unflinching

based artists Gemma Gore, Carla Burns

and was chaired by director Eszter Nemethi – but also made considerable room for

interrogation of the current context of

and Celeen Mahe ran at Occupy Space,

both myself and the music journalist Eoghan O’Sullivan. After all, most issues

global stock and commodity markets in

Limerick (23 Jan – 8 Feb). The press

around criticism aren’t specific to one form or discipline but offer variations on

the aftermath of the global economic

release explained, “This exhibition

similar arguments: Is the critic a judge or advocate for artworks? How has the

collapse... in this ongoing project,

showcases three artists that reinterpret

Internet affected traditional forums for art writing? How are artists and readers able

Curran seeks access to the physical

the textures of the world around us

to respond to or challenge reviews? And (from some audience members’ points of

spaces that represent centres of global

view), what gives one the authority to criticise?

stock and commodity markets, spaces

Denis McNulty, from 'A Cloud of Soft Equations', 2014

where

and

A one-off performance by Denis

would argue with the hyperbole behind such terms (hasn’t art writing been in ‘crisis’

metaphorically speculated upon. Multi-

McNulty, entitled A Cloud of Soft

for several decades now?), there has been a long-running anxiety around notions of

sited access has been sought to strategic

Equations took place at Earlsfort Terrrace,

critical authority.

locations and individuals, including the

Dublin on 11 Feb. The press release

On the one hand, this field has steadily opened up and expanded, adopting

Irish Stock Exchange in Dublin, the

described the work as the “most recent

positions of difference – queer theory, post-feminism, post-colonialism – that posit

financial centres of Canary Wharf and

manifestation of an evolving work by

critical positions as subjective and engaged in a wider discourse of disparate

the City in London and the Ethiopian

Dennis McNulty, which has its genesis

perspectives. On the other hand, more and more writers are seeking to qualify their

Commodity Exchange in Addis Abeba

in The Eyes of Ayn Rand, a piece he

position within the text itself. In Zizek! (2005) a documentary following Slavoj

(established in 2008 and the youngest

produced for Performa 11. In early 2013

Zizek’s lecture tour sees him playfully caricature his contemporaries, stating that: “If

exchange in the world)".

the performance was reconfigured for

As always, these issues seem to point to something of a ‘crisis’, and while I

futures

are

literally

somebody like Judith Butler were to be asked, ‘what is this?’ [holds up bottle of iced

inhabit the warren of buildings, which was formerly the UCD campus, at the

on. So it’s always this need to distantiate.”

rear of the National Concert Hall on

Perversely, the acknowledgement of the critic’s lack of authority – the need to

Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin”.

question their own language of critique, as well as the object, the artwork – becomes

www.pallasprojects.org

and undercut the notional ‘truth’ of their own statements.

www.occupyspace.com

Titanic

Lise McGreevy, Titanic Tribute II, 2013

Lise McGreevey's exhibition, which paid homage to the children who died

Dec – 22 Feb). The artist stated, "Had the crew and passengers heeded the call to

debate, albeit in fittingly diverse ways: the breadth of different ‘types’ of art reviews

board women and children first, every

in newspapers, trade journals and online forums; readers’ expectations for judgment

woman and child could have been saved

of artworks; the difference between ‘bad’ criticism (whatever that means) and negative reviews; and, as Eoghan O’Sullivan remarked during the debate, the critic’s

Wexford Artists' Book Fair 2013

willingness to return to previous texts and even revise their initial opinions. In some

'The Wexford Artists' Book Exhibition'

ways, these points of discussion illustrate a broadening of critical discourse and the

has re-emerged after an 8-year absence.

discrediting of the singular perspective. O’Sullivan’s comments in particular

The 11th iteration of the show toured

reflected a willingness to consider contrasting viewpoints, not simply by giving into

Denis Collins Gallery, Wexford (13 – 23

a consensus of opinion, but in order to re-visit an earlier interpretation through a

Nov 2013); Daintree Papers, Dublin (12

more thorough, contextualised reading of the subject.

– 14 Dec 2013) and Limerick School of

Part of this stems from technology: in place of a vaguely ideological commitment

Art (3 – 7 Feb 2014). The exhibiton

to ‘theories of difference’, the Internet has facillitated these different voices through

featured around 80 works mainly from

blogs, discussion threads, comment boards etc. These platforms also provide some

Ireland and some from invited guests.

answer to the question of readership (just look at the comments section) as well as

'The 12th Wexford Artists Book

creating a properly discursive space. And yet the notion that this expansion actually

Exhibition' is scheduled for Autumn 2014 and is run as a partnership between Andi McGarry of Sun, Moon and Stars Press and the Denis Collins Gallery.

professional writer and the unpaid blogger. There is also the possibility that the of pay for online articles over printed texts, might simply wither away with the

aesthetically / intellectually engaging”.

Cafe in the Titanic Quarter, Belfast (19

Scott @ Taylor Galleries

The instability of a definite critical position came up throughout the Triskel

subtle prejudice towards web journalism, where writers often receive reduced rates

subject matter creating work that is

on the Titanic, was shown at the Dock

a marker of authority. The critic’s value depends on their willingness to interrogate

between online reviews and the printed publication; and, of course, between the

yet have thoroughly researched their

incarnation, its third, will temporarily

context of our language game, this can be said to be a bottle of tea’ and so on and so

are still in place: between the (named) commentator and the anonymous commenter;

in their exploration of these elements

re-named The face of something new. This Wexford Artists’ Books

and taking all this into account, then may we not [...] risk the hypothesis that, in the

degrades authority is problematic in its own right. Old hierarchies and imbalances

elements. Each are intuitive and playful

the Scriptings Showroom in Berlin and

tea], she would never have said ‘this is a bottle of tea’. She would have said something like ‘if we accept the metaphysical notion of language identifying clearly objects,

scratching the surface to reveal unseen

The Enchanted Way

with room to spare. A harrowing fact which made me stop and think..." McGreevy photographed her nieces and nephews on board the vessel Nomadic, wearing clothes from 1912 and created a ‘Flag of Remembrance’ with positive and negative photographic images of Patrick Scott, Untitled, from 'Meditations', 2007

Captain John Smith.

Taylor Galleries, Dublin recently exhibited an exhibition of prints, paintings and works on paper by the late Patrick Scott. The press release

Get into the Roundup

stated, “The show includes rarely-seen works from the early part of Scott’s

■■ Email text & images to lily@

career

visualartists.ie

alongside

recent

carborundum prints and coincides with

■■ Details should include: venue name,

the

location, dates and a brief description of

major

two-part

retrospective

exhibition ‘Patrick Scott: Image Space

the work / event

Light’, that runs at VISUAL Carlow (16

■■ Inclusion is not guaranteed, but

proliferation of more sophisticated Internet-based formats (like Triple Canopy or

Feb – 11 May) and the Irish Museum of

everyone has a fair chance

Art-Agenda’s e-bulletin reviews) or even as revenues for online advertising rise. And,

Modern Art, Dublin".

■■ Criteria: to ensure that the roundup

while these might seem like pretty mundane matters, if the movement for disavowal

www.taylorgalleries.ie

of critical authority hopes to achieve anything, it requires not simply a tokenistic

has a good regional spread and represents a range of forms of practice,

acknowledgement of subjectivity through the language of self-conscious rhetoric.

1913 Tapestry

from artists at all stages in their careers.

There must be a leveling of the field between the physical and the virtual page, the

The 1913 Tapestry an ambitious, large-

■■ Priority is given to events taking

critic and the critical response.

scale, collaborative visual arts project to

place within Ireland, but do let us know

commemorate the Dublin Lockout, was

if you are taking part in a significant

shown at the NCAD Gallery, Dublin 10

international event.

Chris Clarke is a critic and Senior Curator at Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork

Conor Ferguson, 'The Enchanted Way, 2013

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

News

March – April 2014

VAI News

EVA International 2014

features within the historic wings

Ms Miriam Dunne, Mr Brian Maguire

VAI Internships Guidelines

EVA International has announced the

which have not been seen by the public

and Ms Joan Sheehy.

Following a year of consultation and

theme and some of the participating

since Victorian times. Spaces between

artists for this year's edition of the

the wings will be converted for use as a

Limerick based Biennial, entitled

sculpture court. And twenty-first-

Art in Science

launched To Work with Purpose: Best

‘Agitationism’. Curator Bassam al Baroni

century systems will be put in place to

UCD Art In Science, which launched in

Practice Guidelines For Internships. This

explains the idea behind the show thus

safeguard the collection and to allow

January 2014, will support practice

comprehensive publication provides

– “agitation is the word that philosopher

artworks from other galleries to be

based engagement between artists and

clear outlines as to what defines good

Immanuel Kant gave to the activity of

exhibited on loan at the National

scientists through an artists in residence

the brain when it attempts to determine

Gallery… At 150, this major work at the

programme, an undergraduate module

internship practice.

something that it perceives as previously

National Gallery will safeguard the

of exchange between students of Fine

undetermined. Agitationism is used in

historic wings of this leading institution,

Art NCAD and students of Science at

EVA International to describe the

and the priceless collection, for

UCD and through a series of public talks

exhibition project itself which aims to

generations to come.”

and exhibitions.

simulate something similar or close to

www.artscouncil.ie

research,

Visual

Artists

Ireland's

working group on internships have

VAI's guidelines put in place definitions of internships that are based on value and respect. Purpose

To Work with

also contains background

details about the project; the working

www.ahg.gov.ie

www.ucdartinscience.com

the agitation one feels in the midst or

group;

consulted

organisations;

definitions, checklists. In addition

afermath of events that shift socio-

ACNI ACES Awards

Ireland at Venice: Irish Tour

political landscapes”.

12 artists have been awarded the Arts

Richard Mosse's installation, The Enclave

Baroni talks in more detail about

Council of Northern Ireland (ANCI)

– Ireland’s representation at the 55th

the EVA Intenrational 2014 in an

Artists Career Enhancement Scheme

International Venice Art Biennale – is

interview of page 17. ‘Agitationism’ will

(ACES) for 2014. This annual scheme is

on show at the RHA, Dublin until 12

feature works by over 50 Irish and

awared to professional artists working

March. The exhibition then travels to

international artists, selected from over

in music, visual arts, literature and

Ormston House and 6a Rutland Street,

2000 proposals by artists in 96 countries.

participatory arts; and is among the

Limerick, where it will be show as as

2014 is the 36th edition of EVA

most prestigious awards bestowed by

part of the Limerick City of Culture

International and will be reflective of

ACNI. In addition to receiving a bursary

programme (28 March – 5 May).

the many complex questions that the

of £5,000 each, the 12 artists have all

current

been partnered with a professional

installation,

organisation to help each of them to

produced as a result of the artist

Irish artists taking part include:

deliver a major new creative work. The

immersing himself into armed rebel

Jenny Brady, Benjamin de Búrca, Tom

visual artists / curators selected were

groups in a war zone plagued by

payments, accurately budget for their

Flanagan and

Lesley Cherry and Alissa Kleist.

ambushes, massacres and systematic

programmes and for the variety of work

sexual violence in eastern Congo.

that professional artists undertake in

heightened

global

socio-

political moment raises.

Megs Morley, Ramon

Kassam, Eva Richardson McCrea, Paul

www.artscouncil-ni.org

The Enclave, a major multi-media was developed and

The international, critical attention

Tarpey, Seamus Nolan and Mark O’Kelly.

sample case studies drawn from VAI 2013

survey

are

particularly

illuminating reading. For further details see page 31.

Artist Payments – update In 2013, after a year long research and consultation process, Visual Artists Ireland launched the Payment Guidelines for Professional Visual Artists. For the first time in Ireland, venues and artists could properly calculate equitable levels of

not for profit spaces.

EVA 2014 will also include international

Centenaries WEBSITE

that The Enclave has received to date has

It is now a condition of Arts

artists: Amanda Beech, Asier Mendizabal,

A website to accompany the Decade of

highlighted the exceptional impact that

Council funding that organisations pay

Stefanos Tsivopoulos, Elizabeth Price,

Centenaries

commemorations

Richard's work has made. The Wall

artists that they work with. As stated in

Michael Patterson-Carver, Hassan Khan,

programme is now live online. This

Street Journal chose him as one of five

recent funding correspondence, “It is a

Luis Jacob, Luis Camnitzer and Neša

website, along with associated Facebook

artists to watch at the 2013 Biennale,

condition of Arts Council funding that

Paripovic.

and Twitter feeds, has been developed

while The Guardian named him as one

you remunerate any artists that you

by the Department of Arts, Heritage and

of the 10 best artists at the Biennale,

engage appropriately, and that you

the Gaeltacht in partnership with

stating "Mosse's astounding stills and

reflect this in your revised plans and

Changing Tracks

History Ireland magazine and features

videos of rebel-filled forests... yields a

programme for the period of the funding

Mayo County Council has announced

notice of forthcoming commemorative

wonderland of cruel and indelible

offered”.

the artists selected to participate in

events related to the many significant

beauty".

Changing Tracks, an outdoor temporary

centenaries to be commemorated in

The Irish tour of Ireland at Venice

organisations must now pay artists as a

public art project to be launched this

Ireland and the wider world between

2013 is supported by the Arts Council as

Spring and Summer in County Mayo,

now and 2022.

part of its commitment to promote the

condition of funding is a major

www.eva.ie

Northamptonshire and Catalonia as

The website features a large volume

part of the European Union’s Culture

of unique content including digital

Programme 2007 to 2013.

versions of past exhibitions – for

visual arts to Irish audiences.

derry-londonderry legacy fund

participating countries are exploring

exhibition on the Centenary of the Irish

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland

the changing use of disused railway

Volunteers – as well as material from

and Derry City Council have announced

lines. In the case of County Mayo, the

the History Ireland archive that is being

a three-year cultural Legacy Fund of

artists were asked to locate their

made available free of charge online for

£900,000 to build on the arts-led

proposals on the Great Western

the first time.

regeneration

achieved

through

Derry~Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013.

cycling track that was once the railway

The

Legacy

Fund

endorsement of our research and a big step towards the development of a

www.irelandvenice.ie

example the recent Defence Forces

www.decadeofcentenaries.com

has

been

sustainable model for best practice between artists and the institutions that contract their work.

guidelines translated In addition, the Professional Association of Berlin Artists (BBK berlin) have translated Visual Artists Ireland’s recently published Payment Guidelines

connecting Westport to Achill Island.

Arts Council Appointments

The artists selected were Aideen Barry

Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts,

established

(Ireland), Noah Rose ( UK) and Xevi

Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has

investment in the arts and cultural

Bayona (Catalonia). All three will begin

announced a new Chairperson designate

sectors in Derry~Londonderry and to

installing their work in May and the

and five new members of the Arts

maintain the momentum of City of

project should be complete for viewing

Council. The Arts Council consists of a

Culture 2013.

in all three locations from July.

Chairperson and 12 members, all

The Legacy Fund is for organisations

appointed by the Minister for Arts and

and venues in the Derry City Council

serving for a five year term. The term of

area. One of its goals will be to attract

National Gallery Renovation

office of the former Chairperson and

underrepresented

and

Artists Ireland is delighted to see that

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary

five members of the Arts Council came

communities, currently at the edge, to

our guidelines are proving practical and

of the National Gallery, Jimmy Deenihan

to an end at the end of 2013, and the

the centre of the city’s cultural life. The

useful to German artists and helping

TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the

names being announced today are to

Legacy Fund opened in January 2014

other artist resource organisations to

Gaeltacht,

take these places on the Arts Council.

and will be administered by Derry City

develop similar much needed guidelines

Council.

on artist fees and payments.

www.changingtracks.eu

commented

the

renovation plans and funding for the

Sheila

Pratschke

the

gallery: “this is an important year for the

Chairperson designate. The five new

National Gallery of Ireland. This €26

members of the Arts Council are Dr

million project will include opening up

Éimear O’Connor, Ms Monica Spencer,

THE Future of Copyright The Irish Visual Artists Rights Organisation (IVARO) is calling on artists and their supporters to take part in a major consultation which has been launched in Europe on the future of copyright. The consultation (in the form of an online questionnaire) deals with the reform of copyright rules in Europe and covers issues of key importance for creators, including digital content, copyright exceptions, fair share for creators and others. The topic has already generated major attention from the copy-left movement and Internet activists, who are mobilising consumers to submit replies that call for a major reform. We need to act, to balance the picture and ensure visual creators’ interests are safeguarded. In order to help creators weigh-in, an online campaign has been set up at: www.creatorsforeurope.eu. This site includes a simplified version of the questionnaire that creators can easily fill in. It also includes a petition in support of copyright and culture. Please take part in this consultation and help influence the outcome of this important process. www.ivaro.ie

The Arts Council’s stipulation that

Invited artists from the three

Greenway, the 42km walking and

Hot Desk All VAI members have free access to our hot desk facility: a multi-use workspace in a private room within our city centre offices. Facilities include: Mac Mini (with external CD Drive), running Final Cut Pro, iMovie, iTunes, iDVD, Garage Band, Audacity and more; Apple Mac G4, running Photoshop CS, iPhoto, Adobe Image Ready, Adobe Acrobat, Word, Excel; IFF System 100 – slide copying camera and stand; Epson Perfection V37O Photo Scanner; free wifi. To book the space, please call us on 01 672 9488.

ensure

continued

groups

www.artscouncil-ni.org

for Professional Visual Artists into German in order to give German artists a better understanding of how to use the resource. In Berlin, BBK are currently discussing equitable levels of payments for visual artists with a view to establishing similar guidelines. Visual

roscommon visual arts forum On 15 February, Visual Artists Ireland held a Common Room Cafe at Roscommon Arts Centre with Roscommon Visual Artist Forum and supported by Roscommon Arts Office. The day comprised a Show and Tell from members of Roscommon Visual Artist Foru followed by the Common Room Cafe. The Cafe provided an opportunity to hear from the immediate visual art community on the ground, to understand issues that they may be having and should be flagged to Visual Artists Ireland. From such feedback, VAI can support tailored professional development programmes, and events that can target shortfalls in provision for example. The Cafe is a social space where people can take time out, relax, network and also gain access to some of the opportunities made available to them by various visual art organisations or artists willing to share experiences. The cafe is an evolution from the VAI info clinics previously run around the country. VAI will be rolling out more of these events in the future. For more information contact Alex Davis: alex@ visualartists.ie.

The Visual Artists’ News sheet

March – April 2014

Armagh: Resources & Activities Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre

Michael Hanna

Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre

Alice Clark, exhibition image from 'Dispersal', 2013

Orlaith Cullinane, Raven 4, from 'Bestiary'

In December 2013 I exhibited ‘Behaviour Setting’

MCAC has a very sophisticated audiovisual

at Millennium Court Arts Centre (MCAC) in

infrastructure throughout the building, enabling

Portadown. The exhibition was the culmination of

full control from a central console. Each room is

my yearlong stay as their artist in residence.

wired up to the network, which offered me the

For some time, I had been looking for the

possibility of going beyond the gallery spaces. As

opportunity to put together an exhibition that

part of my research for this project, I put together a

would really inhabit the bones of a building – to

series of audio presentations to be shown in various

create work where, from the beginning of the

non-gallery spaces around the arts centre. Taking

production process, each element would be both

the form of lectures on social and environmental

sympathetic and responsive to the architecture.

psychology, they provided ideas on how the

The residency at MCAC was an excellent

building might be utilised. These events were

opportunity to develop such a project.

helpful in developing the material for the final

The residency was part of the Artist Career

exhibition and experimenting with the building’s

Enhancement Scheme (ACES) offered by the Arts

technology. MCAC also houses the controls for the

Council of Northern Ireland. It had many appealing

town’s public address system, which I identified

components; the most beneficial to my project was

early on as a means to spread the exhibition beyond

the studio, which was located within the same

the gallery walls and integrate with the town. After

building as the exhibition space. This level of

extensive

negotiations

with

the

relevant

ARMAgh has always been steeped in culture and

Craft development is also firmly on the agenda

access enabled me to spend a significant amount of

authorities, it was agreed that this could used on

the arts. To capitalise on the rich cultural diversity

at the Market Place, following the appointment of

time around each of the other exhibitions

the opening night.

across the city and wider district, the Market Place

a Creative Development Officer in April 2013. The

throughout the year and to get a real feel for the

The final exhibition consisted of three large

Theatre and Arts Centre opened in March 2000

officer’s role is to work with established and

space in terms of: how hospitable it was to various

format video projections along with a single audio

against a backdrop of strong cultural and artistic

emerging craft makers and designers in raising the

mediums and scales; how viewers tended to

track played throughout the arts centre. Over the

representation and activity. Operated by Armagh

profile of traditional and handmade crafts in the

navigate the spaces; what architectural elements

course of the year it became clear that the gallery

City and District Council, the venue is situated at

area. We are keen to explore the wealth of craft

could be utilised; what architectural elements

spaces would be best suited to display work made

the heart of Armagh City. The building has a

making in Co Armagh, and to provide opportunities

could be adapted; experimenting in the spaces

up of a small number of large ‘chunky’ elements.

unique design and was nominated for the Stirling

for local craft makers to promote and profile their

when the gallery was closed.

The site-specific nature of the work comes

work through exhibitions in the gallery, workshops

Much of my practice involves seeking out and

The venue incorporates a programme of

and craft fairs. In May, The Market Place Gallery

dealing with restrictions of various types, including

integrate with the architecture of the gallery. The

multidisciplinary exhibitions in the gallery and on

presents the ‘Art of Craft’ exhibition for the fourth

the social, formal and architectural. By employing

work was intended to be psychologically probing

the foyer walls and forms the central hub for the

year (2 May – 21 June). Curated by the Creative

certain conditions or circumstances, I try to restrict

rather than representative or passive. The visual

delivery of a thriving arts programme. We feature

Development Officer and the Craft and Design

my creative choices in a tacitly understandable

material was taken from a selection of sources and

Collective, the exhibition showcases exceptional

way. For example, in my image based work I

formats, all batch processed to uniformity. For me,

workshops for all ages, alongside a range of artistic

craft and design from national and international

produce photomontages, which have the inherent

one of the most interesting things I found in

and cultural events. The venue comprises a 400-

makers working in a range of disciplines, including

limit of the available printed source material. I find

making this work was that, due to the production

seat auditorium, a 120-seat flexible studio space, an

textiles, printing, mixed media, jewellery and

that working within such constructed limits can

process (which includes the complete removal of

art gallery, workshop and meeting rooms. We serve

ceramics.

make the process and result more satisfying.

the colour red), the video is extremely sensitive to

Prize for Architecture.

an ever-changing programme of craft and arts

the local artistic community as well as audiences, artists and performers from further afield.

from the calibration of the sculptural elements to

The Market place continues to work closely

For this exhibition, there was a balancing act

the particular piece of technology on which it is

with academic institutions to showcase emerging

between the restrictions imposed by the MCAC

shown, varying widely and remaining immune to any form of colour ‘correction’.

The Market Place gallery is one of Ireland’s

talent. We provide opportunities for graduates to

building that could be made use of, and elements

foremost gallery spaces, and has exhibited work by

exhibit their work – some for the first time – in a

that could be adapted. For example, the regrettably

The sculptural elements of the work serve a

national and international artists for the past 14

professional gallery. Creative Imaging graduates

under-employed bridge joining the two galleries

practical purpose, offering acoustic solutions to

years. Engaging audiences with the arts is a key

from the Southern Regional College and recent

was rendered obsolete by a more easily accessible

shape each synthetic environment. I have

focus at the Market Place. Artists are encouraged to

graduates of the Belfast School of Art are provided

connecting door. By removing this door, the bridge

previously worked in audio, video and sculpture,

share their inspiration, techniques and expertise in

with a chance to develop their curatorial practice

became the single point of access for Gallery 2,

but always kept these mediums separate. This

the gallery space with schools, arts organisations

and contact base as they enter into the world as a

creating a more logical journey through the

installation allowed me to bring together these

and the general public through a series of talks,

visual artist.

galleries for the viewer, and setting up an intimacy

various elements of my practice.

Arts and crafts workshops also provide

gradient between the two spaces. All efforts were

opportunities at the venue for people of all ages

made to cut down on the visual noise in the spaces,

Currently on show is artist Betty Gannon’s

and abilities to engage with the arts. For the past 12

including removal of all the track lighting. MCAC

‘Fray and Fragment’ and Carlingford-based artist

year, our successful workshop programme has

also undertook the significant task of covering the

Órlaith Cullinane’s ‘Bestiary’, which runs from 21

provided an important outlet for members of the

rows of skylights to enable the requisite consistent

February to 22 March. ‘Up the Garden Path’, by Sue

local community, artists and experienced tutors to

lighting conditions.

Morris and Alice Clark’s ‘Dispersal’ are both on

enjoy arts activities in a safe, neutral environment.

show from 28 March to 26 April. ‘Returned’, by

The general public and their requests for arts

Rostrevor-based artist Maria Morgan follows this,

activities heavily influence the workshop

from 2 May to 21 June.

programme. Over 100 different workshops are

gallery tours and workshops, which animate the work on show and encourage open participation.

Alice Clark’s ‘Dispersal’ will provide a lively

available annually, and are attended by a large

introduction to our series of ‘Artist meets Public’

local audience and those from further afield. The

participatory arts activities. Alice will host an

spring season of workshops run from January to

interactive event based around the installation of a

June 2014 and includes half day, full day and

large glass green house in the gallery. The audience

weekly arts courses, providing a variety of learning

is invited to bring seeds and plants along and share

experiences. Highlights during March and April

stories about how they have nurtured them, where

include courses in: Textured Canvas, Burano Lace

they come from and what these items mean to

Mask (three week course), silk painting, Arran

them. The stories will be documented and mapped

Knitting, Wood Turning and Carving, Print Making,

using sound recording, photography and drawing.

Tiffany Glass and Crochet. For further information

Over the course of the show the visual elements

on exhibitions, arts workshops and events visit our

will change, as more plants and seeds, and the

website or contact the box office.

backgrounds to them, are added. Alice Clark will be present on Thursdays for the duration of the show to continue the collection and exchange of plants and seeds from the audience.

Michael Hanna is an artist from Armagh who lives and works in Belfast. 'Behaviour Setting' is his second solo exhibition; his first was 'Calculated Error' at Golden Thread Gallery in 2012. everything@michaelhanna.org

Christine Donnelly, Creative Development Officer at the Market Place, Armagh. www.marketplacearmagh.com Michael Hanna, exhibition view from 'Behaviour Setting', Millennium Court Arts Centre, 2013

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

REGIONAL PROFILE: Armagh

Millennium Court Arts Centre Millennium Court Arts Centre is a visual arts venue set in the former municipal market building at the centre of Portadown, Armagh. The exhibitions programme, which has been ongoing since 2003, is focused on multidisciplinary contemporary art and commissioning new and experimental work from national and international artists at all stages of their careers. Two large, distinct gallery spaces provide the opportunity to realise ambitious projects on a grand scale; examples include exhibitions by Jackie Nickerson, Lesley Yendell, Brigitte Zieger and Michael Hanna. In 2014, our programme includes Kelly Richardson, Peter Finnemore (who represented Wales at the Venice Biennale in 2005), Shiro Masuyama, Peter Richards and a range of emerging artists in the group exhibition ‘Presently’. In addition, MCAC has been a mentoring venue for recipients of ACNI’s Artist Career Enhancement award (ACES). This has enabled us to facilitate artists as they make new work for exhibition, and to assist in extending their professional and public profiles during the course of a year. Since 2011, we have worked with photographer Victoria J Dean (who exhibited in 2012) and multidisciplinary artists Emma Donaldson (2013) and Michael Hanna (2013 – 14). Ian Cumberland is the current ACES artist with MCAC and is taking this opportunity to expand his practice and its conceptual framework as he makes a significant new body of work for 2015. The centre also comprises a verbal art space, AV facilities that are networked throughout the building, a workshop area, darkroom, kiln suite and a bright airy studio space, which is used in rotation by invited resident artists. During 2013, Michael Hanna used the studio suite; from here he developed ‘Behaviour Setting’ and ran a series of semi-public events in various ‘backstage’ spaces at MCAC. Multidisciplinary artist Shiro Masuyama, currently making work in Peru, will be resident throughout 2014 producing new work for exhibition. This immersion, both in the arts centre and its environs, has potential to create nuanced work concerned with the specificities of place. This is not a prescriptive programme, however, and previous studio artists have made use of the space through engagement with practical resources such as the kiln and the darkroom. At a local level, the arts centre serves a diverse geographic area ranging from the rural (surrounding farmland, Lough Neagh) to the urban (such as the new town of Craigavon). We support the local development of art through relationships with studio groups (North Armagh Artists Collective) to colleges (Southern Regional College) and we continue our work with C-AIM, a council led arts development body. More broadly, we have developed links to groups such as Women’s Aid, to retail interests, heritage organisations like Lough Neagh Boat Makers and bodies such as South Lough Neagh Regeneration Association, creating the opportunity to make projects and exhibitions

Craigavon Borough Council informed by knowledge and analysis of need. In a recent project, artists Paddy Bloomer, Miguel Martin, Duncan Ross, Jonathan Cordner (MCAC) and two school groups made a giant zoetrope and a number of short films, which were exhibited in a local retail venue, temporarily reanimating an empty space during the holiday season. There are two strands to our education approach: the first includes bespoke community workshops, public classes, regular events including a popular monthly music and poetry evening, and one-off events; the second strand integrates education with exhibition content and the recognition of a diverse range of social, economic and topographical contexts. This aspect has been devised for educational institutions, community groups and – through the artists’ talks and lecture series commissioned by MCAC – the general public. A pilot scheme producing short films about the exhibitions was launched in 2013 and is distributed through Youtube. At present we are co-ordinating an education project based around landscape and gardening for an upcoming exhibition. Partnerships have been crucial in the commissioning of specific exhibitions, particularly those that seek to address multiple contexts. A cross-border collaboration with Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda resulted in the exhibition ‘Citizen’ by Anthony Haughey in 2013. Haughey’s multifaceted photographic and video based work explored the experience of immigration through personal accounts, portraits, images of border spaces and filmed group actions. Additionally, the work addressed the issue of citizenship within two different political frameworks (Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) and provided a forum for discussion, with a series of adult workshops, and a ‘Culture Day’ for children in collaboration with Craigavon Intercultural Project. A partnership has developed with DerryLondonderry-based curator Gregory McCartney in the production of an exhibition by acclaimed Canadian video-CGI artist Kelly Richardson. Work will appear in parallel across VOID and MCAC in May 2014. Publishing remains an integral aspect of many of our projects and creates an opportunity to commission new critical writing and stimulate discussion around contemporary art and artists. Recent writers for our exhibition publications include Gemma Tipton ('Trouble = Progress'), Michael Robinson ('Figure'), Declan Long ('Behaviour Setting') and Ciara Hickey ('Presently'). Further information about MCAC exhibitions can be found on our website or by emailing us directly. Geraldine Boyle, Exhibitions Officer at Millennium Court Arts Centre, Portadown. www.milllenniumcourt.org info@millenniumcourt.org

Ann Donnelly, exhibition view from Artspace Collaborate Project

Moneypenney's Blacksmith Workshop

As the dedicated arts service within Craigavon

different styles and media from painting to

Borough Council, our ethos is to give everyone in

installation and performance art. The artists are

the borough the opportunity to be involved in the

using their time in the space to develop ideas, and

arts and creative projects. We focus on artist-led

some are creating work which deals directly with

development projects in the community, forging

the nature reserve landscape.

partnerships with groups and individuals. Having

Our latest venture on Oxford Island is the

artists at the centre helps us shape projects that

Artpod@Artspace. This is a mobile space based, for

have sound processes and interesting outcomes;

the next two years, in the Artspace grounds. Our

this ongoing collaboration means we can pursue opportunities and make exciting creative programs

first resident comes to us via the Craft NI ‘Making

happen. A great deal of our work is sited in the

designer-maker is given support to develop their

public domain, ranging from community based

practice, products and profile. Margaret Napier is a

projects and an annual outdoor arts festival where

flame-work glass artist from Co Down. She designs

visual art plays a starring role, to temporary and

and produces beautiful contemporary glass

permanent art in public spaces.

jewellery, ranging from one-offs to small batch

Supporting artist development is also

production pieces. Her work has a strong sculptural

important to us. In addition to providing

element, investigating natural forms, texture and

employment for artists through project work, we

pattern, exploring notions of transience and

have three great spaces for artists to use. Artspace

permanence, exploiting the organic qualities of

is a studio space located at the heart of Oxford

molten glass.

Island Nature Reserve. It is a large open plan space

Moneypenney's Blacksmith Workshop is the

with a range of resources for artists. We offer a

third of our artist residence spaces. The workshop

rolling residency program, giving artists space and

was founded at Tannaghmore Animal Farm in

time to develop their practices and providing

2008 as an outcome of the Art in the Wetlands

opportunities for engagement with visitors and

initiative. The aim was to preserve traditional skills

regular users of the site.

and encourage art-making using those skills.

In 2012 / 2013 we hosted two resident visual

Sculptor Eamonn Higgins was the first resident; he

artists: Emma Berkery and Ann Donnelly. Emma is

was joined by artist-blacksmith Stephen Murphy

an artist based in Northern Ireland who has

through the Making It programme and more

exhibited extensively throughout Ireland and the

recently by another artist-blacksmith Aaron Leach.

UK. Her practice explores colour and form through

More than 150 members of the public have learned

painting. The works are rooted in her photographic

metalworking skills there, making it a dynamic

research into the relationship between landscape

and vibrant space to learn and create. The workshop

and human emotion, translated into abstraction in

was highly commended at the inaugural National

large-scale oil paintings. Emma worked in response

Craft Skills Awards in 2013. The awards, hosted by

to the site during her time in residence, making

Kirstie Allsop and presented by Prince Charles,

new work that reflected her experience of being

awarded excellence in keeping traditional craft

part of the place.

skills alive. Up against stiff competition from all

Ann Donnelly works mainly with video and

over the UK, Tannaghmore Blacksmith Workshop

photography, often responding to a sense of place.

was the only project from Northern Ireland to be

In both her solo practice and collaborative projects,

honored. The workshop relocated to a traditional

she explores themes of being and belonging.

stables and bothy at Moneypenny’s Lockhouse on

During her residency, entitled ‘Camera Obscura’,

the Newry Canal towpath in 2014, giving the

Donnelly immersed herself in the rich resources

project the public-facing space it deserves.

on the island, combining historical processes with digital

imaging.

Using

to support their practice by exploring opportunities

collectors and traditional photographic techniques

to increase their profile, engaging in project work,

as a starting point, Donnelly explored the idea of

exhibiting or training. For the Arts Development

the Oxford Island site as a place to collect and

team, having an artist on the team helps us stay in

conserve. She was given access to the Museum

touch with their processes and how they develop

Services Collection and the resulting work was a

ideas; this helps keep our development work

creative response to these artefacts.

relevant and high quality.

Armagh Artists Collective (NAAC), who formed in 2010 and were located in Lurgan before taking up their residency at Artspace. Several members of the Volunteer filling in 'Citizen' ledger at Anthony Haughey's 'Citizen', 2013

While artists are with us, we work with them

nineteenth-century

In 2013 – 2014, our residents are the North

Brigitte Ziegler, Wallpapered, 2013, Gallery 1, MCAC

It’ Programme, a two- year residency where a

collective are using the space, exploring their

Emma Drury is Arts Development Officer at Craigavon Borough Council.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

REGIONAL PROFILE: ARMAGH

VAI EVENT

Emma Donaldson

Shape Shifters HAZEL DIXON INTRODUCES ‘THE RECENT GRADUATE EVENING’, A VAI AND CREATE INITIATIVE, WHICH TOOK PLACE ON 30 JANUARY, AIMED AT PROVIDING PEER ADVICE FOR STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES.

Emma Donaldson, from 'trouble = progress' at MCAC, 2013

Following a period of study and work as an

In the summer of 2011, Peter Richards nudged

artist in London, poor health forced me to return to

me toward the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s

my hometown of Armagh in 2003. There I

Artist Career Enhancement Scheme (ACES) and

LecturerS within art colleges often hear the lines

David Fagan echoed this sentiment, and spoke

continued with ongoing projects before I had to

my application was successful. I received funding

“I don’t want to be part of an exclusive art world” or

of how graduates “muddle through the years after

stop work completely. It wasn’t until 2008, when I

to start a new body of work to present with MCAC

“I don’t like networking at events” from their

college with a mixture of planning, chance and

was invited to present work in the Royal Ulster

in 2013. But once again, illness hampered my

students. These are entirely justifiable sentiments,

opportunity”. He continued, “I tried to reflect on

Academy (RUA), that I began exhibiting work

outlook. This became the source of my work,

but if recent graduates don’t feel like they belong at

how I fared with the practicalities of that transition,

again. From then on I managed to produce about a

which I approached in a similar way to the ‘Test

exhibition openings or other art gatherings, what

hopefully passing on some advice of value to recent

project a year, furthering works that had originated

Works’: examining an event, reaction, reason etc.

hope is there for attracting the general public?

graduates in the process”.

in London.

The number of empty shop units in town helped

Ultimately, the art world should be shaped by artists,

The event was fully booked in less than 24

Two key projects included ‘Test Works’ and

me to acknowledge and explore issues within the

and if artists themselves don't feel encouraged to

hours, which demonstrates a real need for similar

‘The Light Project’ – which were interlinked. The

body – where change is recognised outside but

participate, engage and contribute, the art world

opportunities. Thankfully, this is starting to happen:

‘Test Works’ were self initiated, self-funded projects

rarely takes hold within – suggesting that time is

may be doomed to become an untouchable entity or

last year, Block T announced its Fuelling The Future

that looked closely at how duration gets

non-renewable.

minority interest.

professional development workshop for students

Speakers and attendees at the VAI / CREATE Recent Graduate Evening VAI Offices Dublin 30 January 2014

experienced through movement, stasis, incident

I wanted to isolate some of these threads of

To address some of thess uncertainties and

and recent graduates of visual arts; this year, Rhona

and reaction in the city. My texts recounted specific

thought in experimental works made by hand in

anxieties felt by fine art students and graduates,

Byrne brilliantly programmed What Next? at

journeys and were printed on to A0 paper, nailed to

the studio. I worked toward a level of physicality –

myself and Adrian Colwell (VAI’s Membership

Draiocht, Blanchardstown. Byrne took the fictional

the gallery wall and accompanied by a sequence of

using low-key and domestic or used materials such

Assistant and Listings Editor) decided to initiate the

character Worzel Gummidge – who had a collection

images on slide or DVD.

as: polyesters, duvet sheets stained with coffee,

Recent Graduate Evening. We wanted to develop an

of interchangeable heads, each suiting a particular

‘The Light Project’ was developed in 2002 to

gouache on paper mache, watercolour on plaster

event where students and recent graduates did feel

task – as her starting point. This analogy is quite

acknowledge and render lasting moments or

and stitched fabric. Raising the works off the floor

like they belonged – as the stories being shared

fitting as artists are sometimes expected to act as

incidents from these lengthy texts in material

to a measurement that related to the viewer’s body

referenced their specific situation. The speakers we

mythical shape shifters, ready and willing to morph

form. The project utilised electronics to control

meant borrowing (loosely) from the generic plinth,

invited were artists they could relate to, providing

into different roles to suit various situations.

domestic lamps suspended on timber framework

occasionally integrating this support into the

an alternative to talks by established artists

There were several pieces of advice that

presented in a darkened gallery space. The lights

work.

discussing lists of awards and international shows.

reoccured throughout the evening which, as Ciara

were switched on and off in a kind of dynamic

‘trouble = progress’ ran at Millennium Court

We wanted to focus on the baby steps required to

McKeon stated, “underlined and clarified their

spatial and temporal choreography. I’ve shown

Arts Centre 8 February – 30 March 2013. Following

start a career – the trials, errors and struggles which

importance”. The first was to document your work,

varying ‘Light Project’ prototypes in Central Space

the exhibition, I became more interested in the

often characterise the years after graduation.

even if it means hiring a professional. In particular,

Gallery, London (2002), Context Gallery, Derry

memory held by the body itself. With my new

The Recent Graduate Evening took place on 30

if you make ephemeral work such as performance,

(2006), Queens Street Studios Gallery, Belfast (2010)

work (for a show for Riann Coulter at FE McWilliam,

January at the VAI offices in Dublin. We invited four

the only evidence remaining after the event is your

and MCAC (2013).

Banbridge 2014 and ‘Futures 13’ at the RHA), I’m

speakers who had graduated from art college within

documentation. This was particularly pertinent to

After exhibiting Tst #3 USA (2002 – 9) in the

trying to be less careful about its finish and more

the last three years to speak for a maximum of 15

Ciara as a performance artist and curator.

Golden Thread Gallery Project Room in 2009, I

unsteady in its establishment / positioning. I will

minutes

and

All the speakers emphasised the importance of

began working on Tst #4 AP (Test No 4 Armagh

present two ‘Test Works’ and Light Project Prototype

achievements. The participating artists were: David

supporting peer support and its long term mutual

Project). I did not have an exhibition in place but I

III in a group show at Solstice Arts Centre, Navan

Fagan (NCAD); Ciara McKeon (IADT); Richard

benefit. Jane Fogarty stated, “We are all at an early

wanted to further pursue research. The work was

in September.

Forrest, (CCAD); and Jane Forgarty (DIT). They were

stage in our career and in a position to share relevant

chosen for the diversity of their practices, which

advice with our peers. Shared knowledge at this

include performance, installation and curating.

point is beneficial, even amongst ourselves. Life

later shown in MCAC in 2013.

I am also working toward a solo exhibition at

their

accomplishments

The walking/research I conducted for Tst #4

the Museum of St Albans, which has Henry Moore

AP highlighted the ways in which my hometown

Foundation Funding, in September and an

The speakers were encouraged to share the

after college can seem daunting and so talking with

had become out of step with myself -both bodily

exhibition of recent work at the Butler Gallery,

challenges they have faced since leaving the cocoon

artists who have recently experienced that transition

and mentally. In contrast the slow pace of my life,

Kilkenny. The new work will be a gathering of

of art college, through to the process of finding their

can help to demystify the experience. Talking to

the many changes that had taken place in Armagh:

object works on supports that are more formal. I

feet within the art community, rather than only

likeminded people about your ideas is often a great

the influx of UK supermarkets, US food chains and

want to retain the rough measurements I used for

showing the audience examples of their practice. On

way to move forward with your career”.

European nationals. This raised questions for me

the standing works presented in the RHA but

the night, there was a real mix of both. Speakers

Lastly, the issue of overcoming cynicism about

about what I might make and who it might be for.

explore much further the themes of memory, the

shared their learning and experience as well as

networking was raised several times. Jane spoke of

I began to draw with watercolour, focusing on my

body and the present. I will use similar materials

discussing specific projects. The presentations were

having moved past her initial reticence after meeting

own dilemmas around dislocation. I was searching

across the work so that there is less contrast in

given in an honest and open manner, which set the

like-minded people at art events and finding this a

for a way to assemble a combination of discarded

colour, surface and hopefully a broader conversation

overall atmosphere for the evening. Richard Forrest

positive experience.

material into objects that might channel my own

amongst the works.

described it as an “inviting, informative and friendly

The event culminated with an informal wine

event”. “As each speaker revealed,” he continued,

reception, where attendees could talk to speakers

“our experiences since leaving college have been

and ask questions. We hope to roll this event out

varied and diverse. Each of us spoke of the joys and

later in 2014. for more information, contact adrian@

difficulties that come from juggling our creative

visualartists.ie.

feelings of non-movement and frustration into a plasticity – in physical, upright or standing works – that I hoped would encapsulate ideas of the unpleasant or uncomfortable.

Emma Donaldson is an artist based in Armagh City. She studied painting at Wimbledon School of Art, the Royal College of Art in London and The University of Houston, Texas.

independence with our need to pay the bills”.

Hazel Dixon, Project Support, CREATE

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

VAI / Das Residency

Creative Space: The Final Frontier CONAN MCIVOR, 2013 WINNER OF THE VISUAL ARTISTS IRELAND / DIGITAL ARTS STUDIOS RESIDENCY AWARD, DISCUSSES HIS EXPERIENCE OF WORKING AT DAS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDIO OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS.

Conan McIvor, from Luminous, video installation, mono-filament wire

Conan McIvor, still from Luminous

Conan McIvor, from Luminous video installation

Autumn is a great time of change: the crisp leaves, the changing

portraiture, words, and textural elements were respectively presented

edited two short films and helped to produce a documentary. I am left

colours, the fresh air – it makes me want to go out and buy a new

as a triptych on three video sculptures, each measuring between

wondering how I will sustain this fruitful artistic period. Having

pencil case. As I write this on a cold, dark January day, still unable to

three and four meters tall. Constructed from steel and fabricated with

attributed this productivity to the creative hub of the studio and a

stick to any of my New Year’s resolutions, I realise that the turn of the

over 40 miles of mono-filament nylon wire, the physical elements of

supportive working environment, I am now searching for new

autumn season brings far more potential in its ability to deliver new

the artwork made reference to Belfast’s weaving and shipbuilding

opportunities that can replicate the experience.

and brilliant things than the traditional New Year has ever done.

history. Using extracts from the texts of Sinead Morrissey and Maureen Boyle, the work attempted to connect Belfast’s industrial

I have witnessed how DAS supports its growing alumni, and I have to

During August 2013, I was searching the VAI listings with an appetite

past with how people relate to the city today – the harmony between

mention that as an outgoing group of residents we’ve been generously

for change when I spotted the VAI / DAS Residency Award. The

the urban and the pastoral.

offered access to the workshop room (which has just been upgraded with brand new iMacs) until our exhibition. Even if you’re not a

prospect of four months free studio space, free equipment hire and a potential exhibition had me packing my bags. I made an application

Having completed Luminous with two months left of my term, I

resident of DAS, the organisation offers extremely competitive rental

for the residency with the intention of building a body of experimental

turned my attention to the second part of my residency: working

rates on all their equipment, workstation and studio hire. If you

lens-based work, exploring the relationship between culture and

with Dr Michael J Daly, prototyping a series of lens-based and mixed

become a member of DAS, you are offered further reductions on the

spirituality in Balinese dance and the wider traditional performance

media pieces inspired by body-surface mapping technology used in

rental costs of equipment, something I intend to avail of after my

arts of Indonesia and South East Asia. I saw the residency as an

the diagnosis of cardiological conditions. Dealing with themes of

residency.

opportunity to finally get this project off the ground.

mortality, impermanence and the unseen, I set out to question our relationship to and emotional responsibility towards our corporeal

As well as providing space for artists to research, experiment, and

When September arrived, I unexpectedly found myself moving into

existence. After consultation with the studio manager regarding

make work, affordable studio organisations such as DAS make a

a flat in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, situated next to galleries, cultural

support that could aid my project, a free introductory workshop to

significant contribution to the arts and wider communities through

venues and – conveniently – the Digital Arts Studios. The timing

MAX / MSP with Robin Price was arranged for the benefit of the

education, training, and, perhaps most importantly, as a platform for

couldn’t have been more fortuitous as soon after I received a call from

residents. Exploring how technology could be used as an interactive

exhibition. Profiling the art studio provision in Belfast, it appears that

Studios Manager Angela Halliday offering me the award.

element the workshop raised more questions than answers for my

this crucial infrastructure that allows artists and creativity to survive

work, but the training was a rare and invaluable experience.

and thrive is heavily oversubscribed and seriously underfunded, which further demonstrates the value of the DAS / VAI Residency

On 1 October, I excitedly arrived for induction to meet the other

Award.

residents and to be assigned my workspace (fully equipped with Mac

It was an exciting time to be at Digital Arts Studios as 2013 marked its

Pro and programmed with Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite

tenth anniversary and a well-timed Christmas celebration. As a

as promised). Eager to start, I moved in my own AV kit, boxes of wires,

freelancer, it’s been some years since I benefited from a Christmas

I would like to thank Visual Artists Ireland, Angela Halliday, Catherine

and connections and adapters that I had collected over the years, only

party, so the mince pies and mulled wine were a welcome change.

Devlin, and the Board Members of DAS for allowing me the

to find that the studio’s own inventory put my collection to shame.

The publication accompanying the launch showcased the many

opportunity to avail of this residency and the assistance that was

I’d barely unpacked when I got another call, this time offering me the

artists who have benefited from DAS over the years. What is most

offered to me throughout. Until I find a similar opportunity I will

opportunity to exhibit a new piece on the grounds of City Hall.

striking about this archive is the diverse range of visual artists who

return to floating the coffee shops of Belfast, sponging wifi, and

Suddenly my plans changed and I decided to put my Balinese project

utilise digital technology within a variety of art forms. It’s no

pushing the acceptable limit of free refills.

on hold.

coincidence that, having entered this process working exclusively with video, I’ve since found myself incorporating other media into

Conan McIvor is a Belfast-based filmmaker and video artist. His

With a November deadline looming, I had no time to waste and

my work, including my upcoming piece for exhibition ‘Untouchable’,

diverse practice spans from experimental film and video art to

promptly started work. Making use of the free access to DAS

a human-scale wire sculpture accompanied by a series of images from

‘moving image’ design for installation, theatre and performance.

equipment, including Canon XF305, Sony PMW-EX1 and Canon 5D

manipulated heart scans.

McIvor will exhibit ‘Untouchable’ along with works by fellow residents in the DAS Artists in Residence Group Show at Belfast

Mark II cameras, I began shooting the material that would form the basis of Luminous. The film is composed of a series of two visual

It has been a busy four months; in addition to exhibiting my first

representations of Belfast’s past and present, featuring actress Susan

public art piece and preparing for the upcoming exhibition, I’ve also

Davey, with projected video material. In the series, projected

designed video projections for a musical performance at the MAC,

Exposed, 23 Donegall Street, Belfast, 6 – 14 March.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

residency

Residency Within a Residency BEA MCMAHON DESCRIBES HER RESIDENCY AT THE RIJKSAKADEMIE VAN BEELDENDE KUNSTEN IN AMSTERDAM.

Bea McMahon, plot installation, Rijksakademie open, 2013, all photos courtesy of Rijksakademie / Mattie van der Worm

Bea McMahon, plot installation (detail), Rijksakademie open, 2013

I’ve just completed a two-year artist residency programme at the

liberal VVD and Christian conservative CDA, supported by the

Extravaganza’, which he co-curated with Lucy McKenzie. This took

Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. It is a place

populist, right wing PVV (headed by Geert Wilders), effectively cut

place on Stromboli, the active volcano near Sicily. For every week in

where artists get to do the things that artists do; an institution that

the institution’s entire budget (€5.2 million per annum). The year I

July and August of 2013, invited artists made performances: fashion

likes what artists do, trusts them and provides the time, space and

entered the Rijksakademie, half of the staff lost their jobs. Crisis

shows, wall drawings, screenings and events. I missed my flight there,

means for artists to do whatever they like. Artists in residence at the

management was in place in the face of relentless negative decisions

which cancelled out my return flight, so I ended up having a nice

Rijksakademie van Beeldende are designated the status of students –

from funding bodies, coupled with a populist turn against the arts by

residency / sun holiday while I was ‘stuck’ on the island for longer

for tax and healthcare reasons – and experience the wonder of

the government. The atmosphere in that first year was strained, but a

than planned.

working with 45 or so other artists from all over the world. I’ve only

lot of this has turned around in the past year. The government has

I made a new work – a lecture / performance piece about rocks

just finished my time at the Rijksakademie and I miss everyone

just handed them over the building. The rent had been €3 million per

– while sitting on a black volcanic outcrop jutting into the Tyrrhenian

already.

annum, which was paid to the government. The Mondriaan Fund

Sea. Yes, the Rijksakademie is brilliant, and I loved it and I loved

There are many advisors to the programme who conduct regular

supports 19 of the Dutch Studios, each of which costs about €80, 000

everybody there, but everyone needs a holiday. So I ate Italian food

studio visits. These include artists: Aeronaut Mik, Paul Sietsma, Mike

per year. Now, businesses, private individuals or other countries

and drank Italian wine and watched the forces of the Gods – thunder,

Nelson, Jaki Irvine, Nathaniel Mellors, Tala Madani; curators: Philippe-

finance several of the international studios. For instance, Turkey

electrical storms –negotiate with the underworld of fire and chaos:

Alain Michaud, Michael Newman, Philippe Pirotte; as well as critics,

finances a studio and so there is always a Turkish resident. Every

the human body and the cosmos. And I overheated whilst climbing

writers, film makers, art historians, documentary photographers and

resident is also asked to find funds in their own country. The Arts

the volcano.

evolutionary biologists.

Council of Ireland gave me support through the Travel and Training

Your studio door can be open to all of the other resident artists.

At the end of each year, the Rijksakademie opens its doors to the public for the ‘Rijksakademie Open’. This can simply be a matter of

Award.

After a few drop-in visits you soon get the hang of each other and talk

Another big advantage of the Rijksakademie is its technical

opening your studio door, but with 7,000 visitors, many of whom are

about stuff – not necessarily about art or your practice, but other

workshops and facilitators. Work can be made to a high standard here

art world professionals, the resident artists usually use the open as an

things like politics or light or monks or animals. There is also the

(unless of course you deliberately want to make things ‘badly’).

opportunity to mount a solo presentation.

ateliers staff, Martijntje Hallmann and Wytske Visser, who understand

There’s no sewing machine, but there is more-or-less everything else:

The ‘Rijksakademie Open’ is a well-oiled machine. During the

you and your practice and connect your work to what the

fully equipped metal workshop, wood workshop, printing workshop,

course of the event its beautiful nineteenth-century premises – a

Rijksakademie can offer.

ceramics workshop, mould making workshop, paint laboratory,

former cavalry barracks – becomes a receptacle for a busy public

I found that it was my fellow residents who really got to know

plastics laboratory, media workshop, sound recording studio, daylight

investigation of what goes on there. The Open takes place over five

me and my work. We all thought-through and looked at each other’s

studio, artificial light studio, blue screen, editing suites, cameras,

days. Day one is given over to the press, and then to ambassadors,

practices; and we never held back from offering criticism and

electronics

synchronised,

bankers and royal family members, followed by curators and critics.

inspiration.

illuminated), 3D printers, 2D printers, photographic printing. (I think

Finally, on the last day, the public are let in. A catalogue is produced;

that’s it.)

there are talks and discos.

Each year about 25 artists are selected from around 1800

(anything

motorised,

sensorised,

applicants from all over the world. About half of the selected artists

If you are making something – say an enormous moving plastic

A few days after the Open, it’s suddenly time to pack up studio

come from the Netherlands. The selection process starts in January

thing that spits and talks when the sun sets – it would probably take

and apartment, ship things and spend the final stipend payment. And

and lasts until the end of June, with separate panels for the Dutch and

the combined thinking of three or four facilitators from plastics,

then it’s all over.

international selection. Each panel comprises the ateliers staff, the

metal, mould making and electronics to see the project realised. They

Everyone told me not leave it too late to find next funding /

director and about seven of the aforementioned advisors. 72 artists

like figuring out how to do things. Ebay is often used as a source for

residency / place to live. But it’s hard to do what you should. Two

have two separate interviews for the 25 places. It is intense. The

lots of cheap motors and parts, and the Rijksakademie share

years is the right amount of time to undo you from your former life. I

questions are simple: why do you want to come here? Interviewees

knowledge and expertise with companies such as Phillips on

joined a band. I am off to Viafarini in Milan to do another residency (I

are asked very directly as the panel looks at your work: what were you

innovative projects. Making work with the technical team can begin

met the curator on the volcano at Stromboli). After Milan I’ll be

thinking when you made this work? If you’re lucky enough to get to

quite creakily; there were so many options that I wanted to try

internationally homeless for a while and I’ll do some shows. I’m not

the interview stage, the panel know why they think your work is

everything. But over the course of time, the team worked out ways to

very far in advance of myself. It’s so much fun.

interesting, but they are still curious to hear your motivations.

solve any technical problems and incorporate new technologies into

In the recent financial climate – resulting in severe cultural

my work, rather than making work for new technologies.

funding cuts in the Netherlands – the Rijksakademie has had to fight

Guest curators come by sometimes to do studio visits and invite

hard to hold onto control of this rigorous and sensitive selection

the artists to do projects and shows. Milovan Farronato, director of

process. In 2011, the current government, which consists of the

the Fiorucci Art Trust in London, invited me to take part in ‘Volcano

Bea McMahon

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Project profile

Ulrika Larsson, Our Time is Now

Epicentres of Activity JOANNE LAWS REPORTS ON THE EU-FUNDED LOCIS PROGRAMME, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN LEITRIM CO COUNCIL AND COUNTERPART INSTITUTIONS IN POLAND AND SWEDEN. Initiated by Leitrim Arts Officer Philip Delamere, who defined the venture’s early trajectory, LOCIS is one of only three Irish-led projects to have successfully obtained funding under the hugely competitive EU Culture Programme 2007 – 2013, which seeks to develop cooperative links across the arts sector in Europe. LOCIS is an artistin-residence programme devised in collaboration between Leitrim County Council Arts Office, the Centre of Contemporary Art in Toruń, Poland and Residence Botkyrka, Sweden. The title LOCIS – a conjugation of the word ‘locus’, meaning ‘coming from or going to a place’ – was chosen to emphasise movement, exchange and the shared character of the programme among the three project partners. Drawing on the success of previous Leitrim Arts Office initiatives such as the Artist as Traveller seminar and TRADE residency, the LOCIS programme builds on established models for sustainable, context-specific practice, promoting the principle that a vibrant arts practice can be maintained from anywhere. Accordingly, the collaborative initiative seeks to facilitate knowledge-sharing, dialogue and cultural, cross-border exchange through the provision of resources and opportunities for artists to engage internationally. Over LOCIS’s two-year time frame, each participating country sends and receives leading national artists to and from the other two countries, to work with groups of artists from the three regions. It was decided early on that an over-arching theme would be useful in framing each round of residencies, while also establishing a criteria for the selection of lead practitioners. Cross-disciplinary dialogue between art and architecture formed the conceptual basis of the first LOCIS residency (which took place between June and November 2013) with an emphasis on spatiality and new models for sustainable living in rural, suburban or urban contexts. The second phase of residencies in 2014 will engage different groups of artists working under the theme of socio-political discourse in art and the function of art and creativity. The Irish residency, which took place in Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim, concluded in mid- November with an exhibition entitled ‘SECOND [SIT]’ at Leitrim Sculpture Centre. An accompanying oneday seminar was also hosted by LSC on 15 November, when the artists involved in the Irish, Polish and Swedish residencies convened to reflect on their experiences up to that point. The seminar was opened by LSC Director Sean O’Reilly, who spoke pragmatically about the important role of residencies in providing experiential spaces for artists to extend the boundaries of their practices. Situated in North Leitrim, LSC has a long-established commitment to the quality of the artistic journey, which is evident in the provision of a substantial residency programme and the emphasis on local community engagement.

The seminar was chaired by Project Arts Centre’s visual arts curator, Tessa Giblin, who posited tangible links between contemporary art and architecture early on, framing the seminar’s ensuing content in interesting ways. Drawing on the practice of Céline Condorelli, whose exhibition ‘Additionals’ was then showing at the Project Arts Centre. Giblin spoke about artist residencies forming part of what Condorelli has broadly classified as ‘support structures’ for cultural practice – that which “bears, sustains, and props… cares for, assists… advocates, articulates… stands behind, frames, and maintains… those things that give support”. (1) Artistic collaboration, co-operative activity, thoughtfulness, expertise and friendship, Giblin suggested, are central to the process of making things public, through approaching issues and audiences in contextsensitive ways. Subsequent presentations from the residency groups relayed positive experiences in support of this collaborative ethos. The setting for the Swedish LOCIS residency was Residence Botkyrka – an existing artistic programme facilitated by Botkyrka Konstall, with a remit for socially engaged practice. Situated in the suburbs of greater Stockholm, the Botkyrka region is one of the country’s most international municipalities, comprising over 160 immigrant nationalities. Embodying this diverse and changing community, Fittja (a 1970s, Modernist, high-rise housing complex in the area) provided a suburban context for the group to consider relationships between people and the places they inhabit, while probing the idea of ‘architecture as a social product’. Leitrim-based architect and educator Dominic Stevens led the project with participating artists Elaine Reynolds (IE), Ewa Axelrad (PO), and Mattias Åkenson, Jorun Kugelberg (SE). Rather than making new site-specific work, the group used the residency as a platform to seek out further exhibition opportunities, with Fittja’s annual public arts festival presenting viable options for future collaboration. The title of their project, drew inspiration from the famous statement of the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, concerning the intrinsic power of language: “what can be described can also take place”. The Centre of Contemporary Art in Torun hosted the Polish LOCIS residency, and was lead by Swedish artist and tutor Jonas Nobel. Participating artists Cathal Roche (IE), Maja Hammarén (SE), Arek Pasozyt (PO), and Patrycja Orzechowska (PO) were given the opportunity to exhibit in the large gallery space in December 2013, and worked towards devising a co-authored exhibition of older or existing artworks, with a seminar scheduled for February 2014. The residency’s theme ‘storyrepelling’ was pitched in opposition to perceptions of story-telling, linked to brand-loyalty and consumption, which drive the capitalist economy. The provision of time and space for dialogue emerged as a key feature of the residency,

allowing artists the luxury of talking about their work in open-ended ways. Communication became a recurrent theme, with Cathal Roche commenting on the language barrier experienced within the group. Interestingly, some of Roche’s previous film work has focused on the spoken word, while his work as a musician – involving improvisation and the development of a mutual musical language – seemed to symbolise the group’s experience overall, in their search for common ground. The Irish LOCIS residency took place at Leitrim Sculpture Centre in Manorhamilton. Participating artists Ulrika Larsson (SE), Natalia Wisniewska (PO), Niall Walsh (IE) and Kathy O’Leary (IE) were mentored by Polish artist and architect Jarosław Kozakiewicz, whose internationally-renowned practice involves sculptural installation, land intervention and bio-architecture. As well as presenting at the seminar, each artist displayed new work at the concurrent exhibition at LSC entitled ‘SECOND [SIT]’. The group developed a lexicon for approaching issue of local and public space, including the terms ‘sight’ and ‘site’, which provided the basis for distinctly individual but overlapping inquiries, touching on visuality, visibility, meanings of ‘place’, citizenship and the perceived ‘afterimages of history’. Working with local community groups including Manorhamilton’s ‘Men’s Shed Project’, Niall Walsh sought to develop solutions to a perceived short-fall in basic amenities within Manorhamilton, with proposals for new public seating and a bus shelter. Walsh’s Sentries project comprised hand-crafted benches, project documentation and photographic portraits of local men, who he considers the town’s ‘gate-keepers’, based on their tendency to congregate and ‘pass the time of day with their fellow townspeople’. Kathy O’Leary’s film Second Sight/Site examines the principles of inclusion with regard to architecture, urban planning and public access, from the perspective of a wheelchair user. Presenting journeys through the landscape from this vantage-point, including urban streets, country lanes and waterways, the film employs satire as a mode of negotiating challenging scenarios, evident in abstract compositions and a surreal accompanying soundtrack. Ulrika Larsson’s project Borders and Aesthetics probed the politically burdened Irish expression ‘Tiocfaidh ár lá / Our day will come'. The work was informed by conversations with locals about the contemporary implications of this loaded phrase; issues relating to active and / or passive living in a consumerist society became important, reclaiming language and prompting her textual response 'Our Time is Now'. Natalia Wisniewska conducted archival research relating to St Clare’s Hall – a derelict former church located on the outskirts of the town – tracing ‘episodes of small town community life’ and the evolution of the building from nineteenth-century Catholic church to community centre. Her project Phantom and Spectre reactivated this former hub by installing ‘anti-windows’, trimmed at the edges with LED lights, creating the impression of activity within. It has been suggested that an ‘ambivalent vocabulary’ surrounds contemporary artist residency programmes. (2) Just as nineteenth century notions of artistic ‘solitude’ and ‘retreat’ appear incompatible with a modern emphasis on ‘networking’, object-orientated ‘productivity’ has waned, shifting towards a visibility of the artistic process. This ‘hybrid status’ was acknowledged during the course of the seminar at the LSC by Dobrila Denegri, Director of CCA, Torun. She discussed the need for a ‘new institutional formula’ in the context of economic crisis, with self-organisation emerging as an important tool. Joanna Sandell, Director of Botkyrka Konsthall, also spoke about the strengths of LOCIS in supporting meaningful artistic reflection and dialogue, stating that, “Artists used to have conversations, but now they have careers and networks”. Returning to Céline Condorelli’s thesis on ‘Support Structures’, it could be argued that residencies such as LOCIS provide ‘discursive foundations’ for contemporary artistic production, with LOCIS demonstrating an institutional willingness to evolve and ‘learn by doing’. (3) Such ongoing mutation, negotiation and improvisation might therefore prove to be the defining features and legacy of this programme. Joanne Laws is an Arts writer based in Leitrim. She has previously written for Art Monthly (UK), Art Papers (USA), Cabinet (USA) and Variant (UK). Notes 1. Céline Condorelli, Support Structures, Sternberg Press, 2009, see also www.supportstructure.org 2. Laura Windhager and Lisa Mazza, Neither Working nor Unworking: On Residencies as Sites of Production, Open Systems Online Journal , Issue 4, 2013, www.openspace-zkp.org 3. Francis McKee, review of Céline Condorelli’s Support Structures, MAP#21, February 2010 www.mapmagazine.co.uk

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

V VALERIE EARLEY RESIDENCY

What Lies Beneath JILL CHRISTINE MILLER, THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF THE VALERIE EARLEY RESIDENCY AWARD, OUTLINES THE INSIGHTS SHE GAINED DURING HER TIME AT THE TYRONE GUTHRIE CENTRE, CO MONAGHAN.

Jill Miller Lucid 100x120 cm Oil on canvas Photo: Mary Clerkin

painting through subtleties and introspection into what is happening beyond the edges. The progression of the paintings was rapid during the first week; the layers and marks of paint became more unified as they went beyond the awkward beginning stages. Days six and seven were a bit harder as my painting process had slowed down, but I kept in mind the two-week time frame as a challenge to work through this block quickly. To help with this, I documented the work through photographs and writing to think about painting in different ways while away from the studio. Besides the physicality and intuitiveness of the act of painting, it is necessary for me to also consider analytical and critical perspectives. With this in mind I was able to decide what changes needed to be accomplished, and from day eight to the end the intensity re-emerged and the paintings developed. Studying in the rugged beauty of the Burren landscape has inspired me to appreciate quiet and picturesque places where the focus is solely on the development of work. At Tyrone Guthrie the buildings and landscape are visually stunning. Writing in the elegant library or taking a walk around Annaghmakerrig Lake provided an excellent break from the studio. Meeting other residents is another huge benefit, not only visual artists but also writers and musicians. Dinner was always a delicious home-cooked meal, and the conversations usually focused on the wide-ranging artistic production occurring throughout the day. As the two weeks came to a close, I thought about what I had gained from being there, and it was immeasurable. This experience has given me insights into the very nature of being a studio artist. I am very grateful to be the first recipient of the Valerie Earley Residency Award and would like to thank the Tyrone Guthrie Centre and Visual Artists Ireland for this unique and transforming opportunity. Thanks also to the faculty and staff at the Burren College of Art for their continued support and excellent guidance. Jill Christine Miller received her BFA in painting from the University of Michigan and her MFA from the Burren College of Art. She has also INVITATION attended Ox-Bow School of the Arts through the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has recently exhibited in Ballyvaughan, Galway, Ennis and Ennistymon.

In 2013 Visual Artists Ireland put in place a commemoration of our late friend and colleague Valerie Earley, who worked with us as Membership Manager for over 17 years. We wanted to provide a lasting memory of Valerie and hope that this award is one way that Valerie’s care for our artist members will continue into the future. The Valerie Earley Residency award is open to all Visual Artists Ireland members and takes the form of a two-week residency in the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is set in a tranquil, beautiful setting amid the lakes and drumlins of County Monaghan. The residency is self-catering and includes accommodation and a studio facility. The application process is subject to the standard terms and conditions of the Tyrone Guthrie Centre. Contact: t tyrone guthrie centre Annaghmakerrig Newbliss Co. Monaghan 00353 47 54003 info@tyroneguthrie.ie www.tyroneguthrie.ie cLoSINg dAte: Ate: 27 JuNe 2014 A

CULTURECRAFT 21 Jan - 19 March 2013 37 makers from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK were asked to create an object which reflects their understanding of culture, in order to explore how material objects can carry a community’s shared history and reflect a cultural perspective. Late Date: Thurs 30th Jan, 6pm Artist talk with Caroline Scholfield Late Date – Friday 29th June Late Date: Thurs 27th Feb, 6pm at 6.30pm. Join us for a glass Artist talks with Nigel Cheney & of wine and an informal tour of Dr Helen McAllister the exhibition.

Image: Stuart Cairns, Photographer: Sylvain Deleu

SpeNdINg two weeks at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre was an exceptional experience that has greatly influenced my confidence as a painter. The wonderful staff provided a welcoming atmosphere and the superior facilities offered a means to develop the range and depth of my work. I gained important insights into how to develop a momentum of production and my abilities to bring my work to a clear resolution. I am currently working towards a PhD in studio art at the Burren College of Art, and my focus is on the concept of melancholia as a means of exploring how physical and psychological states of the body can be expressed through figure painting. My work explores the visualisation of what lies beneath the physical surface of psychologically conflicted states – looking at body language, expression and gesture. My work also examines how the environment can lead to psychological tension, by exploring how environments become extensions of bodily presence and how mental and physical ‘worlds’ can exist within painting. I brought six stretched canvases, ranging from 30 x 40 cm to 3 x 4 ft with me to work on during the residency. I generally work around 4 x 5 ft, but for my residency the plan was to experiment with compositions on smaller canvases. On the first day I started with the two largest canvases, and by the fifth day I was working on all six simultaneously. I always work on at least three paintings at once, since I find the rotation of canvases helps to keep it continuously fresh and enhances the intensity of work. In these works the figures were set in environments with domestic objects that have contextual implications on many levels: a chair, curtains, a mirror, a bed. In Tension I used the chair as a means for the body to become an ‘anxious extension’ – depicting a figure with hunched shoulders, tightened neck and twisting legs and feet. This, along with the oppressive darkness enveloping the figure, indicates a heightened level of uneasiness. With Feet Feet, I focused on a specific aspect of the body, which is a different way for me to approach the figure and consider what makes a compelling and dynamic statement. At first I was unsure whether this would result in a study or a finished painting. As the layers of paint accumulated, I found that they developed into a

2014 Valerie Earley Residency Award

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

organisation PROFILE

Scarcity to Abundance LILY POWER TALKS TO LYNN HARRIS OF AND PUBLISHING ABOUT NEW FORMS OF PUBLISHING FOR ARTISTS’ BOOKS. An Incomplete Reader for the Ongoing Project, “One day, everything will be free…” v 0.1. is a reader to accompany activities at cultural research centre, SALT ISTANBUL, and is positioned more like software than a physical publication. The book is updated, amended and changed at the discretion of its author and a new ‘version’ tag is added. So, like software releases – where version 0.0.1 is followed indefinitely with sporadic updates, bug-fixes and complete revisions – the publication is, and will always be, incomplete and unfinished.

AND Public red kiosk boxes

AND Public books on display

Lily Power: What is the basic premise of AND? Lynn Harris: AND is a platform exploring print-on-demand (POD) technologies and publishing conceptually driven artists’ books, based at Central St Martin's College of Art, London. We consider print-ondemand to be a method and a tool for directly communicating to an audience. We’re interested in the immediate, automatic, editable qualities of this popular production process to make bespoke, critical publications. A POD book requires no money up front and can be printed one copy at a time. This allows us to develop an adventurous, inquiring creative practice without having to conform to the conventions of a mass publishing market. We have two strands within AND: a research and publishing stream where we commission works based on our own interests, such as Variable Format and The Piracy Project; and a self-publishing strand called AND Public. Through the AND imprint, we create discourse around a particular subject that we generate through public discussions, live events, reading rooms, workshops and commissions of new or existing works by artists whom we have approached. If an artist is interested in publishing their own work, they can approach us to use the AND Public resource, which provides a framework, offering knowledge and functional support for the production and dissemination of their own self-published POD books. Through AND Public, we help artists navigate the printing options, such as Lulu, HP Magcloud and the Newspaper Club, and introduce ways to make the process and outcome personal through intervention and post-production. We give conceptual and practical advice in one-to-one surgeries, share our collection of printed samples and hold workshops to develop individual or collaborative projects – some experimental and some practical. On the functional side, we offer an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and space to display and sell in our web shop and in physical kiosks in bookshops around London. We can also help with design if desired.

content and form (within the given limits of each printer). And, most remarkably, you can test the progress of your book by printing and responding to proofs throughout the process. This means that you can see the materiality of the book as the project develops in order to amend the content, compare different formats and experiment with various options. So an artist can truly work with the physical form in new ways or just be reassured that it’s working. This also means that an artist can create bespoke versions of each book every time a new one gets printed. And because you pay for each book as it is printed, rather than paying a significant upfront fee for a large print run, publishing becomes available to everyone. Digital platforms and social media allow equally cost effective promotion. This turns scarcity into abundance, and limited options of taste into a testing ground for many voices. We promote this attitude. This approach also allows an artist to own their own copyright, distribute freely and take almost all sales revenues. We encourage artists to start intimate relationships with their audiences, not to aim for blockbuster sell out launches and sales but to find the right audience through more immediate or personal interactions – local, quality responses to the work.

LP: What does this kind of publishing offer visual artists? LH: Traditional art publishing will vet and publish a small number of titles each year that conform to the overall identity and vision of the publishing house. Quite a lot of money will be invested in each title for editing and production and they must be highly salable. This criterion severely limits the realisation of most book works; needless to say, the more experimental projects are almost always sidelined. These are the ones we’re more interested in – the ones that investigate form and content in unexpected ways; our model reflects this. When using POD and AND Public, an artist has complete control over

LP: Which projects do you feel have worked best using the AND Public model? LH: The most successful books are ones that find new potential within or in response to the characteristics or politics of digital publishing. Three very different projects come to mind: This Mess is a Place by Zoë Mendelson, Copied Right by Hester Barnard and An Incomplete Reader for the Ongoing Project, “One day, everything will be free…” v 0.1.7  by Joseph Redwood-Martinez. This Mess is a Place looks at hoarding and collection through the voices of clinicians, cultural theorists, archivists, anthropologists and artists. Artistic practice and scientific research overlap like the submersion of materials within a hoard or the pursuit of order within a collection. The publication format reflects this – it is an illogical and precarious object. It is unbound with various papers and print techniques floating in a digitally printed box. Ultimately, the reader is responsible for the order (or disorder) of the piece. Hester Barnard’s Copied Right, printed by Lulu, comprises screencaptured images of pages from a legal tome on copyright – Paul Goldstein’s International Copyright (OUP, USA, 2012) – taken from Google Books. The limitations of Barnard’s DIY publishing approach are of course that only certain number of pages can be legally previewed.

LP: Self-publishing has become an increasingly popular option for many writers and artists. While some view it as a democratisation of the publishing process, critics argue for the necessity of maintaining traditional industry standards. Do you think a curatorial / editorial presence is necessary in art publishing? Is this part of your remit? LH: Yes. Curatorial and editorial presence is definitely necessary, but we are trying a slightly different approach to finding, generating and sharing quality material. We encourage the projects that we think will work well on the platform and openly let artists know, if their work doesn’t quite fit in, that they won’t benefit from using the platform. But as a lot of interesting and appropriate artists do get in touch, we feel a kind of peer-to-peer critique or self-critique is happening, where potential artists are judging whether or not they think their work is strong enough to sit next to existing content. Also, proximity to our own research and publishing activities – which include round table discussions, talks, exhibitions and launches – gives context and adds value to the books found in AND Public. We promote the platform in most of these situations, which are usually quite intimate circumstances. So we’re enabling a form of distribution that directly targets small pockets of interested audiences. LP: What are your distribution methods? LH: We spend most of our time working on the generation and production of new books – so unfortunately, we do not have the resources to widen our distribution efforts. But what we have in place is what we consider to be a ‘first step’ to distribution. This entails visibility on our website, in a few bookshops in London and curated selections at some international book fairs. Currently we also have kiosks at X Marks the Bokship, ICA and Luminous Books at CSM. A red box sits within these bookshops that hold display copies of AND Public books. Each book has a slip of paper attached stating, “This is a copy of a self-published book using AND Public. Only one copy has been printed. If you would like your own, please go to the counter to purchase online. It will be printed and shipped to you or a friend on-demand”. It’s important to us that the public has the option of viewing the actual material book, but we don’t want artists to have to print too many copies or get into complex sale and return schemes. By bringing the public’s attention to the fact that the books are produced through the POD process, we’re making the economies of production transparent and this reflects upon the content of each book. This is a different form of browsing and buying books where the audience is participating in the production process, ordering a POD copy through a digital interface. LP: What are your plans for the future of AND? LH: We’re adding more resources and ideally making a portion of it user generated – where the public can share resources – making it a more useful tool. But this depends on getting more funding. We would also like to invite select curators to choose AND Public books to be displayed together for periods of time. We think this approach will add more value to each book and bring out connections in approach, form or content. We have just invited Andrea Francke to join AND; she has brought a lot of exciting ideas with her. Andrea is an artist who first came to us with her pirate research that spawned The Piracy Project. This means that we are starting new conversations about all manner of AND things. So more to come soon… Lynn Harris works in collaboration to make conceptual gestures, books, print ephemera and online platforms for use by artists. www.andpublishing.org

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

PROFILE

Stefanos Tsivopoulos History Zero 2013 Video Still Courtesy the Artist and Kalfayan Galleries, Prometeogallery di Ida Pisani

Three Tenses of the Contemporary JONATHAN CARROLL PREVIEWS ‘AGITATIONISM’, THE 36TH EDITION OF EVA INTERNATIONAL (12 APRIL – 6 JULY LIMERICK), WITH THE exhibition's guest CURATOR BASSAM EL BARONI. Jonathan Carroll: Could you give an overview of your approach since being appointed guest curator for EVA 2014 in February 2013? 1 Bassam El Baroni: I’ve been visiting Limerick and Dublin since early May 2013. Since then I’ve established a rhythm of research visits – including studio visits – that have given me the chance to get a good insight into and overview of art in Ireland. I’m sure this will be a resource for me for many years to come. There was no direct brief, rather, there has been an emphasis on working closely with the team in Limerick and developing the project in relation to the context of Limerick and Ireland in general. JC: What’s the thinking behind the three symposia that preceed the EVA exhibition – Limerick (14 Dec 2013); Marrakesh (24 – 25 Jan 2014) and Dublin (22 March 2014), collectively titled 'Artistic Justice: Positions on the Place of Justice in Art'? BEB: The symposia were conceived as a generator for reflections on the question of art’s relationship to justice – a contested area of debate that always seems to surface in large art events such as EVA. The symposia series has been generously funded by the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation, which is based in my hometown of Alexandria, Egypt. The Anna Lindh Foundation encourages projects that seek collaboration between institutions north of the Mediterranean and south of it. Omar Berrada, a writer and translator who works at Dar al-Ma'mûn, a cultural centre and artists’ residency in Marrakech, Morocco, is a good friend and we both agreed that collaboration would be very productive, so developed a partnership. We thought that a good introduction to EVA 2014 could come out of forging connections between the cultural and intellectual scenes within Ireland and in other contexts, familiarising the Irish public with a context such as Morocco and vice versa. It was interesting for many people attending the Marrakech symposium to learn of historical and present-day similarities between Ireland and North Africa regarding how notions of justice are formulated within socio-political and cultural frameworks. Declan Long and Aislinn O'Donnell, for example, made some interesting new connections with the North African artistic and academic contexts and vice versa. JC: I imagine that the symposia have also contributed other content and contexts around EVA, such as the catalogue... BEB: Yes. We’re slowly developing the publication. It seems like it will be half documentation of the exhibition and events leading up to it

and half texts and interventions expanding on project ideas and areas of interest. We’ve developed a partnership with Motto Books (www. mottodistribution.com) as a publisher and distributor, which I hope will make the publication more visible both locally and internationally. Omar Berrada is also in search of means to turn the symposia into a separate publication. JC: I attended the Limerick symposium in December – 'Documenting, rewriting, forgetting, excavating: Doing history justice' – which included discussion of art and ‘post-Troubles’ Ireland. Are similar issues informing the exhibition in any way? BEB: Looking at such history is important in that it helps us understand that history is never quite situated in the past. It’s also a strong motivation to look towards a future, but not in the naive sense of projections that imagine everything will either be rosy or apocalyptic. Rather in the sense of a kind of mental adaptation to a future where conflicts and troubles will remain ever-present – despite technological and scientific advances. The exhibition in Limerick focuses largely on this idea of adaptation – how we adapt our logic by slowly working through our relationships with other beings (including animals), historical ideologies, post-colonial narratives and speculations about the not-so-distant future. JC: How will the exhibition explore these concepts? BEB: The majority of works presented in this year’s EVA will be working through these ideas, which are really areas of interest that have been captivating artists and philosophers for many decades now. EVA 2014 will be titled ‘Agitationism’. In philosophy ‘agitation’ describes a moment when the mind attempts to determine something that it perceives as previously undetermined. In the case of the EVA title, it refers to the exhibition project itself, which aims to leave people experiencing feelings close to the agitation one feels in the midst or aftermath of socio-political upheavals. For example, personally, over the last three years, agitation is what I went through as I tried to determine what was happening in Egypt. I think agitation in this sense is a feeling or experience that many people in different parts of the world are going through at the moment. They’re trying to negotiate living in the past, present and future. These three tenses overlap in the contemporary moment, creating a kind of palimpsest of half-undone histories, half-imagined futures, and a present of phantasmal opportunities. This is what the exhibition attempts to capture.

Ingo Giezendanner painting the palissade of the Fondation Van Gogh Arles, 2013, photo by V Picon

JC: How did you square your interest in articulating these ideas with the open submission structure of EVA? BEB: The ideas I just described grew out of looking at artists’ work and interests via the open submissions, research and studio visits. I didn’t have any criteria or concept in place in advance of my appointment. Open calls have an inherent value; they calibrate how one operates as a curator in terms of what artists are currently interested in. For example, during the submission selection process, I was completely blown away by This Monkey, a video by the late Patrick Jolley, filmed in India a short time before his death. (His estate submitted the work.) The video creates a very haunting connection between monkeys and humans (I won’t say anymore; it would spoil the film.) This work eventually led me to invite a number of artists that articulate the relationship between man and animal. This became a constellation of work within EVA 2014 that I think will add an interesting layer into what sits behind feelings of agitation. JC: Did you have any artists in mind before coming to Limerick? BEB: Not really. I started with a blank slate. I don’t have a roster of artists that I always work with. I did invite a few artists whose work interested me to apply – via the open call. I asked them to make proposals for me to consider. I’m working with some brilliant artists for the first time such as Amanda Beech, Michael Patterson-Carver, Garrett Phelan, Seamus Nolan, Jacqueline Doyen, Praneet Soi, Luis Jacob, Rana Hamadeh and Nicoline van Harskamp. Some of the artists I have previously worked with include Luis Camnitzer, Walid Sadek and Metahaven. I became familiar with Garrett Phelan’s work during a studio visit, where I saw his project Our Union Only in Truth for TBG+S. In light of this I asked him if he would be interested in developing an identity for this edition of EVA, which could also function as an art work in its own right.2 JC: Can you reveal anything about any exciting new spaces that will be used as exhibition venues in Limerick? BEB: We’ve discovered quite a few, but as yet we can’t publicly confirm them. We will be creating at least one purpose-built temporary exhibition venue in a currently empty property as well as presenting new works that will activate public spaces. Bassam El Baroni is a curator and art critic based in Alexandria, Egypt. Baroni was co-founder / Director of Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum (2005 – 2012) ; co-curator of Manifesta 8 in Murcia, Spain 2010. Currently Baroni teaches at the Dutch Art Institute, Arnhem and is PhD researcher on the Curatorial / Knowledge programme at Goldsmiths, London. Note 1. EVA’s curatorial selection process draws on its alumni of previous guest curators and other advisors for recommendations; as well as responding to current developments in art and curatorial practices. EVA’s advisors include artists, curators, critics and museum / gallery directors. EVA International’s board draw up the final shortlist and then approach the chosen candidate to begin discussions and arrange research visits. The guest curator is introduced to the history, aims, objectives and selection process that EVA has developed through 37 years creating exhibitions. EVA’s adoption of a biennial model, with its longer lead-in times, has been a positive development.The two-year lead in for the next EVA has already commenced; the 2016 guest curator will be visiting El Baroni’s exhibition. 2. See back cover for example of Garrett Phelan’s identity for EVA 2014.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

HOW IS IT MADE?

Margaret Tuffy, Surrender (still), DVD, 2013

Margaret Tuffy, The Old Road Home, 2013

Margaret Tuffy, Surrender (still), DVD, 2013

Land & Self MARGARET TUFFY DISCUSSES THE IDEAS AND PROCESSES BEHIND RECENT AND ONGOING WORKS THAT EXPLORE THE LANDSCAPE THROUGH WALKING, PERFORMANCE AND DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION. Most of my work, especially in relation to my walk-based works, forms in my subconscious long before I start formally planning their initiation. When an idea surfaces and then sticks in my mind, I’ll start to research it. Sometimes I’ll make other works and just allow a developing idea to ripen. Over the last 10 years I’ve deployed three initial strategies: 1. an exploration of an area to familiarise myself with it’s topography; 2. core preparation work – mapping, tracking, researching landmarks and general information to inform where I may walk; 3. communication and conversations with people who have day-to-day contact and knowledge of local history, mythology and language in relation to the landscape. Most of my projects have been formed in this way, around a particular place – and walking has been at the heart of each work. Some locations are urban, some rural and one work took place in a large park on the borderline between city and county. All but one of the walk works were pre-planned and structured in context, while at the same time accommodating spontaneity. The exception would be my first walking-based project, which came about during a three month residency at the Áras Éanna arts centre on Inis Oir, in 2004. As I searched for inspiration to produce work, I became more and more aware of every detail of my surroundings – sea, walls and roads – which appeared to transform themselves during the day's changing light and weather conditions from every shade of grey to subtle tones of pastel pink and blue. My initial response was to document these details with words, scribbles and photographs. But a crucial development occurred when I began inviting individuals to come and talk to me in my studio about my surroundings. From these conversations, the idea of walking the surrounding landscape – characteristically demarcated by dry stone walls – came up. With the support of the then director Val Balance, I exhibited this unfolding process in my studio on St Patrick’s Day. From then, ‘walking’, allied with a conversational process, became my core practice. For my most recent walking project, undertaken for Arás Inis Gluáire, Bellmullet, Co Mayo, my research was guided by my intention to walk in the district of Gortmore, at Erris, the birthplace of my greatgrandmother. In this respect the work was autobiographical. My search for a person with knowledge of the region culminated with a telephone call to Seamus O’Mongain. I informed him about my plans and concept, and Seamus sent me information on how to download and layer maps, old and new, from the OSI website. More ancient hand-made ones, not available online, were available at the Ordinance Survey Office in the Phoenix Park. From these maps I was able to identify the old road to Rathmorgan schoolhouse, where my great-grandmother went to school. I decided that this was the path I would walk and mark with blue paint – a gesture for a personal rite of passage – as I walked.

Margaret Tuffy 'Tales Outside My Head' Arás Inis Gluáire

Further research assistance was provided by Collette Edwards, librarian at the Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin. The Botanic Gardens Archives include records by Robert Lloyd Praegar, botanist and walker. These documents, which list plants, were made on his walks throughout the 1900s and cover every county in Ireland, through field, heath and bog. This inspired a second walk, retracing Praegar’s journey across a blanket bog at Gortmore in order to confront the colour and texture of the unyielding heather and bracken. Here I would mark the landscape with a ‘lady’s chair’ and some white sheets. These objects were chosen as metaphor for my great-grandmother and all those who had to emigrate and work as domestic servants to support their families. A fracture to my wrist meant that technical assistance was required to realise this work. Early in spring 2013, artist and filmmaker David Dunne agreed to document and record my walk / performance. Dunne brought a variety of equipment with him: high specification stills and video cameras, light meters, tripods, lenses and film, along with a computer for editing. Eight days – two long bank holiday weekends in March and at the end of May – were assigned for filming. Each morning we set out from a base in Ballina for the isolated townland of Gortmore. Seamus O’Mongain came to meet us on the first occasion and guided us to the two locations we had previous discussed by phone. Our initial venture into this landscape was a mind-numbing experience. The old road to the school was a bleak prospect in the driving rain – I thought it was an impossible route to travel. However, David and I rallied to the challenge and so the work began. In May, when the second stage of the process took place, the ‘lady’s chair’ – rescued from the basement at TBG+S – was put in situ, at a corner on the crossroads, not far beyond the tribal ground of Dun Flidhais fort. Further up the road, way out on the bog, stakes for a clothesline with a flailing sheet had been driven into the ground.

Just opposite and up a steep hill, the second walk-piece, which came to be titled Surrender (tracing the footsteps), became a performance work in its own right. The weather was quite similar to that in March, freezing cold, driving rain, with 50 –60 mph winds. I lacked discipline in hill walking, and walking on uneven waterlogged heathland was also a challenge. Clutching a sheet, the task of finding a secure foothold became a daunting task. The sheet appeared almost alive in the raging wind and took on the symbolism of a rallying flag – the perfect metaphor I thought for this struggle between art and the elements. When the filming was finalised David Dunne, who has vast knowledge and an array of skills in digital technology, downloaded the video footage in preparation for reviewing, editing and formatting the footage for projection in the gallery space at Arás Inis Gluáire. We made three short films based on footage derived from the walks – The Walk, Bog Queen and Surrender. Photographs and video stills were selected and for reproduction as exhibition prints and for the catalogue. 11 images were processed by Exhibition A, Digital Imaging & Fine Art Printing, and printed onto archival paper for the gallery. The works were exhibited at Gallery in Arás Inis Gluaire – a bright, airy, symmetrical space – under the title ‘Tales Outside My Head’. I found the gallery's administration staff to be a professional, dedicated team with a broad outlook and respect for the artist. The galleries technical staff were likewise highly skilled, flexible and hardworking. However, my project – including the production of a small catalogue, with an essay by Choimhin MacGiolla Léith – was entirely self-funded. At the time of undertaking my project for Arás Inis Gluaire, the gallery didn’t offer fees to artists and I was responsible for the delivery, installation and de-installation of my work.1 Since completing and showing this body of work, I’ve become interested in moving away from the model of solo presentations in galleries. Too often artists are expected to create work for a venue's audience, but with inadequate or no financial support. Likewise, promotion to local, national and international press can be lacking. I’ve also realised that relatively simplified and small-scale documentation can have considerable poignancy. In terms of future developments, I’m interested in more intimate forms of presentation: online or to small groups. I’ve also found a connection between the land and self that has a poetic impact – it's something I would like to explore further. As a result I have put my name forward for a Letterpress Course at the Graphic Studio, Dublin (where I am a member) to see where that may go. Six digital archival prints, created for Belmullet, will be included in a three person show during June 2014 at the Graphic Studio Gallery. My future plans also include participating in two walking projects, one in the UK and one in Spain, during the summer, 2014; I have prepared two related proposals for walking based works. Margaret Tuffy is a member of Walking Artists Network Note 1. Under the new Artistic Director at Áras Inis Gluaire, it is now policy to pay exhibition fees to artists showing in the gallery

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

Critique Supplement

Jaki Irvine 'This Thing Echoes' Frith Street Gallery, London 17 January – 1 March 2014

Edition 12 March / April 2014

Jaki Irvine, Guanajuato, 14, 2010, HD DVD 4 mins 6 seconds (still), courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London

Golden Square, where Frith Street Gallery sits reservedly, is a be-statued lulling-patch just off the persistent traffic of London’s Regent Street. In what might be an homage to a visitor’s typical route to the gallery – traversing buzzing throngs of shoppers and caffeinated urban professionals – you’re greeted at the door by a short video piece depicting a sucrose-binging hummingbird. The protagonist of Irvine’s Guanajuato 14 sips the nectar from a bird feeder hung at the back of the eponymous address in the big smoke of Mexico City, where the artist lives and works part of the time. The bird arrives only halfway through the piece. The circumstantial sights and sounds of a residential complex, visible but off-focus through the balcony’s ornamental ironwork precede its third-act entrance. The hummingbird’s momentary feast introduces the exhibition, serving as prelude and caveat, reinforcing the artist’s sustained gaze at the fleeting almost-nothings that decline to assert themselves.

Jaki Irvine, Shot in Mexico. On the Impossibility of Imagining the Numbers of Dead and Disappeared, 2014, wallpaper and set of 20 archival pigment prints on Hahnemühle paper, dimensions variable, courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London, photo by Alex Delfanne

The work that occupies Frith Street’s basement, Shot in Mexico: On the Impossibility of Imagining the Numbers of the Dead and Disappeared, is a more sombre call to awareness but is delivered with similar quirk. More pointed than the video works in the exhibition, its titular wordplay and verdant settings provide the digestive by which the gravity of Mexico’s unremitting drug and gang-related violence can be stomached. A colony of countless yellow monarch butterflies is captured on the room-height photo paper mounted to the wall and a group of smaller archival photographs framed and hung against it. In the rich panorama of the forest near the town of Angangueo and its accompanying details, we are afforded a numerically suggestive but visually merciful analogue for the magnitude of that violence. Other artists based in Mexico, Theresa Margolles first among them, have been keen to make such needless death harder on an audience – but Irvine’s take is less urgent and more elegiac. It is also consistent with her tendency to approach her subjects elliptically. The butterflies congregate on the undersides of branches, float above the mossy floor, and festoon the purple sky, placidly indifferent to the horror they signify. Her illustrative tack may not confront exactly, but it hangs in the air like a gunshot report.

Jaki Irvine, Se Compra: Sin é, 2014, HD DVD 17 mins 37 seconds, courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London, photo by Alex Delfanne

Were I more knowledgeable about traditional Irish singing, I might detect a cuing of opening, closing denouement there, but Irvine’s intermittent

portraits of street peddlers and scroungers, set to a sean-nós performance by singer Louise Phelan and accompanists, betrays linearity only in its beginning, when all the players in the settings of studio and street are assembling. Rather than spinning narrative, the looped projection Se Compra: Sin é captures a milieu of distinct but similarly tenuous lives in the locale of Mexico City. When documenting the native precariat polishing and grinding, it is crafted but unostentatious, noncinematic filmmaking. By relation, the interspersed musicians, shot with mirrored attention to the scraping and plucking of their tools, seem less real. Against the enclosed black of the sound studio, they present a strange contrivance encroaching on the convincingly earnest urban graft, even while their asynchronous melodies overlay and echo the street vendors’ work. Albanian artist Anri Sala employed a similar trope in his 1395 Days Without Red, interspersing a reallife orchestra with the nervous, fictionalised snipercrossing of besieged workaday Sarajevans during the Bosnian War. Irvine’s take on Mexico City is less rarified. There is no painterly fixation on daylight. The artist’s technical manipulations focus rather on stitching the percussive, perfunctory acoustics and visuals of the peddlers with those of the musicians. We viewers are cast as unpresumptuous witnesses, spared the trenchant insecurity of tourists. And for all its apparent paucities, Irvine’s Mexico City is a moveable feast. Though appropriately unsentimental, there is something of an ambivalent, infectious homesickness in Irvine’s work, maybe even a knowingly futile exertion to will two very distinct places closer together – geography be damned. There is, in the way the knife sharpener of Se Compra is photographed, a respect for his precision, as the hummingbird is foregrounded for its vivacity. Phelan’s voice undulates into prominence as the sound of an old and remote Ireland, valued for its scarcity and fragility. The more romantic aspects are applied drily and never left to over-sweeten the pot. Instead, the tincture leaves the viewer feeling nostalgic for something he’s never known, which is somewhere between a welcome bit of generosity and a blunted ruse. Curt Riegelnegg is a critic living in London. He is Gallery Manager at Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet CRITIqUE SUPPLEMENT

March – April 2014

Jackie Nickerson ‘terrain’ t terrain’ 16 January 2014 – 15 February 2014 Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

Feriel Bendjama 'We, they and I' 16 January – 17 April 2014 The Return, Goethe-Institut Irland, Dublin 2 WheN France outlawed the wearing of face-

against pollution. The artist is explicitly gagged,

covering veils in 2011, ‘the veil’ had been a potent

contemplating suicide, and infantalised.

trope of feminist inquiry for some time. Various representations of the hijab, burqua, niquab and

The ‘red’ images depict a woman with open eyes

chador had appeared in contemporary art and

and a considerably more engaged demeanor. Her

popular culture; for example, in works as diverse as

props are also not subtle: a cigarette, a fake

Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel and film Persepolis

moustache and an opera mask make for a persona

and Paris street artist Princess Hijab’s ‘hijabizing’ of

that both challenges and looks quizzically at the

advertising posters on the city’s Metro – she paints

viewer, while the addition of a decorative lace part

veils on the male and female models featured in

of the headdress personalise her clothing in a way

luxury goods adverts.

that the previous images do no not.

The veil is the dominant symbol in German-

During the artist and curator talk that launched

Algerian artist Feriel Bendjama’s series of

this exhibition, Riemer asked Bendjama what she

photographic self-portraits ‘We, They and I’. The

wanted the viewer to see when they look at these

works comprise stylised three-quarter-length

images. She replied, “They can be whatever you

studio images of the artist wearing a selection of

want them to be”.1 While this may be her stated

different colored khimars, a covering that conceals

intention, it’s clear that she is communicating an

the body from head to hips but displays the face.

experience of womanhood within Islam. The works illustrate the stereotypes associated with the

Jackie Nickerson Propagation Shed, 2013 digital c-print 68 x 85 inches (Edition of 2 + AP) 38 1/2 x 48 inches (Edition of 3 + AP) Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

JAckIe Nickerson reveals a compassionate tenderness and gravitas for her subjects while taking photographs of the land and the people in subSaharan Africa. In Nickerson’s photographs, seemingly conventional art-historical tropes like portrait and landscape photography are merged to illustrate the cause and effect of working the land on both people and the environment. For her recent Jack Shainman Gallery exhibition, entitled ‘Terrrain’, Nickerson travelled to Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa to document agricultural workers, who constitute 70% of the workforce in Africa.1 Nickerson’s photographs blend figure and ground, transforming her subjects into sculptures in the landscape through a process of obstruction. By blocking the facial features in her portraits, Nickerson highlights the physical presence of figures on the land, depicting how the bodies of the labourers become ‘sculpted’ through the repetitive actions of their work. Nickerson’s formal approach offers an account of the land and those who work and survive off it, rather than neutralising the content of her images. Beneath magnificent skies, Nickerson scrutinises shapes, distils details and produces vivid, large-scale photographs that reveal the great dignity of her subjects. The labourers (photographed individually) hide their face by holding up objects, utilitarian tools like plastic crates and metal cabling, or the ‘fruits’ of their labour such as banana and tobacco leaves that are stacked, coiled, balanced or held. By honing her eye on both the produce and the producers, Nickerson highlights the relationship between the two: people and place inextricably tied together. Nickerson arrived at this approach of concealing the subject by chance. One afternoon, Nickerson saw a worker called Oscar harvesting tobacco leaves – clipping the large leaves from the bush and then transferring them to an elongated metal rod and slotting them into a series of slats. This process dries the leaves without moisture building up between them, but also ‘obscures’ the worker as he accumulates his harvest. It was this chance occurrence that alerted Nickerson to the potential of composing other images this way. Oscar arrested Nickerson’s attention. She simply asked him to stop and photographed him beneath the leaves that hung down and obstructed his face. Titled Oscar (2012), the work acknowledges the figure hidden in the photograph. Subsequent works similarly take the first name of the figure as a title, while some image titles borrow from locations

used by the subjects, such as the photograph titled, Propagation Shed (2013). Nickerson’s works are grounded in a profound inquiry into the act of looking and being looked at. To this end, she notes that the problem with objectivity in photography is that the photographer always gets in the way. Significantly, Nickerson has indicated that she would like to make herself invisible while she is working.2 She goes to great lengths to achieve this: travelling on her own and carrying her medium-format camera in a woven basket to minimise its presence. Acknowledging that her photographs come from and are directed at a “Western global North perspective”, Nickerson is motivated to investigate her viewpoint and question how she interprets visual appearances. Nickerson tries to eliminate herself in the work; when her subject picks up a plastic crate to obscure his face, he no longer sees the photographer or the camera. There is of course a performative aspect to this work: the photographer is both participant and observer. Nickerson is standing in the same landscape as the subject while she does her work – her labour is also inextricably connected to the terrain. Nickerson wants to do more than simply photograph the labourers; she wants to merge with them as an invisible presence, knit into the scene like the woven basket where she conceals her camera, to capture what is in plain sight. Through a collaborative working relationship, Nickerson participates in a form of immersive journalism, reportage similar to Walker Evans’s tactics in his great, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. In contemporary photography it is important how, not just what is photographed. This shifts the reception of the work. Nickerson speaks about the humanity in her subjects. Through her own working methodology she emphasises the humanity she finds. Nickerson now carries a copy of the Oscar image with her on other projects, showing his image to others for emulation – a form of collaboration that recognises the potential of the labourer within the landscape. The individual photographs within ‘Terrain’ are not so much static records but evidence of Nickerson’s process of seeing.

Curated by Düsseldorf-based artist Sebastian

wearing of the veil – which Bendjama subverts

Riemer, the nine images in the show are displayed

with various masculine and / or feminist symbols.

in sets of three, each ostensibly themed by colour. Bendjama respectively wears a red, white or black

Long an emblem of feminine ‘otherness’, Western

khimar against black, green and white backgrounds.

tradition associates veiling with women who opt

The artist accessorises each figure with cheap

out of conventional society – nuns or female

evocative props that look as though they came

members of other religious sects for example. In

from the toy section of a Eurosaver discount shop.

the context of Islam the veil has become a symbol

While seemingly iconoclastic, the work also

with dual meaning, suggesting both the subjugation

prompts questions of femininity as defined by

of women and Muslim solidarity and empowerment.

contemporary perceptions of Islam. The artist is

For Princess Hijab, mentioned above, and fellow

heavily made-up in a manner that references the

French activist duo Niquabitch – who challenge

cliché that well-heeled Muslim women wear costly

the French ban by publicly wearing the niquab

couture clothing beneath their plain veils.

with shorts or a mini skirt – explore and exploit both these readings. Bendjama doesn’t throw her

In the ‘white’ category of the photographs, we find

hat into the ring here, preferring the viewer to

the artist pictured against a green background with

form their own interpretation of these images.

eyes closed, first wearing a plastic child’s tiara, then blowing a bright red candy whistle and finally

It’s a shrewd decision given the potency of the veil

balancing a copy of the Qur’an on her head. Here

and its many meanings. Bendjama’s ‘We, They and

are notions of perfect womanhood, particularly

I’ references various sides of this seemingly Gordian

evoked by the Disney-princess-perfection of the

knot of a debate. Though the artist doesn’t provide

tiara and the ‘finishing school’ referenced by the

any solutions, she offers a progressive and

book-balancing act. Using a holy text further drives

important voice in the tumult.

home Bendjama’s comment on the complexity of contemporary Islam’s position in Europe –

Anne Mullee is a Dublin-based writer, curator

including the artist’s home, Germany.

and filmmaker.

In the ‘black’ series, the artist is depicted against a

Note 1. Feriel Bendjama in conversation with Sebastian Riemer, Goethe Institut, Dublin, 16 January 2014

white background – again with eyes closed. The props are a brightly coloured plastic pistol – which the artist points at her own head – a baby’s soother and a paper facemask of the kind used to protect

Kathleen Madden is an art historian living in New York City, who teaches at Sotheby's Institute and Barnard College, Columbia University and is currently editing the ‘Performa 13’ book, due for publication in 2014. Note 1. Statistic cited in gallery press materials for the exhibition 2. Author interview with the artist

Feriel Bendjama, work from 'We, They and I', The Return, Goethe-Institut Irland (16 Jan – 17 April 2014), courtesy of the artist

The Visual Artists’ News SheetCriTique ique SuppleMeNT

March – April 2014

‘DE_Cline ’ Paul Quast luan Gallery, Athlone. 17 January – 16 March 2014

'Hirsute' Gráinne Bird Higher Bridges Gallery,enniskillen 6 February – 8 March 2014

paul quast, Network, 2014, imagecourtesy of paul quast and Jasonreilly

paul quast, E = ˆ , 2014, imagecourtesy of paul quast and Jasonreilly

paul quast, Apogee, 2014, imagecourtesy of paul quast and Jasonreilly

Paul Quast exhibits a large body of work in the New Gallery and River Gallery at Luan. He works in installation / sculpture and here deploys an impressive array of technology, including projectors, laser beams, prisms, lights, magnets and ferro-fluid – demonstrating an expert knowledge of physical, electromagnetic and optical processes. Quast’s work draws comparisons between our understanding of the universe in terms of physics and the social conventions and paradoxes that human civilisation has developed in order to function. For Quast, physics is an unbiased, evolving system of knowledge, albeit based on approximations. Likewise the economics of financial and consumer markets, while promoting adherence to exact figures to achieve ‘success’, is an inexact art / science, dependent on intangible human factors such as persuasion and influence. Quast uses electromagnetic fields, optics and entropy to draw comparisons between these two paradigms and, in the process, raises pertinent questions about the nature and construction of perception itself. In the New Gallery, Network (2014, mixed media, 240cm) consists of two neon tubes held horizontally in line by magnets, flashing alternately like neurons (and, very rarely, at the same time) to demonstrate our limited understanding of how the brain’s impulses reflect thoughts and concepts. Apogee (2013, mixed media, 40x40x25cm) is a square-tiered form that incorporates nine interlocking cogs, which turn at a tired and halting pace, squeezing a brown ferro-fluid towards the centre. This highly effective work offers a view of cyclical monetary accumulation – suggesting the failed optimism of industrial cycles such as the Fordist systems of production – which has become clogged by ‘monetary waste’ oiling its mechanics. The main piece in the New Gallery, 101 (2014 mixed media, variable dimensions) is an image of a slow swirling galaxy (number 101), projected onto a suspended screen. Loose change is provided to be thrown at the galaxy image, where an electromagnetic force may, if you are lucky, lock coins on to the dark centre of the image. There’s an almost Orwellian reference to Big Brother forcing austerity on its citizens, amplified by the black hole of the galaxy sucking in our money. The comparison between unknown universal forces and the current economic situation is well made here. Also in this space is Hail (2013, mixed media, variable dimensions) comprising four laser pointers on tripod forms placed close to the floor, which project intense green laser beams through prisms and lenses to create a series of focus points on the opposite walls. The origin of each beam isn't immediately clear and my curiosity and sense of dislocation were increased as I circulated around the space to locate this. The beams are focused on a ˆ 50 note mounted on one wall, to which the eye is

inevitably drawn. The word "HAIL" is projected onto the currency, hailing the dominance of capital. The works in the River Gallery function mainly as optical and light wave experiments with the objective of showing light (literally) in a new light. For example, in Of a deceptive nature (2014, mixed media, 260cm), a series of lights is directed through prisms and convex lenses, mounted on an adapted arc frame. This creates a perfect rainbow arc on the opposite wall. Here, Quast is playing out the deceptive nature of light via various particle, wave and photon theories in order to deconstruct the mysteries surrounding perception. A rainbow always eludes us as we seek to approach it for gold. We can touch this captive rainbow and it does not reward us with anything more than its reflection on the wall, and broken refracted arcs overhead. E = ˆ (2013 mixed media, 120 x 100 x 40cm) brings the balance of forces in the exhibition into more explicit focus. On suspended scales, a globe neatly held in magnetic rotation within a C-frame, rotates from west to east, in reverse planetary motion. On the left, a tray of copper cents provides a relatively poor value to balance against the significant unit value of the planet. Finally, Continuum (Mark II) (2014, mixed media, 8cm diameter) is a suspended black globe with a mysterious aura. Rapidly rotating, and driven by internal magnetic components within a fluid, it comments on entropic processes. As the fluid dries from the inside out, the surface will eventually decay and self-destruct. It’s a compelling work, symbolic of the hidden forces affecting our world. The technical aspects of this exhibition are impressive and are underpinned by a substantive range of research. The optical experiments are obviously highly visible to audiences, but the electromagnetic technology, by its very nature, is more covertly present. Thus, the hidden forces operating within some works are not always evident. On one level, this reinforces some of the key points of the exhibition. However, a balance always needs to be struck between the use of media and ideas. In some works, the level of technical virtuosity overwhelms the underlying themes. The less complex works, which demonstrate the directly opposing forces at play, such as Network, Apogee and Continuum (Mark II), are more appealing – they force an immediate consideration of the underlying concerns.

Hair salons and barbershops do not often act as art supply stores for artists, but in the case of young Irish artist Gráinne Bird, they provide her primary material: human hair. ‘Hirsute’ is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Northern Ireland, in which she manipulates human hair through spinning, felting, crocheting, knitting, sewing and dressmaking to create tapestries, clothing, sculptural objects and complex installations in shades of brown, blonde, black and red. Bird considers her practice self-sufficient, as the human body produces the source material from which she creates garments, which the same body can then wear for fashion or practicality. There is also a rich sense of community here, as numerous people have come together in the creation of these works, donating their own hair, which is felted, plaited and crocheted with that of others in the fabrication of each piece. There is, however, something dark about Bird’s use of human hair, which is spun into garments that one imagines could be worn by mythological hirsute goddesses. Glass jars containing human hair – complete with labels listing the details of the donors – are displayed within the space, as the art gallery and craft store merge with the science fiction laboratory and the witch’s basement. In folklore and mythology from around the world, human hair is a common ingredient in traditional spells. The ancient Egyptians believed that a potion made of hair, nail clippings and human blood would give a person absolute power over another. Pubic hair is considered an especially potent ingredient in love charms; and for centuries practices have existed for the safe disposal of hair so that it could not be used for magical purposes. In Ozark lore, hair combings were buried, never thrown out; French peasants buried hair; Turks and Chileans stuffed hair clippings into walls. Yet, despite this loaded history, the wealth of connotations associated with human hair are not obviously addressed by the works in this show. The emphasis of the exhibition veers towards the beauty of working with this natural material. However, when the darker connotations of using hair as a material are touched upon, the work moves beyond the realms of craft-making and into more informed and nuanced territory. For example, a spun doll – which is exhibited beside a babygrow (complete with teddy bear motif) – is presented as a child’s toy, but when one sees adjacent jars of human hair and needles stuck into the doll’s leg, an inherent eeriness and associations with voodoo come to the fore.

Items of clothing – worn by models in Bird’s original presentation of this work from her graduate exhibition at the Dublin Institute of Technology in 2011 – now hang like skinned furs on the gallery walls. Women’s underwear (crafted from felted hair with plaited blonde detailing) no longer feels like contemporary fashion, but rather artifacts of clothing worn by cavewomen, pagans or formidable female warriors such as Boudica, Red Sonja, and Xena, Warrior Princess. This idea of reclaiming hair within fashion has the makings of a powerful feminist message but could be more fully explored. We live in a society where women are pressured to shave and wax their bodies to smooth perfection, and to be immaculately coiffured. Bird’s chosen source material is simultaneously beautiful, disturbing and in some ways problematic. The artist’s manipulation of human hair into tapestries, sculptures and apparel are demonstrative of sophisticated craft skills, but the unusual source material threatens sometimes to overshadow the work itself. Furthermore, its relevance is not always clear. Bird’s tapestries of natural landscapes are intricate and beguiling – but why create the work using human hair? Conversely, the striking installation 175 Portraits is very finely tuned to its source material: 175 donations from individual haircuts are skillfully crafted into rose-like spirals that hang from the ceiling and against the back wall of the gallery. ‘Hirsute’ is undoubtedly an accomplished solo exhibition. But some of its components – the babygrow, the slippers and the felted “Welcome” sign that greets visitors as they enter the gallery – verge on the twee, albeit offset by a sense of irony and tongue-in-cheek humour. Bird's work is strongest when it considers human hair as much more than just a source material for craft-making. A visit to Bird’s studio, which one imagines contains hundreds of jars of human hair and a host of surreal tapestries and garments, would perhaps be a rewarding experience, providing a rich insight into the workings of the artist’s mind. Overall, ‘Hirsute’ successfully positions Bird as an artist worth watching. Ben Crothers is a Belfast-based curator and writer. He holds an MA in Art History and Film Theory from the University of Essex, and has curated exhibitions at galleries including Golden Thread Gallery, PS2 and the Naughton Gallery. www.atticusandalgernon.com

Gráinne Bird, work from 'Hirsute', Higher Bridges Gallery

That said, the artist is to be praised for creating works which draw out the viewer’s curiosity at all times with largely tactile scientific phenomena, thereby avoiding the sense of distance that can result from more interactive / media based work or traditional, static object-based sculptural work. Colm Desmond is a Dublin-based artist & writer. Gráinne Bird, work from 'Hirsute', Higher Bridges Gallery

Gráinne Bird, work from 'Hirsute', Higher Bridges Gallery

The Visual Artists’ News SheetCritique Supplement

March – April 2014

‘Dog Island Tales’ Kevin Mooney 6 – 27 February 2014 Talbot Gallery, Dublin

Kevin MooneyMounds oil on canvas 95x80cm

Kevin MooneyPipes oil on canvas 80x60cm

Kevin Mooney’s exhibition ‘Dog Island Tales’

has impacted on himself and the wider culture and

straddles itself somewhere between Outsider Art and its sophisticated and more strategic cousin,

society in Ireland.1 One of the largest and most decorative works

Expressionism. It’s good to find a young artist

in the exhibition is the landscape Mounds. It depicts

grappling with this difficult language of painting.

what ostensibly looks like an ancient burial mound,

Mooney’s work betrays a hard won struggle and

decorated with concentric motifs typical of pre-

search for something deeply felt in instinct and new

historic Irish art. At the top of the mound sits a

in form. This ‘holy grail’ is seldom tackled by artists

circle of bare trees, a fairy fort perhaps. A white

and few painters can manage the process with

mist washes over the entire canvas, overlaid with

finesse, save notable exceptions such as Brian

long shards of pink and white polka-dot triangles,

Maguire and Patrick Hall. Mooney has treaded a

which point inwards towards an imaginary

brave and challenging path – and good on him –

vanishing point. It looks as if a mystical painting of

with this kind of painting; only long hours spent in

a sacred place has been ritually altered with these

the studio brings rewards.

pink additions. As part of his research Mooney also

The work is overwhelmingly melancholic,

describes the phenomenon of the ‘migration’ of

both in imagery and colour palette, although the

culture, referencing the mass migration of Irish

occasional candy pink and green polkadot motif or

peasants to the Carribbean in the seventeenth

concentric swirl lifts the mood. The range of colours

century.2 In Mounds he has taken decorative and

– muted greens, watery reds, soft mauve, lilacs and

symbolic motifs from Africa and the Carribbean

burnt orange – struggle not to be contaminated by a

and superimposed them on a distinctively Irish

dull greyness which, upon examination, is hard to

setting. The result is a kind of votive painting

pinpoint exactly – perhaps it is in the mood rather

overlaid with an encrypted map.

than the colour.

Crossroads is a very striking if somewhat

‘Dog Island Tales’ combines figurative work

chilling painting. What looks like a severed head

with non-figurative compositions. There is a series

wearing a balaclava lies weightlessly in a bed of

of works depicting forlorn individuals who appear

straw. The eyes are blacked out. The straw has been

to have suffered a kind of estrangement from the

woven crudely and certainly wouldn’t stand up to

viewer. They stare out wide-eyed through the gaps

any kind of practical use. Some of the cleanest and

of Mooney’s various painterly and decorative

most vibrant streaks of colour in the entire

devices, which overlay them with a kind of protective

exhibition appear as pieces of red (blood?) and

camouflage.

white cloth below and above the head. Under the

Pipes is a particularly successful piece: a pair of

straw the remains of another image is barely visible

disembodied eyes executed with strikingly realistic

through a film of wash. Straw has particular

irises and pupils are centred on oversized rounded

resonance in Irish folk history as part of the

eyeballs and stare blankly forward through the grille

Mummers, Strawboys and Wren Boys. Some of

of green spots slotted down in front of them. A

these traditions date to pre-Christian times and

number of old clay pipes (like those once distributed

still carry pagan associations. The folk forms of

at Irish wakes) jut out from the space around the

visual art that dominate Irish art history are where

eyes and face and one pipe sticks out from an eye

Mooney has found his heritage.

itself.

Throughout the exhibition other iconic Irish

Mooney describes the pipes and figure as a

cultural and artistic references emerge, such as the

reference to Peig Sayers, the infamous Irish storyteller

Corleck Head in the painting Crom, coffin ships in

and bane of Ireland’s leaving cert veterans. A core

Arcs and John Hinde postcards in Self Portrait. ‘Dog

motivation underpins the works in the show: the

Island Days’ marks the beginning rather that the

search for an artistic heritage, specifically an Irish

completion of Mooney’s ideas on this theme. With

History of Art. Mooney tracks this elusive notion in

such a rich seam of source material, I look forward

a non-linear fashion, citing noble pre-historic and

to seeing it develop and expand.

Christian periods, centuries of colonial suppression and from the twentieth century onwards – Ireland

Carissa Farrell is a curator based in Dublin.

as hostage of social, political and culturally entrenched positions. Mooney considers how the less than healthy evolution of our visual arts heritage

Notes 1. From a conversation between the author and the artist 2. Ibid

The Visual Artists’News Sheet

March – April 2014

Art in public - profile

Cause Collective,In Search of the Truth, 2013installation view at the base of the Buddha, which wa dynamited by the Taliban in 2001 in Bamyan, Afghanistan, photo by Jim Ricks

Cause Collective,In Search of the Truth, installation view, Herat, Afghanistan, 2013, photo by Jim Ricks

To Tell The Truth

going. It’s an art piece, on one hand, but it’s also a way to communicate and allow people to connect.

GEORGIA CORCORAN TALKS TO JIM RICKS ABOUT ‘THE TRUTH BOOTH’, A COLLABORATIVE PUBLIC ART PROJECT THAT RECENTLY Toured TO AFGANISTAN.

GC: The trip was documented online the whole time; was this integral to the project? JR: Yes. We kept a blog and updated it as we went along – utilising Twitter, Facebook Instagram, Vines, Vimeo etc. The blog feed was a combination of all those sources. For Pakistan next year we’ll set up a second blog.

Georgia Corcoran: What exactly is ‘The Truth Booth’? Jim Ricks: Simply put, it’s a giant speech-bubble-shaped inflatable video recording booth that’s traveling the world inviting people to finish the sentence, ‘The truth is…’ in two minutes or less. It’s a collaboration between myself, Ryan Alexiev and Hank Willis Thomas. We’re all members of Cause Collective. The collective is a network of people – working in art and in other disciplines – that formed out of a public art commission in Oakland, California that Hank and Ryan couldn’t complete on their own. They started bringing in other professionals who had resources that they could tap into; this became Cause Collective. GC: What were the origins of the project? JR: In 2006, at the Socrates Sculpture Garden in New York, Hank and Ryan presented two inflatable helium balloons – shaped like speech bubbles – that were fixed to the ground by cables. They had ‘The truth is I am you’ written on them – one in Hebrew and one in Arabic – addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict. The first spin-off was at the University of California, San Francisco – a project that included all the languages used on that campus: Mandarin, Tagalog, Braille etc. But they soon realised that in fact ‘the truth’ couldn’t be translated simply and concluded that people should be defining the truth rather than being dictated to. This idea became really essential – bringing the public back into public art. GC: When did you get on board? JR: I met Hank when I was finishing my undergrad at California College of the Arts. I reached out to him regarding a solo show at 126 Gallery in Galway in 2009. We did the show during the Galway Arts Festival and I asked if he would be interested in doing something public. He said, “Yeah, sure; I have this great idea – it’s called ‘The Truth Booth’”. Two years and many Skype conversations later we had a viable plan and I was a member of Cause Collective. GC: How is the project funded? JR: Mission 17, a not-for-profit centre for visual culture in San Francisco, helped with the original planning, then the San Francisco Foundation contributed to touring, the Arts Council of Ireland contributed significantly to the manufacture and the initial tour. Galway Arts Festival also helped. Free Press Unlimited supported the Afghanistan tour. The connection arose from a conversation with a photographer named Antoinette de Jong, who I met in Amsterdam about a year and a half ago. I was doing a talk on ‘The Truth Booth’ at the Unseen Photo Festival and de Jong’s work dealt with Afghanistan, which she thought would be an interesting context for the booth. She later put us in touch with the Dutch organisation Free Press Unlimited, who work in places like Afghanistan, Bolivia, Egypt – all over the world across all continents.

GC: How do you realise a project of this scale? JR: We’re doing this for the first time, which is typical of most things Cause Collective does. Nobody had made a giant inflatable speech bubble video recording booth and toured the world with it before. I guess we made it up as we went along and divided up the tasks. Shipping? How do you do that? What’s the safest way to do that? Free Press Unlimited sorted the security protocols. They hired a team for us and covered hotel costs. Ryan and myself dealt with the artistic concerns like locations and onsite trouble-shooting. The project manager was Antoinette De Jong with Ian MacWilliam working as our regional co-ordinator. Both of them had worked in Afghanistan for years. Our entourage also included Amir Shah, who works for AP there and knew the ropes. He was invaluable: very calm, de-escalating everybody, very down to earth. We had also Fareed from national network 1TV, our translator Mehran, and our camera-woman Melissa. GC: Who fabricated the booth? JR: Inflatable World, the people who invented bouncy castles, made it in Nottingham (UK). They also use the same technology to make tents for the British Ministry of Defence and festivals. I first made contact with them when I was working on my Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen artwork. GC: What’s it like working in a country with major security issues? JR: It’s a country that’s been war-torn for over 30 years and has regular suicide bombs, skirmishes in the countryside, kidnappings and other attacks. The presence of razor wire, Kalishnakovs, concrete barricades etc are ubiquitous. We couldn’t go out of the compound in Kabul. We didn’t broadcast where our booth was going to be in advance. We worked closely with an Afghan team from 1TV so that people didn’t feel that it was some kind of weird outside thing being imposed on them – or a CIA thing. GC: How smoothly did the trip play out in the end? JR: By Afghan standards: very well. We got everywhere we wanted to go more or less on time. There were a few glitches. We were going to take it outside of Bamyan, and some foreigners were kidnapped the day before we were going (they were found and were fine). So, that leg got cancelled. It’s the journeys onto country roads where you’re most vulnerable. We didn’t go to Jalalabad, Kandahar, which is higher risk, or anywhere in the South or very remote. GC: Was going to a conflict-zone important for the integrity of the project? JR: Absolutely. Its one thing to tour ‘The Truth Booth’ around familiar places – places where people have an outlet, speak English, some wealth – it’s another thing to take it where the western media are looking for sensational headline stories, where you don’t hear what everyday people are saying on the street. And that’s where we wanted to see it

GC: I’d imagine shipping ‘The Truth Booth’ was a logistical challenge? JR: The inflatable weighs 300 lbs when rolled up; and there was other equipment. It was expensive getting through customs into the US. In Afghanistan an ‘additional fee’ was put on at the end. Initially, we thought about shipping it in a pickup truck but decided not to because the best excuse we could come up with, if we were stopped, was, “It’s a tent”. We realised that in the desert or mountains that might be quite a desirable object. We ended up shipping it on passenger buses wrapped in extra white tarp. Once we actually got a taxi to drive it to Bamyan from Kabul and back. We brought all the other equipment with us on the plane. We flew across the country three times; it’s very mountainous. Kabul airport has eight security points; there were dogs sniffing, people try get bribes from us, and we had a metal pole, one huge fan, a suitcase filled with $4000 in computer equipment, a chair, a curtain, cables, tools, a bag full of metal stakes and a mallet. It was always a challenge. GC: You’re back now, safe and sound. How is post-production and translation coming along? JR: We ended up with 600 videos and maybe 200 really good ones, but weren’t able to broadcast them straight away. Our translator was good for talking to policemen in the park, but not so great at written translations. He just wasn’t an expert at English and he kept falling back on the same phrases. We’re still working on it, doing the videos individually, Dari and Pashto to English. It’s very tricky to find people who are fluent in both. This has been our biggest blind spot. GC: What does the future look like for ‘The Truth Booth’? JR: The inflatable took a beating in Afghanistan; it got a lot of sun, it got scratched. The booth itself might be replaced. I could see us going through various versions. And we need to work on our website. A European tour would make sense, and a North American tour. But it’s really about empowering people, educating people, allowing people who don’t have a voice to be heard. We haven’t even talked about South America or Africa yet. Free Press operates in a lot of places that we’d like to go to. As I mentioned, we’re going to Pakistan in October. Jim Ricks is an artist and member of Cause Collective living in Dublin. Georgia Corcoran is a freelance writer based in Dublin and is a member of Basic Space. www.insearchofthetruth.net www.the-truth-booth.blogspot.ie www.causecollective.com

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Project PROFILE

Curation & Process MARIANNE O’KANE BOAL PROFILES A SERIES OF INNOVATIVE PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS OF WORK BY FINAL YEAR STUDENTS FROM IADT DUN LAOGHAIRE which INCORPORATED INPUT FROM VISITING CURATORS AS A MEANS TO OFFER A BRIDGE FROM THE COLLEGE CONTEXT TO PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.

Mateusz Nowakowski drawing installation

Siobhan McGrane performance installation

Clara Borgen video performance installation

Leah Smith performance

What curators do today for me is what Harald Szeemann beautifully explained years ago. An exhibition maker is an ‘administrator, amateur, author of introductions, librarian, manager and accountant, animator, conservator, financier, diplomat.’ Furthermore, it’s someone who is always close to artists and learns from working with them, being with them.

students from 2014 anticipate taking up a career as a professional artist on graduation. The ‘Drawing Project’ was initiated in September 2011 and other aspects of its remit include solo shows by invited artists, masterclasses, seminars and artist talks. The Drawing Project is a multi-use gallery space of reasonably significant scale that offers the students a professional venue to install a diverse range of media and benefit from a choice of natural or directed spot lighting. The space really holds its own against other galleries and gives a unique opportunity for IADT students to test their work in this gallery laboratory in advance of graduation. Nationally, there are no similar galleries connected to art institutions available for use by students pregraduation. ABK Architects, the architects responsible for the fit-out of the Drawing Project space, describe the venue as being “conceived as a ‘public room’ for the Institute of Art Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire (IADT)” and note how “the project involved the conversion and remodelling of an existing retail unit to create a new and innovative public venue – the Drawing Project. Its objective is to allow IADT to interact with the public by giving the college a dynamic presence on the High Street. It is intended to function as a teaching space during term-time and a more general flexible exhibition space during out-of-term periods”. For this recent project, the students were divided into four groups in an arbitrary fashion. Names were selected at random to compose individual collectives; this approach was designed to enable genuine new connections to be made. Group A titled their exhibition ‘Other Things to Relate’ and the external curator was Rayne Booth. Group B titled their exhibition ‘Pieces of Relative Importance’ and the external curator was Finola Jones. Group C titled their exhibition ‘Panoply’ and the external curator was Megs Morley. Group D titled their exhibition ‘Cast’ and this was the show that I acted as external curator for. Finola Jones described her approach to curation as focusing on intuition. “My feel for an artist is as much about their ideas, spirit and borderless invention than specifics of practice.” When asked work by any particular student stood out in the exhibition, Jones commented that “they all stood out; their obvious enjoyment and engagement with the process lifted them all to new levels of self awareness in their practice”. She sees it as “crucial... that such 'instigational' projects are part of an educational curriculum”. Access to the Drawing Project is evidently important to the students and Jones hopes that “it provides a valuable resource and perhaps, a democratic model for students and young artists”. Rayne Booth was mindful of her position as a curator of a publically funded institution and the requirement to feature a range

of Irish and international artists, as well as a variety of work, over the programme year. Her approach to curation includes “…developing a relationship with and understanding of the artists work over time, then helping to facilitate their ambitions for their work”. The composition of the students in arbitrary teams was successful in Booth’s opinion. “I think it worked for the task that was set, which was trying to get the students to think about the different context their work might be put into in exhibitions. Generally, in an exhibition curated by an institutional or independent curator, the artist does not have any say as to what other artists they will be exhibiting with, so this method of pulling names out of a hat reflected this well. It was a good exercise to get the students to think about how to present their work in these types of often difficult contexts so that it can be viewed in the best possible way.” In terms of elements that were most memorable, Booth stated, “I enjoyed the performance work as I thought it was engaging. Another student’s work stood out because of the way that she insisted on speaking about it, in a very defensive way without necessarily listening to feedback. In general I found the students to be very closed off to (constructive) criticism – group critique can be problematic”. Overall, she felt this was “a very interesting and eye opening day, having been out of this kind of educational context for almost 10 years”. With regard to my own experience at IADT as external curator working with Group D, there was a definite sense that this series of rollover shows was a tried and tested, successful method of presenting project work. There was a holistic sense to the relationship between the teaching team and student collective. Students clearly took their practice seriously and were enthusiastic to receive feedback. In Group D, artists that were particularly strong included: Chloe Draper, who presented photos of derelict buildings transferred onto wooden pallets; Laura Tyrell, who created aquatint / carborundum townscape prints on paper; and, most notably, Clara Borgen, whose video piece Figures featured the artist performing “famed poses from the history of painting”. I maintain that curation, particularly in a group context, should be a ‘process’. Ideas begin in the mind of the instigator / curator in advance of contacting the selected artists and continue throughout planning until placement of artworks in the gallery setting. Ideally, these ideas should be recorded and if possible there should be an opportunity for the public to understand the curator’s subjective decisions on a given exhibition in a discursive environment – a tour or talk for example.

Biljana Ciric quoted in 10 Cutting Edge Curators from Around the World, www.blouinartinfo.com

The idea of the curator or ‘exhibition maker’, as described above, is of a highly democratic individual prepared to adopt a range of roles in order to address the diverse needs of creative individuals and / or collectives. It’s a notion underlined by the latin root of word ‘curation’ – ‘curare’, to take care of – which highlights the pastoral dimension of the artist / curator relationship. Simply put, curators must understand artists and have the ability to quickly accustom themselves to the maker’s perspective. The importance of this kind of adaptability and sensitivity was brought home to me during my recent experience offering curatorial feedback and advice in the context of a public exhibition of work by final year students from IADT Dun Laoghaire – artists on the cusp of becoming professional practioners. During November and December 2013, IADT Dun Laoghaire presented a rolling series of four public exhibitions in the ‘Drawing Project’ gallery space, Dun Laoghaire featuring mid-project work by 4th year students from the BA in Visual Arts Practice. The Drawing Project is an initiative of the Faculty of Film, Art and Creative Technologies at IADT. The inclusion of external input into the shows came about by a conscious decision by the 4th year teaching team at IADT: Maeve Connolly, Sinead Hogan, Cecily Brennan and Adrian O’Connell. As Sinead Hogan explained to me, their thinking was to “open up a conversation with the students on the possibilities of engaging with curation as part of their practice post graduation”. The four invited external curators were: Rayne Booth from Temple Bar Gallery + Studios; Finola Jones, Director of mother’s tankstation; Galway-based artist and curator Megs Morley; and myself. We were each invited to view and respond to one of the four exhibitions, talking to an allocated group of students over a threehour session. Our external appraisals of each show were designed to provide feedback on overall curatorial and installation decisions taken by the students, as well as their individual works. According to Sinead Hogan, the intention was that the invited curators bring an “expert eye” and offer fresh insights. This approach – providing external critique for the work of final year students at IADT – has been pursued for a number of years, for projects conducted both on and off campus. The key aim is to allow students to experience a sense of the professional art environment that they are on the cusp of entering. A majority of the 38 final year

Marianne O’Kane Boal is an art critic, curator and art consultant.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

career development

Taylor Galleries, 16 Kildare St, Dublin, photo by Gillian Buckley

John Taylor courtesy of Taylor Galleries

The Accidental Gallerist JOHN TAYLOR BEGAN WORKING AS A GALLERY ASSISTANT AT THE DAWSON GALLERY ON 9 MARCH 1964. HALF A CENTURY ON, HIS OWN GALLERY – TAYLOR GALLERIES – HAS JUST CELEBRATED ITS 35TH ANNIVERSARY. SABINA MACMAHON TALKS TO JOHN TAYLOR ABOUT HIS CAREER AND SOME OF THE CHANGES HE’S SEEN OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS. Sabina MacMahon: How did you get your start at the Dawson Gallery? John Taylor: It was accidental really – after finishing school I began working in Brown and Nolan’s, a shop on Dawson Street that mainly sold books. It had an art department in the basement that was staffed by Miss Leahy and Miss Moon. They were friendly with Leo Smith, who would occasionally come in to the shop to buy materials, and one day he happened to mention that he was looking for a new assistant in the Dawson Gallery. The ladies recommended me. After two interviews the job was mine – provided that I adhered to Leo’s proviso that I tidy myself up (I’d had no idea what to wear to a formal job interview) and report for duty in a suit. I had little knowledge of visual art, let alone contemporary Irish art. There were few places you could see it when I was growing up, even if you wanted too. From its opening in 1944 until 1956, when the Ritchie Hendricks Gallery opened, the Dawson Gallery was really the only one in Dublin showing contemporary work – the only other place to see anything interesting would have been the Irish Exhibition of Living Art. SMM: What was the Dawson Gallery like during your time there? JT: Leo established the gallery at 4 Dawson Street in 1944 after leaving Waddington Galleries, where he had worked as gallery assistant. He wanted to show more work by Irish artists, so he took on people like Micheal Farrell, Brian Bourke, Seán McSweeney, Patrick Scott. There were usually four people working in the gallery: Leo, his sister May Murnane, who did the bookkeeping, a secretary and myself. For most of my time there I dealt largely with framing orders. The gallery had a large framing workshop at the top of Anne’s Lane that completed orders for the public as well as framing for the gallery. The market for contemporary Irish art was only really starting to emerge in the mid 1960s, so the framing end of the business really sustained the gallery by providing it with a regular income. When I set up Taylor Galleries in 1978 I kept the workshop for several years for that reason; gallery sales didn’t really take off in a big way until the mid to late 1980s. The gallery was very elegant. Patrick Scott had organised a very tasteful layout of the space for Leo, separating the office space and storage from the exhibition space with linen-covered screens. Leo dominated the gallery. He was a great salesman, but often unorthodox. Sometimes someone would be giving out about a particular painting, something like a really minimal William Scott,

and he would say “Oh, no, you’re just not ready for that yet”. Bearing in mind that many of the gallery’s customers then were Anglo-Irish aristocrats with a certain sense of themselves, it was an ingenious, if extreme, kind of reverse psychology, because they would always buy a few other things instead, just to spite him. Another tactic was his system of holding two openings for every show. The first, a champagne reception for serious buyers, complete with bar staff in dickie bows, took place on Tuesday evenings, while the second, for “second string” gallery patrons, was held on Wednesday afternoons. The people on the Wednesday list would be offended because they weren’t considered important enough to be on the first list, so they would try to get on it by buying something they thought Leo would approve of. SMM: Did your experience of Leo Smith’s approach influence you much when you came to open your own gallery? JT: In a way; inversley. By the time Leo died in 1977 I really felt that it was time to have something of my own. I wanted to show some artists that I really liked, like Charles Brady and Charles Tyrrell, and I wanted the new gallery to reflect my own personality – for it to be a calmer, more relaxed kind of place. Society in general had changed a lot by then too. Things were less formal and the contemporary art scene had opened up a bit more, we were operating in a less rarified atmosphere. The Dawson Gallery artists had been incredibly supportive of me in the months following Leo’s death and so when I established Taylor Galleries at 6 Dawson Street all of them moved with me. Hopefully the fact that some of them – Brian Bourke, Seán McSweeney, Colin Harrison – are still with Taylor Galleries now is a testament to my belief in the benefits of building lasting relationships with artists and supporting them as best as I can. A reciprocal kind of loyalty has really been at the heart of Taylor Galleries since the beginning and that, along with a strong emphasis on painting, certainly dates from my time with Leo Smith. In saying that though, it’s nice to see gallery artists evolving and trying different things. Artists like Cecily Brennan and Janet Mullarney have really opened our eyes to the potential of video and installation and it’s great to be able to accommodate that too. SMM: Could you tell me more about the sales end of things? JT: Well, during my time at the Dawson Gallery and up until the recent downturn we were very well supported by people buying for public and corporate collections. In the early days the Arts Council would have bought quite a lot and then later Bank of Ireland, AIB,

Guinness Peat Aviation, the OPW, Central Bank, Córas Tráchtála, CIÉ, and major private collectors like Sir Basil Goulding and Gordon Lambert. The profile of private buyers changed a lot. In the 1970s and 80s ordinary working people, rather than business owners and those born with money, became more familiar with contemporary art through shows like ROSC and then became aware of contemporary Irish art. They developed an interest in it, saw something they liked and bought it. Several gallery artists, like Charles Brady and Brian Bourke, were very much in favour of their work being accessible to a wide range of people and priced it accordingly. When I started there was little emphasis on buying purely for monetary investment – the investment was in the pleasure that looking at a painting or sculpture gave rather than its potential to increase in value. Since 2008 there has undoubtedly been a decrease in sales and this has affected privately-owned galleries as well as artists but recently we’ve noticed a little improvement. Luckily, since we left 6 Dawson Street for 34 Kildare Street in 1990 we’ve owned our own premises, so there’s no rent to pay, but things are definitely a lot harder for galleries now than they were. This has been compounded by a drop-off in support from the national press – fewer reviews and less coverage for spaces that aren’t publicly-funded. It’s a shame because we have always, both publicly through our exhibition programme and privately, done as much as we can to support our artists and their work, and to encourage people to engage with it by visiting the gallery even if they have no intention of buying. SMM: Could you pick out a few stand-out shows from the course of your career and give an indication of what’s next for the gallery? JT: Well from Dawson Street I always think of Brian King and Helen Comerford’s first exhibitions – really ambitious installations that were unlike anything else that was being shown in Dublin at the time – Brian Bourke’s Knock-a-Lough show in 1978, Anne Madden’s 'Megalith' paintings in 1980 and a great exhibition by Margaret Clarke. Before that at the Dawson Gallery we had a very successful exhibition of Louis le Brocquy’s 'Aubusson' tapestries. Later, at 34 Kildare Street, there were some lovely shows by James O’Connor, Charles Brady and at 16 Kildare Street a brilliant exhibition of very large paintings by Charles Tyrrell, Patrick Scott’s 'Meditation Paintings'… It’s really hard to choose, there have been so many artists, so much good work. Looking to the future we’re continuing to work with our gallery artists and introducing the work of younger invited artists through smaller one-person exhibitions and the 'LACUNA' series of group shows scheduled to run alongside the gallery’s main programme. I’m using 2014 to see what needs to be done to ensure the future of the gallery, undertaking some not-so-exciting housekeeping chores like stocktaking and archiving, and planning ahead. The gallery has a genealogy that dates back to before I was born, and I want to it live on for many years to come. Sabina McMahon www.taylorgalleries.ie

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

How is it made?

Something in the Air JOHN BEATTIE DISCUSSES THE MAKING OF ‘A LINE OF INQUIRY’, COMMISSIONED BY ARTLINK AND EXHIBITED AT THE FORT DUNREE MILITARY SITE, CO DONEGAL (17 NOV 2013 – 26 JAN 2014).

John Beattie, A Line of Inquiry, 2013, HD video still with sound, duration 14 mins

John Beattie, A Line of Inquiry, 2013, HD video still with sound, duration 14 mins, all images courtesy of the artist

John Beattie, A Line of Inquiry, 2013, production still

This whole process required a great deal of measurement,

In late 2012, Artlink Director and Curator Declan Sheehan invited

Drones, Syria, Modern Military Warfare

three artists – Conor McFeely, Christine Mackey and myself – to

As part of my own research, I regularly visit film production studios

precision and comprehension. In order to visually communicate the

respond individually to the Fort Dunree Military site, where Artlink

in the Dublin area. I keep myself in tune with new developments in

plan and concept to the crew – taking into consideration all the

are based, under the initial theme of ‘Resistence and Rebellion’. I

film production technology and post-production methods. On a visit

measurements of the drone flying through the landscape, through

produced ‘A Line of Inquiry’ in response. The project took over a year

to Film Equipment Hire Studios, I met with the manager to take a

doorways and up corridors to land precisely onto the helipad – I

of research, from planning to production, where I was led down Paths

look at some new equipment, which had arrived in the studio. I

produced an acurate 3D virtual visualisation of the flight plan. This

of Glory to a Mission Impossible.1

spotted a very unusual-looking object – the Cine-Star Quadrocopter

gave both the pilot controlling the drone and the ground camera man

8. Visually it resembled a large sci-fi alien bug, measuring 1.4 metres

a clear picture of my intentions. In a Dublin-based studio, we

Background

across, equipped with eight helicopter blades. I was informed that

rehearsed various challenging shots and maneuvers in advance of the

Dunree is a picturesque location based alongside Lough Swilly,

this was part of a new joint venture that the studio had embarked

shoot in order to arrive on location with the confidence that it could

Inishowen, a site of immense historical significance. The Norsemen

upon.

be achieved.

and later the Anglo-Normans used the Swilly when coming to

They’d aquired the Cine-Star Quadrocopter 8 for heavy-duty

Ireland. During the Flight of the Earls, O’Neill and O'Donnell were

extreme ariel filming. The device was capable of housing a Red One

The Exhibition

sent into exile from Rathmullan in September 1607. Wolfe Tone was

Cinema camera and flying 400 metres into the air, controlled from

On the day of the shoot at Fort Dunree, the drone carried out its task

taken under naval arrest into Buncrana in 1798. During WW1, the

the ground by a qualified an aviation pilot. I wasn’t surprised to learn

over the Donegal landscape, landing onto the helipad and writing the

Grand Fleet sheltered in the Lough the top fort – added in the

that Cine-Star Quadrocopter 8 was developed from military drone

words NO BOOTS ON THE GROUND. The work derived from this

nineteenth century – which stood guard whilst Admiral Lord Jellicoe’s

technology.

shoot / performance comprised a large-scale single channel HD video

fleet anchored in Lough Swilly prior to engaging the German Navy at

At the time, the news was full of reports on the recent ‘alleged’

projection with audio, depicting the navigation from the drone’s

the Battle of Jutland. Control of the fort was transferred to the Irish

Syrian chemical attacks on Damascus. President Obama had put

aerial point of view and the ground camera perspective alongside

Free State just before World War II and Irish forces were stationed

forward a campaign to seek approval from Congress to act with

research plans, drawings and the circular helipad with the executed

there to prevent the warring nations violating the country’s neutrality.

military force, with the rationale, ‘There will be no boots on the

text on it.

Today, Fort Dunree houses a display of military memorabilia and

ground’. US Secretary of State John Kerry repeated the slogan.3 They

Following the exhibition, there were several reports in the

artefacts in its Museum.

were referring directly to the sophisticated drone technology and

media about drone activity in the area: the PSNI were apparently

other forms of modern military warfare that would be deployed.

assessing drone surveillance footage for an investigation in Derry;

Between the commission and the resulting production, I considered and developed many possibilities. One of my primary

Some ideas begin to connect for me: Fort Dunree Military base,

drones were being used across Northern Ireland to monitor larch

interests was exploring the history of the site, yet making the work

Lord Cavan’s 16-pound canon trials at Lough Swilly, Syria, ‘there will

trees; there were concerns that drones were snooping on fraudulent

stand on its own and be relevant to the present. On 7 Febuary 2013, I

be no boots on the ground’... and I realised that there was a work

farmers claiming too much in EU farm payments.4 At the same time,

went to a presentation by the North West Historical Society in Derry,

within all of this.

there were reports that Google and Amazon were rumored to be testing the use of drones for the delivery of goods. Furthermore,

conducted by my father Dr Sean Beattie, a widely published historian, author and editor who has spent most of his career researching

Process & Production

Santiago Sierra's exhibition at VOID, Derry, ‘Veterans & Psychophonies’

Donegal history. Recently he co-edited The Atlas of Donegal and

With a conceptual framework in place, I began to develop a vision of

addressed the legacies of the conflict in Northern Ireland through

completed PhD research entitled The Congested District Board of 1891–

how to navigate through the political and military history of the Fort

engagement with drones and military veterans at Ebrington. There

1923. During the presentation he talked about some aspects of his

Dunree landscape. Taking the role of ‘artist as military operations

was something in the air.

research that coincidently happened to be on Fort Dunree. He had

manager’, I assembled a crew. In collaboration with Professor David

uncovered letters in the Belfast Public Record Office which described

McKeown in UCD, I devised an operation to fly the drone – piloted

John Beattie, originally from Donegal, is an artist currently

a moment in Fort Dunree's history that was not commonly known,

from the hill-top bunker at Fort Dunree – down over the abandoned

based in Dublin.

dating back to 1797 / 8.2 They feature the observations of Rev Edward

military base below and through the surrounding landscape.

Chichester, rector of Clonmany, which describe how Lord Cavan

Eventually it would descend into the adjacent military museum

came down to Dunree.

building and the art gallery located inside the museum. Here we

Chichester’s account notes that in 1798, amid fears of a French

installed a 2.3 metre circular helipad for the drone to land on. Once

invasion, there were rumours that a French fleet was on its way to

landed, the drone executed a drawing onto the helipad, utilising its

Lough Swilly. Lord Cavan visited Dunree with a 16-pound canon and

pre-programmed, customised arms, which we styled the ‘delta-bot’.

fired a canon ball across the mouth of Lough Swilly to test its

I worked with David McKeown to design the delta-bot. It

defences. The shot hit Knockalla on the far side of the bay, meaning

consisted of three arms connected to universal joints at the base of

that if a fleet entered the Swilly it could be struck down. As a result of

the Cine-Star Quadrocopter 8, which were secured onto the

this, he decided that Dunree was a suitable site for a fort, and thus Fort

underneath carriage of the drone where a camera is usually housed.

Dunree was erected. I thought this was a very curious intervention.

The delta-bot was designed to hold a pen and, using wireless hardware,

Conceptually and visually, this event stayed with me and became the

it was programmed to write a piece of text by itself.

starting point for the work that unfolded.

www.johnbeattie.ie

Notes & Acknowledgments 1. Stanley Kubrick, Paths of Glory, 1957; Brian De Palma, Mission Impossible, 1996 2. Letters by Rev Edward Chichester, 1798 / 9, Public Record Office, Belfast, PRONI ref: no D3077 3. There will be no boots on the ground, President Obama's speech, Washington, 10 September 2013 4. Creepy drone references: US foreign policy in Inishowen, the Londonderry Sentinal, 23 January 2014

John Beattie would like to acknowledge the support of the Arts Council and the Arts Council Project Awards, Donegal County Council, Fire Station Artists' Studios, Visual Artists Ireland, Film Equipment Hire Limited, Good Looking Films, Guy Robbins, Prof David McKeown UCD, Prof Paul McKevitt, Magee College, University of Ulster, Col Declan O'Carroll, Steven Flynn, Declan Sheehan, Rebecca Strain, Patrcia Spokes, Cahil McGinley, the Board of Artlink and Fort Dunree Military Museum in the assistance, production and post production of this new work.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Project profile

'Presently' installation view, MCAC Gallery 1 – (L-R Wall), work by Christopher James Burns, Fiona Finnegan, Eimear Friers, Miguel Martin and Ben Groves (L-R Floor), Anne Marie Taggart, Stuart Calvin, AMT, Eamon Quinn, Dorothy Hunter; photo by Andrew Rankin, This is Work

This Has Just Happened... FEARGAL O’MALLEY discusses CURATING ‘PRESENTLY’, AN EXHIBITION OF EMERGING ARTISTS FROM NORTHERN IRELAND, which took place AT MCAC , PORTADOWN (7 FEB – 29 MAR). Jason Oakley: What was the genesis of ‘Presently’? Feargal O’Malley: In 2010, Ciara Hickey and I co-curated an exhibition of emerging artists called ‘Arrivals’ at the Ormeau Baths Gallery. Both of these shows came about for the same reasons: I didn’t see anyone else looking significantly at the next generation of emerging artists and I thought there was a pressing need to do so; I also wanted to do a show demonstrating that new artists living and working in Northern Ireland can and should stand equal to established artists of national and international repute. My career began at the Millennium Court (MCAC) so returning to do the show with them is quite special. It’s a testament to the MCAC that they valued the idea of a show featuring artists just starting their careers and others on the verge of breaking through who needed a more focused spotlight. JO: How did you begin the selection process? FO’M: I set out with four basic co-ordinates: select artists living in Northern Ireland; select artists working in painting, sculpture, installation and lens-based media; select the artist not the artwork; conduct primary research online. JO: Why the emphasis on online research? FO’M: Well, there is of course the negative cliché: a certain type of ‘armchair curator’ who can put together a biennale of the great and good with no tools other than Google. But my interest in the online presence of artists was due to a serious curiosity about what an outsider could find if they went looking for emerging Irish art. So I started to type in every permutation of word searches like ‘emerging artist Northern Ireland’ or ‘young painters’, as well as looking at the sites of artist-led spaces, commissions and competitions. It genuinely opened my eyes and I saw a lot of work that I hadn’t seen before – getting this outsider’s perception was really valuable. JO: How did you narrow your selection? FO’M: I gave myself two to three months for the research and whenever any artist had a show I’d go and see it. In the course of my work with VAI I was also attending many exhibition openings, talks and events. So I got to see a lot of work first-hand and talk to artists. The next stage was contacting artists, asking to see their work and talking to them. And being mindful of the number of works that could comfortably facilitated within the MCAC space, I selected 18 artists: Gordon Ashbridge, Christopher James Burns, Stuart Calvin, Ian Cumberland, Craig Donald, Fiona Finnegan, Eimear Friers, Ben Groves, Angela Halliday, Dorothy Hunter, Aisling Kane, Miguel Martin, Tim Millen, Brian J. Morrison, Blaine O’Donnell, Eamon Quinn, Peter Spiers and Anne Marie Taggart.

It wasn’t easy. With a bigger space I could have more than doubled, even tripled this number – I came across a lot of great work. Each artist was given a year’s notice about the show. I told them to go ahead and make new work, and that I would be there to talk to them over the year. JO: Could you expand on this process? FO’M: The opportunities that arise for artists starting out can often be quite limited, so I wanted to offer more. That’s why I gave people a year to focus on making a new work. The exhibition was designed to benefit the artist, in terms of offering an effective career springboard. While in this case it wasn’t possible to provide an exhibition fee – something that was discussed with the artists at the beginning of the process – the participating artists were supported through Support for the Individual Artist (SIAP). The MCAC team and myself offered the artists advice for the SIAP application process, including letters of support. The production of work was covered in many cases by SIAP, while MCAC covered commissioning costs of the exhibition and the production of an exhibition catalogue – each artist in the show will get a quantity of copies. Installation and transport costs were also met by MCAC. I recently told a curator colleague about ‘Presently’ and she thought I was mad. “You’re telling me that you’re working with 18 artists on live projects?” But I think that element of risk was key to the energy of the exhibition. It created a kind of frisson for the audience: “Oh, this has just happened… lets have look at this and see if it works”. JO: What made the selected artists stand out? FO’M: My definition of an artist is a person who has to stop themselves thinking about art, and not start themselves thinking about art. Whenever I spoke to these artists about their work, processes and ideas, I could just tell it was continually on their minds. Every artist in the show is singular. I perceive them as artists who will continue to make work, to work as artists no matter what. For the majority of the artists, this will be the first major show they have been involved in; a few have been exhibiting for a number of years. The show runs the gamut from BA students, Masters students to PhD Students, with an age range of 23 up to 50 odd. I said to all the artists in the show, “I think that you have a great future ahead of you; you are very talented. You’re doing certain things differently that I think will definitely be looked at in the future”. JO: Does the show try to tease out any shared concerns amongst the group? FO’M: No; because ‘Presently’ is about each individual artist. It’s not about fitting their work into some kind of overarching argument. I wanted every artist to have their say, rather than imposing any thematic strands.

I told the artists, “I want this to be a platform for you; I want your work to be out there. I want people to be able to look at your work and I think this is really interesting”. I had to give a few nudges along the line, “I don’t think that's enough” or “you’ve got something here, but you might consider this” or “have you seen this person’s work?” – but I didn’t impose a brief. The show is only represents a small proportion of what is out there. It’s just my perception, one possible reading; it’s not definitive. JO: That’s an idea underlined by the newspaper format of the exhibition publication. FO’M: Exactly; the broadsheet format was chosen to highlight that this show is about now; the connotation is that 'tomorrow’s edition' could be completely different – there will be this continuous renewal of artists and artworks. The format is also an extension of the exhibition’s rationale: it’s about the artist and not the curator. There isn’t a prescribed notion of how they should fit into the larger landscape of an exhibition. Each artist was given a double page spread. The only parameters were conversations I had along the lines of, “What is it that you want to do? Where is it you want to be? How do you position yourself?” In terms of text, some of the artists presented statements, others bios; one artist wrote a short story. This opens it up further. With most publications you get a prescribed notion imposed on what you are reading. JO: Finally, how did the title ‘Presently’ come about? Is it an allusion to current moves towards questioning the term ‘contemporary art’? FO’M: It’s simple really. The ‘Arrivals’ title never really worked for me – it was too much like a fanfare or something. And this might sound a bit twee, but whenever I was reading stories to my young children at night, I kept coming across this word ‘presently’ in lots of classic tales. I liked the paradox that it’s an old-fashioned way of saying ‘now’, because talking about the present is complex. What exactly are we talking about – a projection of the future? The contemporary is transitory, not a fixed position. You can’t actually nail down the ‘now’. And as many have noted, the word ‘contemporary’ has been used to insinuate something else – a kind of fashionable or exclusive ‘brand’. I think this limits our understanding of art. It is used imply complexity: “This is contemporary art… it’s not for you.” It becomes niche and upholds the idea that contemporary art is highly intellectual, that only a certain number of people in the world can have an opinion about it. And I just don't think that’s true. Feargal O’Malley is an artist and curator specialising in contemporary art from Northern Ireland. O’Malley is Northern Ireland Manager for VAI and has worked as Exhibitions Manager at the Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast (2008 – 2011), where he delivered a programme that celebrated the diversity of contemporary practices both in Northern Ireland and abroad. He has also previously worked with the Millennium Court Art Centre as Arts Officer / Curator, Portadown (2003 –2008), and was a co-director of Platform Arts, a non-profit studio and exhibition space, Belfast (2010 – 2012).

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

How is it made?

Keep Pushing the Brush Brian Breathnach (2B) recalls his time working as a studio assistant for Michael Farrell in Paris during the 1980s.

Micheal Farrell and Brian Breathnach (2B), La Ruche, Paris ,1983 (c) 2B

Southwest of Montparnasse in Paris, tucked away in the quiet

Micheal’s project for us was to paint a series of 24 large canvases,

Shortly after I began working at La Ruche I received a small portrait

enclave of the Passage de Dantzig, is the collective artists’ studios

each measuring approximately four feet tall by two feet wide. The

commission and Micheal provided me with the canvas, paint and

known as La Ruche (The Beehive). La Ruche is named after the

series would be called Vingt-Quatre Heurs au Bistro (Twenty-Fours

time in the studio to complete the work. He was very complementary

central building in the enclosed and gated complex; this structure is

Hours at the Café). The central motif of each canvas would be the

about the result and this prompted me to suggest that I paint his

a three-story twelve-sided circular edifice honeycombed with artists’

traditional coat stand found in French cafés, which would serve as a

portrait, which he agreed to. Again, Micheal provided me with the

studios divided into wedges that fan out from a central staircase. The

prop to hang sundry apparel on. Some of the coat stands would have

materials, which on this occasion included a five-by-three-foot

building was designed by Gustave Eiffel as a wine pavilion for the

a mirror behind them in which a glimpse of the revelry at the bar

stretched canvas. I began the full-length portrait by making a pencil

Great Exhibition of 1900, after which it was dismantled and rebuilt

was reflected.

drawing, which Micheal sat for patiently on a bar stool, and I gradually finished the large oil on canvas in the studio over the next

at its present location for use as artists’ studios. During the early twentieth century, La Ruche was home to many illustrious busy bees

We began by propping up two large sheets of plywood on benches

few weeks. After my first week’s work at La Ruche, we reconvened for

including Brancusi, Chagall, Modigliani and Soutine. Several other

along the main wall of the studio. Two eight-foot lengths of canvas

our customary pre-dinner drinks at the local corner café Le Dantzig.

buildings are scattered throughout the surrounding sculpture

were cut from an enormous roll and these were stretched and stapled

We clinked glasses and then Micheal handed me a 50 Frank note.

gardens and one of these was home to Micheal Farrell for most of the

onto the two boards giving a panorama of surface in two sections a

1970s and the early 1980s.

total of about sixteen feel long. The canvas was primed and then the

Working with canvas stretched on board, the resilience and flexibility

prepared surface was sectioned in pencil into six equal panels.

of the surface allowed us to get tough with the work and really push

In 1982, I lived in Paris in a small attic room and worked at a

Allowing for canvas to wrap around the eventual stretchers, the

the paint around. Laying the flats on the floor and developing all

restaurant as the plongeur by night, which afforded me the luxury of

inner image areas were drawn and then masked off with tape and the

manner of splashes and scumbling, Micheal built the character of

pursuing my precarious day-job as an artist. In mid summer, I

wraparound canvas covered with newsprint. We now had six

each piece, working vigorously from all angles and occasionally

organised a Bloomsday event at the restaurant with music and

identical blank spaces in two triptychs on two boards staring at us

introducing foreign matter such as sand and sawdust. This part of

readings; I also exhibited a series of Joyce portraits in painting and

from our working wall of collage and masking tape. Micheal then

the work was carried out in highly diluted acrylic paint, which

collage, which I had made to celebrate his centenary. One evening,

produced a large outline drawing of a skeletal coat stand and this

flowed freely and was left to dry overnight or coaxed to a finish with

the manager extricated me from the depths of my overflowing sink

drawing was transferred onto each of the six working areas. We were

a hairdryer. The main body of the work was executed in oils and

and ushered me out into the public domain to meet a man who was

ready to begin painting proper.

again it is the disparity between oil paint and acrylic paint in a Micheal Farrell work that creates a great deal of the chemistry. It was

having a look at my work on the walls and had asked to see me. It was Micheal Farrell: a man whose work I knew well and admired

Micheal painted the exciting bits: the splashes of wine and beer, the

an exhilarating experience and a privilege to watch a master

greatly – so it was a slightly surreal experience. We chatted briefly

spots flying off the cloths wishing to join in with the unseen

working at such close quarters. We completed the first six paintings

and I expressed interest in seeing his recent work, so Micheal told me

festivities and fraternise with the blurred reflections in the mirror. I

in the Vingt-Quatre Heure au Bistro series, after which I left Paris and

about La Ruche and invited me to call out some time to visit. I began

painted the coat stands: in flat even tones with a thin outline of

travelled for several months. Micheal eventually reduced the

visiting Micheal at La Ruche casually from time to time and

blank canvas – and I also filled in the backgrounds. The contrast

proposed number of panels in the series to 14 and likened them

eventually we became friends.

between these two disparate approaches to the handling of paint

without irony to the Stations of the Cross.

creates a lot of the magic in a Micheal Farrell work. I met Micheal several times subsequently and he always had a

By Christmas 1982 I was back in Dublin with no money, no work and very few prospects. I sent a ‘season’s greeting’ to Micheal Farrell,

In a separate work on paper, Micheal painted a typical bravado

dramatic story to tell; he might have been a writer. Today I have only

bemoaning the fact that I was stuck in Dublin, having somewhat lost

expressionistic café interior. He wanted the usual enormous banal

a small fragment remaining from my full-length portrait of Micheal

my grip on things in Paris. A week later I received a phone call from

landscape encountered in many French cafés at the centre, so he

Farrell; it was filleted from the large rolled up canvas, which travelled

la Ruche: Micheal wanted to know if I would like to return to Paris

handed me his finished work with a huge blank space in the middle.

with me for many years before my baggage became too cumbersome

and work for him as an assistant. He would not be able to pay me but

He asked me to copy a photograph of a mountain scene with a rustic

to carry. My memory is the same: after so many years, only fragments

I would have a bed at his house, three square meals a day and all I

cottage and a babbling brook. I spent many hours drawing the image

remain and much has been necessarily jettisoned. What I remember

could drink! It was an extraordinary opportunity and a way back to

in great detail with my 2B pencil and the contrast between the two

most from that time is that working with Micheal Farrell at La Ruche

my treasured life in Paris. With this came another stroke of luck: a

sections of the work was very successful. On another occasion,

taught me as much about life and living as it did about the making

large Joyce collage portrait I had made for Bloomsday was sold in

Micheal pulled out a large unfinished stretched canvas from his

of art. I will always be grateful to Micheal for that and for his

Dublin for £200. This amounted to a fortune for me in those days,

James Joyce series depicting Joyce slouched in an armchair. He asked

generosity in showing me what it means to be a painter.

considering the rent for my tiny room with a sloping ceiling, which

me to paint the armchair from a black and white photograph. I

I continued to maintain, was about £25 (200 Francs) per month. I

proceeded to paint the flame-like shapes onto the canvas with a fine

took the first available flight back to Paris and presented myself for

sable brush and highly diluted black oil paint, leaving the blank

work at La Ruche.

canvas to do the work of the white areas of the design. We painted together for hours on end, drinking and listening to rock music, with Micheal intoning his mantra: Keep pushing the brush!

Brian Breathnach (2B) is a writer and artist living in Dublin.

The Visual Artists’ news Sheet

March – April 2014

VAi NorTHerN irelAND MANAGer

VAi WeST oF irelAND repreSeNTATiVe

Critical & Creative

Here & There

FeArGAl o'MAlleY DiSCuSSeS FlAX ArTT STuDioS iN BelFAST, FAST WHiCH THiS FAST, YeAr CeleBrATe 25 YeArS oF operATioN WiTH A SerieS oF eXHiBiTioNS, TAlKS AND eVeNTS.

AiDeeN BArrY Y reporTS oF CHAlleNGeS FACiNG GAlWAYS l lWAYS ArTiST-leD VeNueS AND A Trip TTo NN CoNTeMporArY Y iN NorTHHAMpTo T N, uK. To

pip & pop (Tanya Schultz), at NN Contemporary

it’s hard to believe that Flax Art Studios, Belfast is only 25 years old this year! It feels as if it’s been around forever, continually producing and housing some of Northern Ireland’s most influential artists. Since its inception, Flax Art Studios has strived to create opportunities for artists to develop their careers through the provision of studios, workshop facilities, resources and opportunities – for example its bespoke international and graduate residency programmes. Flax Art’s international reputation as an artists’ resource is demonstrated by the high quality work produced by the studio holders who exhibit and reside worldwide helping to give Belfast and Northern Ireland a place in the contemporary visual art international arena. Artists Phillip Napier and Michael Minnis founded flax Art Studios in 1989; they wanted an artist-run space big enough to house large scale installation art works. The top floor of Edenderry Mill – a former linen mill with 10,000 square feet of space – proved more than adequate. The building was cold and damp with missing windows, so the artists had to share the space with the pigeons. Undeterred, the founding artists continued to practice and provide some of the most cutting edge contemporary art works of the time. Philip Napier described how “the studios were conceived as a means of staying in the city and concentrating art practices in a way that could offer a different series of creative approaches. The premises on the top floor of an old mill building in an 'interface area' offered vantage points and encounters that informed a body of artwork being made. In the studios there was a commitment to making and showing work and this happened in Belfast, nationally and internationally”. In 2004, tragedy struck and the mill was destroyed by fire, wiping out 15 years of work from the archive and the studios in use at the time. In May 2004, Flax Art secured new city-centre premises in Corporation Street. The new location proved an a positive move for Flax Art, creating new opportunities as well as making the studios and facilities more accessible for members and visitors. Flax Art now provides studio space for 17 artists plus a single studio each for the international and graduate residents. Flax Art has been working in partnership with the University of Ulster to offer a free studio space for one year to a student from the BA / MFA courses. This programme has launched the careers of many emerging artists now working here in Ireland and

beyond. The graduate artists are given a unique opportunity to work in a professional environment with access to mentors, advice, studio space and facilities. The current incumbent, Ryan Moffett, described his experience as “thoroughly enjoyable,” continuing, “I have been given the opportunity to work alongside some very interesting and well respected artists, to talk with curators from around the world and to take part in some very inspiring and challenging tutorials. I have also gained an encouraging insight into the day-to-day workings of a motivated group of individuals and have witnessed a diverse range of approaches to studio-based practice. After leaving art college and coming to terms with the daunting thought that the development of my practice would no longer be aided by regular tutorials and group critiques, this opportunity couldn't have come at a better time”. Flax Art is key to the cultural infrastructure of Belfast. Many of their artists are concerned with regenerating and re-imagining the city, and play a part in addressing the social regeneration of various communities through head on engagement. The orchestrator of events this year is the dynamic and softly spoken studio manager Gail Prentice. “The Flax Art Studios mission,” she explained, “is to significantly contribute to the region’s visual art practice through: studio provision and resources; acting as a hub for professional development; creating international networking opportunities; and fostering greater understanding through outreach and engagement activities. 2014 will be the 25th year of Flax Art Studios and we will be a celebrating that achievement by taking time to review and reflect on where we have come from and where we are going. The anniversary will be marked with a programme of activity including talks, exhibitions and a symposium. Flax Art will also be launching a newly developed strategy with plans to address the needs of artist studio provision in Belfast”. Flax represents the best creative, residency and programming practices of any studio in the region and its activities exemplify how studios can be proactive and engaged both critically and creatively, increasing international awareness of and appreciation for the activities of Flax and the cultural life of Northern Ireland. Long live Flax Studios. Feargal O'Malley is the VAI Northern Ireland Manager.

NN Contemporary, all photos by Aideen Barry.

pip & pop (Tanya Schultz) at NN Contemporary

IT’S a sad time for Galway’s visual arts community. We’ve had to bid fair well to the The Shed, which once occupied a 4,000 square-foot industrial warehouse, located on the middle pier at Galway City Harbour, owned and managed by Galway Harbour Company. Adapt Galway took up residency at The Shed in March 2012, presenting projects, events and exhibitions by an array of visual arts organisations based in the city, as well as working with national and international guest curators and collectives. Adapt Galway is a coalition of visual arts organisations working together to create a unified vision for the visual arts in Galway. It also supports and campaigns for the use of appropriate vacant spaces in the city centre for creative purposes. Now that Adapt’s tenancy at The Shed has come to an end, they are seeking a ‘temporary halting-site’ for their ever-ambitious interventions and cosmopolitan curatorial hospitality. While I’ve consistently flagged how inventive the Galway arts community is in seeking out redundant sites and putting them to inventive use – and hailed their attempts at securing a purpose-built visual arts exhibition and hybrid resource spaces – it’s rather depressing to see how these efforts are consistently ignored by the city’s authorities. Equally dismaying is the fact that plans shelved in 2009, to develop the Connacht Laundry Site as a hotel complex, are being reconsidered by the Council, subject to An Bord Planeala approval, despite the numerous empty ‘hotel complexes’ already cluttering the city. Regular readers will recall the proposal for the Laundry that was made to various councillors and Galway City Council staff in 2010 by a collective of stakeholders in the city: a Centre for Contemporary Arts. Yet once again a commercial venture is taking precedence over the essential need to develop a proper public cultural infrastructure for Galway City. Some serious questions really need to be put to the City Council about its ‘development’ plans. On a more positive note, during the course of my art practice related travels, I frequently encounter inspiring artist-led spaces and organistions that mirror the egalitarian efforts and principles of my

home art scene. Recently I found myself in Northamptonshire in the UK. In the course of working on a project, I heard about NN Contemporary, an organisation that stems from roots very similar to those of Adapt in Galway. In 2003 a group of artists and practitioners came together to form Northampton Arts Collective (NAC). They were united by the common goal to “elevate contemporary art within Northamptonshire”. Their first flagship project was Fish Market, launched in 2006 – an independently run, not-forprofit visual arts space located in the abandoned fish market building at the centre of the city. The project operated from 2006 – 2011, featuring exhibitions by artists such as Jamie Shovlin, Bill Drummond and CJ Mahony, as well as interdisciplinary music and spoken words events by Alan Moore, Lyric Lounge, Don Letts and many more. Members of NAC now comprise the board for the new venture NN Contemporary, housed in a former Victorian Hotel – street number 99 – in the city of Northhampton (www.nncontemporaryart. org). The venue houses galleries, a cafe, a lecture space, an educational centre and studio spaces. NN Contemporary recently exhibited the work of Irish artist Susan McWilliam and they’ve just launched a Project Lab space, offering artists week-long access for experimental projects. As NN’s curator Catherine Hemelryk explained to me, while they may have moved on from an entirely volunteer-run organisation to employing waged operational staff, a board structure and core funding from Northamptonshire Council, they remain true to their artist-led roots and focus on supporting the local art community. This is especially evident in their educational and outreach programmes which include: group crit events, lecture programmes, film screening nights, show and tell events and curated seminars. Future plans include international residency programmes and cultural exchanges. Aideen Barry is an artist and VAI’s West of Ireland Representative. www.aideenbarry.com

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Tribute

Charisma, Humour, Vision & Intelligence TRIBUTES TO THE TRAILBLAZING JOHN COLL (25/12/61 – 27/12/13), MAYO ARTS OFFICER AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND ENTERPRISE. It was in the very early days of mobile phones and I was in Heuston station in Dublin heading for Galway when the thing rang in my pocket. “Is that Vincent Woods? This is John Coll, Arts Officer in Mayo. Would you like to be our next writer in residence?” “Yes, I would.” “ Sound, I’ll ring you again next week and we’ll sort it out.” So began a few wonderful years in a county I grew to love. We had the best of times: I gave workshops, talks and readings in schools, libraries, community centres and a pub or two. John was inspirational and endlessly supportive; we laughed a lot and drank a little and hatched great plans for the arts in the many and diverse communities of the West. “Woods, ye bollix,” was a much-used term of affection by the big man. I should have stayed in touch more than I did, should have written, phoned, sent the CDs and books I promised to send. But I think John knew that we live in the intense light of whatever time we get, and we do the best we can. I’m so glad I knew him. Vincent Woods, poet and playwright

He has wandered into an unknown land And left us dreaming how very fair It needs must be, since he lingers there. James Whitcomb Riley, Away

John Noel Coll was the first arts officer appointed in County Mayo, in 1989: the third to be appointed nationally. 25 years ago, very few people understood what an arts officer was; the role fit uneasily into the structure of the local authority, which had limited history of support for the arts. John relied on his unique range of personal resources to build a service from scratch. As an award-winning piper, his approach was firmly rooted in an understanding of the artist and artistic process. His rare combination of warmth, charisma, humour, vision and intelligence, allied with a geographer’s understanding of ground-up community development, was bureaucratic kryptonite. Through carefully building strategic alliances and relationships, he succeeded in ensuring that the arts were fully embedded in Mayo County Council’s provision and respected as part of core delivery. John Coll led the way for arts development nationally. He established artist-led residency programmes, a literature festival (Force 10) with Dermot Healy, an international folk arts festival (Feile Iorras) with partners in Erris, schools initiatives, artist awards and supports schemes, Mayo Artsquad (in partnership with FÁS), Mayo Youth Theatre, and various excellent community arts programmes, which achieved quality artistic outcomes but also fully respected professional artists and participating communities. As a proud Donegal man, where he is known as John Noel, he was a native Irish speaker and did much to develop Irish language arts, also serving on the Board of Ealaín na Gaeltachta. John also possesed expertise in spatial planning and in 1994 was seconded to the Arts Council for nine months to work on the national spatial strategy for the arts. His vision for arts infrastructure in County Mayo was that all citizens would have access, regardless of where they lived. Mayo was one of the first local authorities to draw down Percent for Art funding and John worked with Peter Hynes (former County Architect, now Mayo County Manager) to increase opportunities for artists to make a living from their work. They developed the Tír Sáile Sculpture Trail in North Mayo, over 20 years ago, commissioning artworks in remote places – an initiative that is still remarkably prescient today. The now iconic ‘40 Days and 40 Nights’ project, which took place on the summit of Croagh Patrick in 1999, is a good example of the enormous complexity of delivering an arts initiative in a local authority context to multiple audiences. During the project, artist Chris Doris lived and worked on the Reek, engaging with the public and exhibiting the resulting work in the Custom House Studios. Over 6000 people climbed Croagh Patrick; rarely has an artist been so accessible to the public and so willing to engage with their stories and experiences. It was John and his team (with the support of other local authority departments including Civil Defence) who rose to the practical challenges presented, which were diverse and physically demanding, requiring regular trips to the summit of Croagh Patrick with provisions and materials. In John’s own words, “I never thought we’d see the day when the arts department would be hiring a mule train to transport equipment to the summit of Croagh Patrick”. John had a remarkable ability to create great teams around him, to empower them, encourage them and share his time and experience with them. Many of the people who worked with John in Mayo have gone on to be arts officers themselves, accomplishing extraordinary successes. In 2000 John Coll moved on from being Arts Officer to becoming the first Director of Community and Enterprise in Mayo County Council. He relished the challenge of this role and brought the same vision and determination to developing a new service from the ground up. In addition, he really enjoyed his long-term involvement in Feile Europeade (European Network of Folk Arts) and travelled widely to participate in annual festivals, bringing groups from Mayo to enjoy the cultural exchange. He was passionately involved in music all his life, both in the world of pipe bands and in his local community, Crimlin, where he founded a community music initiative of rare complexity, encompassing many genres. John Coll established a strategic, vibrant, truly inclusive arts service and his legacy resonates across all art forms and is evident in the excellent arts infrastructure, strong partnerships and the open availability of the arts for all who live in Mayo today.

John Coll plays the pipes for Mary Robinson, President of Ireland, 1996 presidential visit to Mayo

I first met John Coll when I was researching the choral talent of Mayo in advance of the Mayo 5000 celebrations in 1993. Having grown up in Limerick, I was immediately struck by the vast size of county of Mayo, but it was nothing in scale compared to the generosity, good humour, musicianship and depth of knowledge that was embodied in the great welcoming frame of John Coll. He will be sadly missed by Sheila and the family, together with his wider family of artists and musicians who came to know and admire him over the years. Bill Whelan, musician and composer I, like many others, am very lucky to have known John Coll and to have called him my friend. I first met John when he established Feile Iorris and so began a lifelong passion for the arts and a great friendship. I think John will have many legacies, one of which was his ability to connect people. John had a very special way of connecting communities, artists, people, family and friends. He forged connections that have lasted many years and indeed decades. He wasn't afraid to challenge and question, and with that he established a varied and wonderful artist-focused programme in Mayo. His mantra was, “As arts administrators, it's our job to support the artist,” and with that every project was designed with artist and community in mind. He was a true inspiration. I will miss him greatly. We have lost a great friend, a great mind and a true gentleman. RIP John Noel. Marilyn Gaughan, Arts Officer, Galway County Council

John Coll

In the weeks since his death, people from all walks of life have told stories about John’s kindness to them, his generosity with his time, his wisdom and his great sense of fun; he was always the last man standing on any night out.1 John had the paradoxical ability to anchor things but not impede their progress, and he seemed to exist in that quiet space in the eye of the storm. We are genuinely better human beings for having had the privilege of knowing him and are bereft at his passing. Note These also include tributes to John received by the author from Cliodhna Shaffrey, Chris Doris and Melanie Scott.

It was with great shock and sadness I heard of the early loss of John Coll. I worked closely with John not long after he took up his position as Mayo Arts Officer. As I was the first Mayo artist in residence, we had a clean sheet and learned the ropes as we went along. The art world in Mayo was a very different place back then and John was an integral part of it. Our main aim at the time was to make art accessible so we worked in libraries, schools and care centres, and maintained a drop-in studio. We travelled the highways and byways in John’s infamous van, filled with art or art materials for working on a variety of projects. Long after the residency was over he would still come and load up the van. I remember when he moved my ‘Friendly Shadows’ exhibition; at the start, with rolled up sleeves, just about fitted them all in. By the time we got them to the final venue we had it down so smoothly that it took up a tiny portion of space, leaving time for the inevitable socialising. While taking things seriously and professionally, we always had a laugh and many long and entertaining discussions. You were always left with the feeling John was accessible and there for everyone. John is remembered fondly and will be much missed. Breda Burns, Mayo Artist

Anne McCarthy, Arts Officer, Mayo County Council John was a mentor. When I’d travel around Mayo with him, one of his gifts was that he could walk into a room where people were ready to say that not enough was being done for them, and walk out an hour later with the same people committed to doing more for themselves. It was foresight more than charm (though charm was to be had) as John could often see potential beyond the initial conundrum. He knew what he was doing, and this afforded him the wherewithal to trust and invest in others, creating individual possibilities, while always playing the long game. And never a dull day with John Coll…. Caoimhín Corrigan, Derry~Londonderry, City of Culture

John built the ship we sailed he had a compass to the stars no waters left uncharted no tune unstarted a wave of his hand was a call to port And when the going got rough he raised the sail higher what we achieved was ours... we knew why. Go raibh maith agat John Mick Smyth, Mayo Artsquad

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

VAI Advocacy

To Work With Purpose! THE LACK OF DEFINITION surrounding INTERNSHIPS IS NO MORE. VISUAL ARTISTS IRELAND’S 'BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR INTERNSHIPS' PROVIDE CLEAR and simple INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS CAN STEER CLEAR OF THE RISING LEVELS OF ABUSE OF WORKERS UNDERTAKING INTERNSHIPS.

Q. How Do you think internships could be improved? A. Organisations need to be reminded constantly that their intern is not an employee. Guidelines should put in place for the type of roles that can be filled by interns – no lowly positions such as invigilating, cleaning etc. Laws should be pushed – or there should be possible naming and shaming for organisations and companies taking advantage of interns. Persons wanting to take on a JobBridger should have to attend an ethics lecture... The sentiments of ‘Case Study 14’ (interviewed 5 December 2013) published in To Work with Purpose: Best Practice Guidelines for Internships, Visual Artists Ireland 2014

In January of this year, the Visual Artists Ireland Internship Working

as positive in terms of mentorship, how they were treated and

JOBBRIDGE

Group published To Work with Purpose: Best Practice Guidelines for

whether overall it was a positive experience, while 70% of

With reference to questions about how host organisations found

Internships. This comprehensive document is the culmination of over

respondents reported a negative experience.

The survey asked respondents had been asked to give feedback

operating the government sanctioned JobBridge scheme, half of the

a year’s research by the group, which had been prompted by complaints received by VAI from individuals about the treatment they had

to the organisation after they had finished the internship. There

extra use of non-JobBridge interns and volunteers. Outlined below is

received on internship programmes. Commenting on the document

was an overwhelmingly negative response to this question.

Noel Kelly, CEO of Visual Artists Ireland, said, “We experienced such a

Respondents were also asked if the internship they completed

a summary of the responses received:

rising level of complaints about the terms and conditions of internships

helped them to get employment. 60% said they had either got

Of the organisations that did not use JobBridge, a small number

that we felt obliged to work towards making the conditions better for

full time employment, contract work or been enabled to

did not qualify under the JobBridge terms. The larger majority

people at the start of their careers… whether or not internships are the

complete a further internship.

found JobBridge to be unworkable or they only used volunteers

or work placement students solicited through colleges.

best way to gain access to experience is irrelevant. They exist and we

organisations consulted used this scheme either exclusively or with

felt the need to help artists and organisations plan for a better

what is an internship?

Some organisations commented that the JobBridge scheme was

experience”.

The Visual Artists Ireland Internship Working Group consulted with

unworkable for some applicants. In particular, they referenced

To Work with Purpose presents simple and clear outlines about

as diverse a selection of organisations as possible, in order to gain an

candidates who left before the end of their internship because of

what defines an internship that are based on value and respect. The

insight into the availability and variety of internships offered. Some

economic reasons. For example, one organisation said that they

publication, which can be downloaded in its entirety from our website

organisations reported that they did not offer internships. Some

lost a very valuable candidate because as a single parent, she

comprises guidelines and tools to protect the rights and welfare of

found JobBridge unworkable, while others only use this form of

could not afford childcare. The €50 extra that JobBridge funds

interns, including sample documents such as internship /

internship. Other organisations use work placement for students in

did not cover this cost and organisations are not permitted to

confidentiality agreements and checklists of expectations.

liaison with universities / colleges, with or without formal

supplement income to interns under the JobBridge guidelines.

The working group – Aine Macken (VAI / artist), Jim Ricks, artist,

arrangements for other internships. There was no consensus on how

Some organisations mentioned their frustration with the three

Claire Power (Temple Bar Gallery + Studios), Dr Josephine Browne

different organisations structure internships. Some organisations ran

months of unemployment that a candidate needed in order to be

(IADT), Gina O’Kelly (Irish Museums Associations) and myself

voluntary programmes with informal structures in place.

eligible to avail of JobBridge. They stated that there were fine art

(Bernadette Beecher, representing Visual Artists Ireland) – was

It was therefore not surprising that in reply to our questionnaire

graduates who wanted experience in a gallery but could not

established to look at the ways in which the welfare and interest of

organisations differed both in their concept of what exactly defined

afford to stay on the dole for that period of time. They wondered

interns could be improved and to provide clarification on the

an internship and the requirements they considered necessary in

if the JobBridge scheme could be extended to cover those

responsibilities of host organisations.

order to achieve an effective internship. However, in response to our

working on minimum wage who wanted specific experience for

enquiries the following replies were received:

their chosen career path.

are now seen as an infrastructural reality for many organisations. As

Most of the organisations consulted felt that the concept of the

longer period as problematic if the candidate needed a longer

well as assisting growth, they enable hard-pressed organisations

intern could be misunderstood and in order to ensure the

experience of the sector. However they thought that in those

affected by reduced public and consumer spending to sustain their

successful completion of an internship, clarity needed to come

cases the minimum wage should be paid.

services.

from the role description and a thoroughly prepared agreement

One organisation thought that the German system where an

between the intern and organisation.

intern is paid half the minimum wage was a reasonable idea.

structural implications for the visual arts sector. It was agreed that a

They responded that regularly, when organisations give interns

key strategic aim for the group’s work should be to ensure that

a title, the term intern is not mentioned. There was

a GOOD internship is...

employment in the arts remain a viable and sustainable career choice.

disagreement between organisations as to whether this was a

The attraction of a good internship is that it should provide a valuable

Also, crucially, it was agreed that internships should provide

good or bad thing. Some organisations felt that not

learning experience. It should allow an individual to develop new

opportunities for people from as diverse a range of backgrounds as

acknowledging the term intern in the job title was better for the

skills, or enhance existing skills that are applicable to their chosen

possible.

future employment prospect of the candidate. Other host

area. Internships should give the candidate an opportunity to test

As part of this process, the group surveyed those who had

organisations felt this put considerable pressure on candidates

their interest in a particular career while developing time management,

completed or were presently on internships and also consulted with a

who might not have a lot of experience.

It was felt that host organisations should endeavour to

communication and interpersonal work skills. It should allow for the

variety of organisations. The survey yielded around 100 responses and 16 organisations replied to the working group’s questionnaire or were

introduce paths and opportunities for interns.

resulted in the need for interns in order to fulfil the workload

each organisation is subject to by funders; this was also

referenced in the survey, with interns remarking on how they

Best Practice Guidelines for Internships a vital step in the development of

The background to this research was the sustained growth in the amount and variation of internships in the visual arts sector. Interns

In light of this, the working group considered some of the wider

interviewed. Key survey findings

Over 50% of those who replied to the survey were in the 25 – 34

Some host organisations referenced the lack of funding which

One organisation did not see an extension of JobBridge to a

development of positive work relationships and help the candidate to learn good work habits. It should also allow for networking opportunities that can lead to paid employment or help to further the intern’s career in a tangible way. The Internship Working Group considers the introduction of the

year old bracket. Over 20% were aged between 18 and 24.

had to train their replacements.

an ethical infrastructure for the visual arts sector.

internship was paid.

prop up the sector in light of reduced funding and are being

Bernadette Beecher, Office Manager, Visual Artists Ireland.

used to ensure the sector’s sustainability.

Only 15% of those who completed the survey said that their Over 80% of respondents reported that the internship lasted

between one and nine months.

30% of those questioned described their internship experiences

All the organisations consulted agreed that interns in general

To Work with Purpose: Best Practice Guidelines for Internships is available from www.visualartists.ie

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

How is it made?

Eamon Colman, After dawn, rain and wind came to lift everything, 2013, oil on Somerset paper, 600 x 910 mm

Visual Conversation

DAVID BRANCALEONE RECENTLY ASKED EAMON COLMAN “WHAT’S YOUR PAINTING ABOUT?” THE ARTIST’S REVELATORY RESPONSES STRESS NOTIONS OF PAINTING AS AN ACT AND WAY OF BEING.

David Brancaleone: What’s your painting about? Eamon Colman: In his novel, Making Way, Theo Dorgan talks about ‘how life gets made’: “We started something. The only way we find out what it is, is by finishing it, right? Like you’re tipping away at a piano, say little riffs, not thinking of anything much and you hear something: a phrase, a run of notes, and a bit of you far away starts going: ‘hmm’. You keep going, following. Yes, this; no, not that. Like following a thread and the closer you get to it the more you start to wake up and, if you’re lucky, if it is something, if it comes to something, suddenly, you’re wide awake. It feels like more than awake. You have it. You have it now, just a matter of finding, finding the final shape. That’s it. The full shape of it.” 1 When I started working on 'Scattered Showers', I had no idea of where it was going to go.2 I discovered a painting years ago by Constable entitled Rainstorm over the Sea (1828). It is a small, sketched painting in the Royal Academy of Arts, London. That was the thread that led me to start exploring weather, and, living in a very rural part of the world, I found that I was constantly coming back to it. Very early on in my life, I became a walker and walking became a way, an expression. The French idea of the flâneur, the person who moves through the community and learns about it through the act of being there became very important to me. I am not a tourist. DB: How do you feel when you are out walking? EC: It’s that whole Turneresque thing: I have to feel the storm, feel it on my back. I undertook this amazing walk a couple of years ago: along the Appalatian Way. I went into farmsteads and asked if I could work there. So I was physically working in the environment, connecting with people on that level. For 'Scattered Showers', I literally went out in all weathers. When I’m walking, I don’t bring my notebook with me. I don’t bring my camera. I literally go out and physically feel the landscape

respond to this by asking them to look beyond the colour and, to a certain extent, to see colour as an avenue, an entrance into the painting (not just an aesthetic).

DB: Why do you paint? EC: To some extent, the reason why I paint at all is to understand why I am painting, but I never get to understand why, so that is what drives me on. It is like a continuous visual conversation with myself. I don’t bring a notebook into the landscape, since I’m not a plein air painter as such – yet I’m painting the landscape and I’m coming from that tradition. It’s almost like I go into my studio and sit there for a while in front of this blank canvas. I close my eyes and try to remember the landscape I have been walking through or the landscape I’m trying to evoke. It’s those initial marks that I make on the canvas that tell me either: yes, you are starting to tell this story; or no. I know from the very beginning of making a painting whether it’s going to succeed or fail as a balanced piece.

DB: Are you conscious of an audience when you are painting? EC: When I’m painting, I’m painting for myself. Making something coherent is in the forefront of my mind. But every painting fails. There is no such thing as a fully formed, fully fledged painting. Yet within that failure there has to be a rhythm of language that is about nuances. I could spend a whole day just working on the grey, one little section of grey. And at the end of the day I come into the house, make a cup of tea and I can’t sleep. I’m so excited about what I’m doing that I have to go back out to the studio and re-evaluate. The hardest thing is to hold myself back from going at the canvas again. I suppose my paintings are ambiguous in many ways, in order to let other people see things I’ve never seen. If I’m too prescriptive, if I paint something you recognise, I’ve failed. I think I try and paint in that gap between experience and memory. For instance, when you are driving along the motorway and something catches your eye and it’s gone before you’ve seen it. Then, two days later, you suddenly remember the shape of it. That’s what I’m trying to capture. I live with some of these paintings for years; they become part of my life. Every single morning I go into the studio and have to almost reinvent my enthusiasm for the painting I’ve been working on the night before.

DB: What do your paintings depict? EC: I’m painting the landscape that I remember, rather than the landscape I see, and I’m also trying to paint the mood I’ve experienced. You go for a walk, for instance, and, even if your walk is in a town, the landscape you’ve experienced affects your mood. I try to respond to that mood through the physical act of painting. For me, the act of walking is about connecting with the landscape, not just through my eyes, but through my body, because painting for me is a very physical process. At times, I am literally throwing paint at the canvas. I couldn’t do that unless I understood the physicality of walking in the landscape.

DB: What routine do you follow in your studio practice? EC: I do three things in my studio: I paint, listen to talk radio and read poetry. Poetry as an art form has been hugely beneficial to me. I ‘write’ my critique of a poem while I’m in the studio working on a painting. Part of how I live my life is through searching – for a vision, for a way into something. Perhaps I’m a poet who uses visual language to tell the story of the poem. It is the process that is of more interest to me than the final product: the search for the line, for the way through. I equate anxiety to tension: for any good painting to work it needs tension. It needs some form of failure within the painting to allow the work to have a life of its own.

DB: What does colour mean to you? EC: I’m only now beginning to understand what it is I’m painting and why I’m painting it. Colour is a vehicle for honesty, because my paintings are about tapping into an honest emotion; I use colour as a way of expressing that honesty. But in order to do that I have to understand colour and how I’m using it. For instance, I use raw pigment which I bind myself. I make the paint in the exact same way that the old masters did. Even small sections of the yellow would have different oil mediums within the paint mixture in order to get a variation of intensity. That is only a recent thing, because I have only started to understand how yellow, for example, can vary in tone, even in one brush stroke, and how you can manipulate that to enable you to say something – not only about the painting, but also about the colour you’re using at the time. For me, colour is about immediacy. Since I started painting, people have said that I use beautiful colour. I

DB: What does painting ultimately mean to you? EC: Painting is food for me; it’s what keeps me motivated. I get up in the morning because of painting. An awful lot of artists attach themselves to teaching institutions as a means of staving off economic insecurity. Unfortunately, I can’t do that, because, for me, painting is like a twitch. If I don’t have it, I get totally depressed and physically debilitated by the lack of studio time, so painting becomes that whole sense of being. George Steiner once wrote about the act of painting. He talked about the notion of walking through to the other side of the canvas where you can’t put a mark wrong. Once you’ve experienced that, it’s a leap of courage. It’s about working through something.

as much as is humanly possible. Again, going back to Theo’s thoughts about the ‘thread’, I had started to look at the idea of storms as natural phenomena. I wanted to look – for want of a better word – for the ‘god-ray’: when the sky shifts and light shines through. I wanted to be in it and experience it. I didn’t want to just view it from a window or from behind an easel.

Eamon Colman, Make the morning from the heart of night, 2013, oil on Somerset paper 600 x 910mm

Eamon Colman, Make the morning from the heart of night (detail)

Note 1. Theo Dorgan, Making Way, New Island Books, Dublin, 2013 2. Eamon Colman's exhibition 'Scatterd Showers' was exhbited at Triskel Arts Centre, Cork 16 May – 31 August 2013

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Opportunities Lorg Printmakers

opportunities ireland

Lorg Fine Art Printmakers, Ballybane, Galway are pleased to announce an invitation for new members. The member-

Hugh Lane Dublin City Gallery, the Hugh Lane is seeking expressions on interest to fill two vacant external trustee positions on the board. The board is currently involved on the following key issues: the development of a strategic long term plan for the gallery; examination of the potential opportunities of the gallery in the context of the proposed Cultural Quarter development at Parnell Square; fundraising development and promotional strategies both nationally and internationally. There are two vacant external trustee positions on the board. Expressions of interest for these vacancies are being invited from individuals with interests / attributes which could include the following: commitment; private sector / corporate board experience; philanthropic experience; appreciation of the role and contribution of visual arts; corporate governance experience Deadline

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Charlemont House, Parnell Square, Dublin 1

facility in the west of Ireland and a place where artists can meet and talk. The annual Members’ Travelling Show is a vital part of Lorg Printmakers. It is open to all members and is a great opportunity for emerging artists. Professional development opportunities are provided via exhibitions, exchanges, community outreach programmes, residencies and bursaries. Lorg are committed to offering their members the opportunity to work and exhibit alongside local, national and international peers. Website www.lorgprintmakers.com ReCreate ReCreate is a national social enterprise that looks to take end of line and surplus stock from businesses and reuses them as arts materials. The warehouse

plastics, fabric, tubing, foam and many other unusual and unexpected surprises.  Distribution of the materials is on a membership basis which will be at a

www.irishperformanceart.

blogspot.ie exists to construct a public chronology of major performance events and to record the emergence of individual performance artists in Ireland since the 1970s. This timeline will be recreated in a new publication on the history of performance art in Ireland, edited by Áine Phillips and published by the Live Art Development Agency and Intellect Books in 2015. For the purposes of this publication, the focus will be on performance and live art where the artist’s body is the site for the work. Each artist is listed by when she / he first performed live in Ireland. The inventory is the first draft and the editor is requesting contributions in order to create an accurate record. Additions, omissions and corrections are welcomed.

Source will be organising meetings with to

find out about their new photographic work. This is one way that Source finds new work for publication in the ‘artists’ pages’ section of the magazine. It’s also an opportunity to discuss a new piece of work with one of the editors. Meetings will take place on Saturday 19 April,

4 April Website www.source.ie

7 March

groups. Additionally, tonnes of materials will be diverted annually from landfill as well as saving businesses on their disposal costs.  The warehouse includes a workshop area where members can learn how to transform regular business materials into stunning art pieces, or alternatively our members can rent the workshop in order to avoid making a mess at home or in their studios. Website www.recreate.ie Email info@recreate.ie Telephone 014568798

and promote their work in a quirky new

As part of research for future issues,

Deadline

organisations, schools and community

offering artists the opportunity to sell

Source Magazine

Source office Belfast.

and artists.

arts materials of individual artists, arts

MART Studios, Rathmines, Dublin are

www.irishperformanceart.blogspot.ie

photographers/artists

drastically reduce the expenditure on

mart kiosk

Website

Hunt Museum Camp Coordinator The Hunt Museum in Limerick is looking for a Summer Camp Coordinator for their award-winning Children’s Summer Camps, taking place in Limerick, during July and August 2014. The Hunt will run six week-long camps for approximately 25 children aged 5 – 12 years in each camp. A group of volunteers will work with the children on activities including arts and crafts, storytelling, and drama. The Camp Coordinator will be responsible for the preparation, delivery and evaluation of all camps. The Coordinator will oversee and supervise the work with the children, ensure child safety and well-being and will ensure that the volunteers are prepared and able to manage the children effectively. This is a temporary fixed-term contract. To apply, the application form and return it by email with Summer Camp Coordinator in the subject line. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Deadline 5pm, 14 March Email dominique@huntmuseum.com Website www.huntmuseum.com MACADA Artist / Faciltator MACADA: Building Peace Through the Arts – Re-Imaging Communities wishes to recruit an experienced artist / facilitator to carry out community consultation to creatively engage with local communities and deal with particularly sensitive / challenging issues where the overarching themes are the reduction in sectarianism and racism. We welcome bids from collaborating artists and peace building facilitators. The remit of the facilitator and / or artist will be to: creatively engage with key groups and individuals; to assist in the process of building community cohesion; investigate potential themes for the artwork including site selection; oversee monitoring and evaluation of workshops in Moy; ascertain all the considerations to inform the development of a brief for the public artwork, including planning permission and requirements, land ownership and any other technical considerations. The facilitator and/or artist will produce a report on the findings of the above, with recommendations, and present to the local project steering group. This report will include: the themes and outcomes of the workshops; monitoring and evaluation information on participants and any considerations informing the development of the brief. Deadline

nominal cost as Recreate are looking to

Performance Art HISTORY

individual

of Lorg’s activity. Lorg provide a unique

tastic arts materials such as paper, wool,

Address

blog

ship of our organisation lies at the core

is full to the brim with all types of fan-

11 March

The

job vacancies

art shop located in a kiosk right outside the gallery. The kiosk is available to rent on a daily basis from 1 March. The shop promotes a curated selection of art, fun and functional gifts, sculpture, craft, jewellery and fashion by Irish designers

Ongoing Website www.mart.ie/shop Email shop@mart.ie

Artist Facilitator , West Belfast Suffolk Lenadoon Interface Group wishes to recruit an experienced artist / facilitator to carry out community consultation and creative engagement. Suffolk Lenadoon Interface Group (SLIG) is an award winning community development organisation based on the Suffolk Lenadoon interface in outer West Bel-

fast. Regeneration and peace building are the cornerstones of what SLIG does. Interviews will take place on 3 April 2014. The remit of the facilitator and/or artist will be to: creatively engage with key groups and individuals; to assist in the peace-building process; to investigate potential themes for the artwork including site selection; to oversee monitoring and evaluation of workshops; to ascertain all the considerations to inform the development of a brief for the public artwork, including planning permission and requirements, land ownership and any other technical considerations. The facilitator and / or artist will produce a report on the findings of the above, with recommendations, and present to the local project steering group. This report will include: the themes and outcomes of the workshops, monitoring and evaluation information on participants and any considerations informing the development of the brief. Appointments for both roles will be made by separate open competitions, being appointed as a facilitator will not preclude an artist from being considered to produce the public artwork. Deadline 12pm 21 March

residencies Cill Rialaig Project Cill Rialaig Project invite applications for Residency Awards at their artists retreat on Bolus Head, near Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry. The selection panel sits twice yearly. Please email for an official application pack. Deadline 15 March Contact Mary O’Connor Email cillrialaigarts@gmail.com

studio space Crumlin House With Studio Two-bed house to let in Crumlin with large artist’s studio in garden (with electricity). All original fireplaces, doors and windows in house. Off-street parking and 10 minutes from town. Available from mid-late March. Please email for more info and pics. Email

funding / bursaries Rosemary James Bursary NI A new annual craft bursary worth £15,000 per year has been announced by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the newly formed Rosemary James Trust, thanks to the generosity of a local pioneer and patron of the arts. Originally from Belfast, Rosemary James had a lifelong commitment to the arts and following her death in 2010, bequeathed over £500,000 to help artists and craft makers pursue their careers. The fund, which is now open for applications to the Rosemary James Trust, will award one bursary of £15,000 per year. This will assist craft makers to investigate, develop and exhibit a body of work, which would otherwise be unattainable. The Rosemary James Trust will manage the fund and Arts Council of Northern Ireland will oversee the application process. The Rosemary James Bursary is open to all craft makers steeped in practice using material singly or in combination such as: fired or glass; fine or base metals; textiles using any kinds of applications; wood; plastics; paper or other materials where the emphasis is based upon the transformation of materials through the use of sustained practice towards a series of critical outcomes. Application forms can be downloaded from the website but must be submitted in hardcopy only. Deadline 4pm 28 March Contact Patricia Curran Email pcurran@artscouncil-ni.org Website www.artscouncil-ni.org Telephone 02890 385 227

genimurphy@gmail.com

courses / workshops / training Life Drawing The Sol Gallery, Dublin will hold a Life Drawing Class on Wednesday 12 March, 6.45pm – 7.15pm. Cost: €15 including paper and drawing materials (no booking required).  In addition to the regular Tuesday and Thursday drop-in Life Classes at the Sol Gallery, City Life Drawing will host occasional taught sessions with a tutor from NCAD. Website www.solart.ie Paper Making Artlink will hold a Handmade Paper Making Class with Rebecca Strain on 12 March. It will run from 10am – 2pm Craft Box, Derry. Cost: £30 (or £25 for unwaged) for the one-day course. Participants will learn: how to make hand made paper; how to adapt household items for use in hand made paper making; what fibres are suitable and how to process them; how to size, dye, and embelish your paper. Places are strictly limited. Email kirstin@kid-art.co.uk Website www.artlink.ie Telephone 0044 751 386 2217 Address Craft Box, Springtown Industrial Estate, Derry, BT 48 0NA Northern Ireland.

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Visual Artists Ireland

opportunities Online MA Art/Design Education The MA in Art and Design Education at LIT, Limerick is a blended part-time programme that runs over two years. The programme operates online through networked platforms with college-based seminars and workshops held during eight days over the two years. The next intake is September 2014 and applications from both national and international candidates are currently being accepted. This is a new type of MA programme that embraces new ideas about learning and the kinds of active social spaces that can be nurtured online. By stressing the importance of fostering a learning community of art and design teachers the new programme endeavors to meet the challenge of providing authentic educational experiences that expose participants to a rich network of content and dialogue. Contact Maria Finucane Email maria.finucane@lit.ie Website www.lit.ie/lsad/courses/mastersineducation drawing masterclass Artist Rita Duffy leads a Drawing Masterclass at Sligo VEC. Date: Saturday, 22 March 22nd, 10am – 4pm and Sunday, 23 March, 10am – 1pm. Price: €115. Rita’s work is based strongly in the figurative / narrative tradition. Her work often functions as active poetic spaces. The weekend will focus on the activity of drawing and developing a practice of intense enquiry and thought where ideas manifest, connect and invigorate practice. Rita will also give a short presentation on her work. Materials: paper and charcoal will be provided. Bring along drawing materials such as pencils, conte, brushes, inks etc. Breaks: Tea and coffee will be provided. There is a small canteen area for lunch if you would like to bring along a packed lunch. Contact Aine Kelly Website www.ritaduffystudio.com Telephone 0879937110 Address Sligo VEC, Quay street, Sligo Town Figure Painting in Oil Kennedy Art are delighted to announce a one day workshop in painting the nude in oil, facilitated by the very talented Nicholas Benedict Robinson. A double Florence Academy of Art prize winner and graduate, Nicholas will instruct in painting the nude using a limited oil palette. Suitable for beginners and the experienced alike. The course will comprise a step-by-step introduction to Realist painting methods, including demonstrations, individual instruction, direction on how to use materials, and use oils to describe line, proportion, gesture and light-effect in one pose. Class sizes are kept to a maximum of 10, to facilitate plenty of individual teaching. Workshop runs from 10:15am – 4pm and costs €60.00 Tea / coffee are served

during the morning. Website www.kennedyart.com Telephone 014751749 making tomorrow Cork Textiles host a three-day festival of textiles, including lectures, seminars, workshops and exhibitions from 7 – 9 March at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa College of Further Education & CIT Crawford College of Art and Design. There are some spaces in textiles workshops with leading Irish and international artists still available. To see all event information, please visit the website. Website www.corktextiles.com Free mentoring: kerry artists Kerry County Council, Arts Office and artist Lisa Fingleton will lead free workshops on: Friday, 21 March, Killarney or Kenmare; Friday, 4 April, Waterville; Friday, 11 April, Tralee. The workshops will be highly participative and interactive. You will be supported to take stock of where you are now and plan for the future. The content will respond to your needs so please let us know on booking if there are particular priorities for you (eg developing opportunities to showcase your work, creating a sustainable practice, networking, engaging with social media etc). All artists will have the option to informally introduce themselves and their work at start of the session in order to get to know each other (max three minutes each). You are invited to bring up to three images or examples of your work (hard copy or memory stick is fine). For an application form, please email address below. (Places are limited to 15 and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.) Email arts@kerrycoco.ie Website www.lisafingleton.com www.thehappyartist.ie

! Caution We strongly advise readers to verify all details to their own satisfaction before forwarding art work, money etc.

Professional Development Portadown, Enniskillen, Omagh, Carrick-on-Shannon, Dublin, Portlaoise Northern Ireland www.visualartists.org.uk/services/professionaldevelopment/current Republic of Ireland www.visualartists.ie/education/register-for-our-events

Masterclasses

for Artist-Entrepreneurs VAI in partnership with Leitrim Enterprise Board, as part of the Harnessing Creativity Programme An Introduction to Intellectual Property with Olivia Mullooley, Arthur Cox & Co. Seminar covers the different types of intellectual property arising in the course of the creation / development of design, digital and art works . The Hive, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim. Sat 8 March. (11.00 – 13.00). Places: 10 – for Harnessing Creativity participants, but some places for interested others. FREE. An Introduction to Intellectual Property with Shirley Madden, Madden & Black Ltd. Seminar covers IP auditing your ideas, creating an own IP portfolio, identifying appropriate forms of IP protection, collaborating with others in business; non-disclosure agreement templates. @ The Barrack’s Store, Enniskillen Castle. Fri14 March (11.00 14.00) and Strule Arts Centre, Omagh. Sat 15 March (10.30 – 13.30). Places: 10 – for Harnessing Creativity Participants, some places for interested others. FREE. Peer Critique for Artist-Entrepreneurs with Mary Carty. Carty will present her design and media work, discussing the development of her business Spoiltchild and will lead the group discussion on participant presentations. The session hopes to address design and business concepts. The Hive, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim. Fri 21 March (11.00 – 17.00). Places: 6 – for Harnessing Creativity Participants but some places for interested others. FREE. Peer Critique for Artist-Designers with Shane Holland Designer & Artist. Holland will present on his design practice and lead group discussion / peer presentations. The session aims to address design and business concepts. @ The Barrack’s Store, Enniskillen Castle Sat 29 March (11.00 - 17.00). Places: 6 – for Harnessing Creativity participants, but some places for interested others. FREE. Developing Opportunities & Accessing Funding for Creative Enterpise with Lorraine Bowen. This interactive workshop aims to help participants explore the full range of opportunities that may exist for their creative practice or business – supporting the development of strategies for researching and assessing opportunities. The Hive, Carrick on Shannon, Co Leitrim. Sat 10 May (11.00 – 17.00). Places: 10 – for Harnessing Creativity Participants, some places for interested others. FREE.

Developing Proposals & Tender Documents with Marianne O’Kane-Boal. This talk will explore approaches to formatting tenders and targeting opportunities accurately. Strule Arts Centre, Omagh Fri 16 May (10.30 – 16.30) & @ The Barrack’s Store, Enniskillen Castle. Sat 17 May (10.30 - 16.30). Places: 10 – for Harnessing Creativity Participants, some places for interested others. FREE. Peer Critique for Artist-Designers (tutor tbc). A lead artist will make a short presentation about their design work, discussing the development of their design practice. They will then lead the group response to peer presentations. The session will address both design and business concepts. Strule Arts Centre, Omagh. 4 / 5 Apr (11.00 – 17.00). Places: 6 – for Harnessing Creativity Participants, some places for interested others. FREE.

Early Days – a daylong event for recent graduates. In partnership with Millennium Court Arts Centre in conjunction with the exhibition ‘Presently’ curated by Feargal O’Malley. Talks and discussions – for and by artists and curators – that focus on early career development. The day will include: Panel 1: 'Being a Self-Starter'; Panel 2: 'Collaboration & Interdisciplinarity'; VAI Show & Tell Event; and a Common Room Cafe discussion led by VAI Advocacy Officer Alex Davis. Millennium Court Arts Centre, Portadown Sat 1 March (10.30 – 16.00). Places: 30 – 40. Free. Peer Critque Painting with Vicky Wright. A VAI In-House Event. This session will facilitate dialogue and openness between artistic peers. Six artists will be asked to come prepared with a short presentation on their practices and on future projects they would like to develop. Vicky will also make a presentation about her own work. Visual Artists Ireland, Dublin. Thu 27 March (10.30 – 16.30). Places: 6 (1 remaining). Fee: €80 / 40 (VAI members). Web & Social Media Strategies for Visual Artists with Mary Carty. In partnership with Dunamaise Arts Centre. Entrepreneur Mary Carty will discuss: how to keep your audience engaged; strategies to promote your fine art or design work and how social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can assist with audience development. Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise. Fri 28 Mar (10.30 – 16.30). Places: 10. Fee: €80 / 40 (VAI members). Peer Critique with curator Eilis Lavelle In partnership with the Roscommon Visual Arts Forum. Eilis Lavelle will discuss her curatorial practice and then facilitate a constructive and supportive group crit. Roscommon Arts Centre. Tue 8 Apr (11.00 – 17.00). Places: 6. FREE for Roscommon Arts Forum members

The Visual Artists’ News Sheet

March – April 2014

Humour

Pablo Helgeura's Artoons

Call For Entries

Deadlines RDS National Craft Awards – 12 May RDS Student Art Awards – 18 June

Enter online www.rds.ie/arts @TheRDS

Anthologies of Artoons – Artoons 1,2 & 3 – are available from Jorge Pinto Books www.pintobooks.com. Further information on author and artist Pablo Helguera can be found at www. pablohelguera.net

Works shown by Adam Frew & Joe Scullion

RDSdublin

droichead arts centre presents:

Robert Kelly, The Space Between With Triangle, relief carborundum print, 62 x 62cm

Interconnectedness RobeRt Kelly 9 March – 25 April 2014 Interconnectedness is a body of work that is process led, and focuses on elements of mark making within the medium of printmaking.

Stockwell Street Drogheda, County Louth T: 041 9833 946 W: www.droichead.com E: info@droichead.com Open: Tue – Sat 10am – 5pm

VAI@DAS Residency Award 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2015

2014 will be the third year of the VAI@DAS competition: a residency award open to professional visual artists. The residency is awarded to only one artist per year, with the 2013 winner receiving a four-month residency from October 2014 to January 2015. A peer panel that will include representatives from the Digital Arts Studios and Visual Artists Ireland will select the winning artist. The VAI @ DAS Residency Award Winner 2013 was Conan McIvor, filmmaker and video artist whose diverse practice spans from experimental film and video art to moving image design for installation, theatre and performance.

The award is now open for applications and the deadline is: 4pm, Friday, May 30th 2014. For full details on how to apply, see our website: www.visualartists.ie www.visualartists-ni.org

Image: Katalin Tesch, international resident, February â&#x20AC;&#x201C; March 2013, screening at the Big Screen, Belfast City Hall, March 2013

+353-6384951 / +353-86-8170151, info@irishartcourier.com

Culturefox.ie is the definitive online guide to Irish cultural events, giving you complete information about cultural activities both here and abroad. To find out whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on near you right now, visit Culturefox.ie on your computer or mobile phone.

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The lab, brought to you by Dublin City Council, is pleased to present

ulTra Barbara Knezevic Preview: 10th April 2014, 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8pm, runs until 7 June 2014 Barbara Knezevic in conversation with Maeve Connolly: 10th April, 5pm

The lab a: Foley Street, Dublin 1 T: 01 222 5455 E: artsoffice@dublincity.ie W: www.thelab.ie T: @LabDCC