20
The Visual Artists’ News Sheet
September – October 2009
INTERNATIONAL
Catherine Barragry mid performance in the Thisisnotashop space. picture courtasy of TISNAS
The basic idea behind X-Initiative bringing so many ‘independents’ together was so that interesting – but maybe not so high profile – initiatives could come together and show in a place not usually associated with not-for-profit ventures. It was hoped that those showing would make contacts with new and exciting people and ideas. And this was the case for Katherine Maguire who also showed a piece with Thisisnotashop. Her video / sound installation piece Footage, included a pair of found shoes. Maguire had hoped that another artist would take the shoes at the end of the show and make work with them. Sure enough on the last day, her found shoes were found by another artist – and so the story continues. Paula Barrett’s work shown at ‘No Soul For Sale’ invoked the idea of chance and the opportune moment. Titled Kairos Captured I and Thisisnotashop space at 'No Sould for Sale'. (Forground) Wendy Judge The Eustace Project. Background Clive Murphy Porn-Spam T - Shirts – suspended sculpture by Robert Carr. Photo: Edel Horan.
Rubbing Shoulders Edel Horan reports on ‘No Soul For Sale – A Festival of Independents’ an event held at THE X-Initiative, NEw York 23 – 28 June.
Kairos Captured II, the piece comprised of 100 scratch lottery cards hang under Plexiglas on the wall space of Thisisnotashop’s space. Accompanying this were two paintings by Gillian Lawlor entitled City Block on Stilts 1 and City Block on Stilts 2. These oil and graphite on canvas pieces were among some of very few oil paintings at the show. Printworks and editions predominated as did video and installation work. Among the examples of work from their writing workshops,
The aim of the New York based X-Initiative (1) is to bring together the most exciting, creative and respected not-for-profit centres, collectives and independents from all over the world. X-Initiative is itself a not-forprofit venture. One of the initiatives key aims is to “respond at speed to any major economic and philosophical shifts in culture” – and it has been founded to exist for only one year. As part of its activities the X-Initiative organised ‘No Soul For Sale – A Festival of Independents’, which was held at the former premises of the Dia Foundation in Chelsea New York 23 – 28 June. The opening reception for ‘No Soul For Sale’, was full to capacity, which I took as a good indicator of levels of support and interest independent art initiatives. Appropriately described in the publicity material “as neither an art fair nor an exhibition – but a festival”, the festival spirit certainly abounded on the opening night and over the duration of the event. Thirty-eight galleries from the USA, Europe and elsewhere were invited to take part in ‘No Soul for Sale’ (2). There was no charge for participation, the X-Initiative making reference to the concept of “radical hospitality”. Moreover, for most of the galleries, their invitation had been a surprise – albeit a very welcome one. Amongst the participants was the Dublin’s Thisisnotashop. The venues director, Jessamyn Fiore, reckoned that they may have come to the X-Initiatives attention via the curator Massimiliano Gioni (of the Trusardi Foundation, Milan and The New Museum, New York) who had visited the gallery on a recent trip to Dublin as part of the ‘Curating in the Contemporary World’ series of talks organised as part of National College of Art and Design's Art in Contemporary World MA. Gioni may have passed on his interest to his peer Cecilia Alemani who is the curatorial director of X-Initiative (3). The galleries showing at ‘No Soul for Sale’ were invited to present performances, artworks, publications, video screenings or even just the personal presence. The latter idea was taken up by The Mountain School of Arts (Los Angeles) – their space stood almost empty save for a table and chairs and some information about what they do. Located between Fluxspace from Philadelphia and The Mountain School of Arts, Thisisnotashop sold its wares well. X-Initiative’s “exercise in coexistence” provided each contributing gallery with a space marked off only by lines on the floor (in the spirit of Lars Von Trier’s Dogville). In the Thisisnotashop space Clive Murphy’s brightly coloured Porn Spam T - Shirts served as a strong visual counterpoint to a bold graffitied wall that dominated the neighbouring presentation by Fluxspace.
X-Initiative gave no money to their participants, so the artists
Thisisnotashop presented a number of publications – Esperanza
represented in each galleries space, had to pay their own way over and
Collado’s El Cine No Puede Decir; Susan Thompson’s The Swimming
back for themselves and their works. As such most of the works
Diaries; N.S. Malone’s It might have been five minutes she listened of half the
included in Thisisnotashop’s group show were ‘suit-cased’ to the
night – A young girl’s diary (backwards); along with Jessica Foley’s hand
states.
written and illustrated Sketchbook of a Screenplay and Free Energy City a
With one or two exceptions, most of the artists showing with
paper and pen production by Aine Ivers. Also on display was Imelda
Thisisnotashop travelled to the show. The gallery’s interns also travelled
Brand’s Ireland in the Contemporary World produced on the NCAD MA
over to help. Many hands made light(ish) work of the install – with
Art in the Contemporary World. This text explored themes thought to
Robert Carr’s sculpture being perhaps the most delicate and difficult to
be of interest about contemporary art in Ireland for non-Irish audiences.
install. Robert Carr sent a custom-made carry case made for the piece Untitled 4, which was transported by Jessamyn as checked luggage at no extra cost. Some works were built on site – such as the display rail for Clive Murphy’s t-shirts. Bob Fiore, father of Jessamyn – who lives outside New York, built the bookcase displaying The Writing Workshop 08 / 09 pieces; and he also provided the table and chairs needed for Jessica Foley’s video and book installation Experiments in Measurement – along with the TV monitor for Katherine Maguire‘s installation. Portable DVD players and printed information were brought over by Thisisnotashop. Wendy Judge’s pieces The Device Assembly Facility, Smoke and The Eustace Project incited much interest. Judge arrived early to the install and built parts of her pieces on site. Described by the artist as “expandable” pieces she transported the works via suitcase. Other materials were purchased on site – such as batteries and lights. Catherine Barragry also had a delicate install process with her ‘disco egg’ piece, which accompanied her performance Killer Heels. The ‘disco egg’ was hung from disco ball motor as a background prop for the artist’s performance piece. Unfortunately a skipping record sound for the performance was ruled out, due to a fault with the record player. Barragry also performed a new piece, titled underground which was much enjoyed by Fluxus artist Larry Miller. Each participant at ‘No Soul For Sale’ had timetabled use of the main performance space on the ground floor. Catherine Barragry performed underground on Wednesday 24 June after the New York based Wreckio Ensemble, whom Thisisnotashop had specially invited to perform. The Wreckio Ensemble performed excerpts from an original theatrical production, which they had originally created for Thisisnotashop. Both performances took place over the periods of two hours from 7pm – 9pm.
Overall, the decision to present the work of a range of artists, rather than a solo show or a focus on one or two larger works worked well for Thisisnotashop. In terms of media coverage, an image of Catherine Barragry’s performance Killer Heels was used to illustrate The New York Times coverage of the event (4). In addition Wendy Judge’s and Robert Carr’s work was featured in an article in the fashion magazine VMAN. Another outcome from the event is that Thisisnotashop’s writing workshop has been invited to participate in another X-Initiative event, which is being organised for PS1 later this year. ‘No Soul For Sale’ offered a unique opportunity for a small not-forprofit gallery in Dublin to rub shoulders with its peers from all over the globe. This was the first show by Thisisnotashop outside of Ireland; and Jessamyn Fiore felt it was a “successful experience” (5). The enthusiasm and willingness of the artists and gallery staff to make the show work reflect the core attributes of the Thisisnotashop’s small budget / hard work ethic. Edel Horan Notes 1. For further details see – www.x-initiative.org 2. The full list of participants – Artis Contemporary Israeli Art Fund (New York and Tel Aviv), Ballroom (Marfa), Bizart / Arthub (Shanghai / Hong Kong), Dispatch (New York), Empty Purse Publications (New York), Filipa Oliveira + Miguel Amado (Lisbon), Fluxspace (Philadelphia), Galerie Im Regierungsviertel / Forgotten Bar Project (Berlin), Hermes und Der Pfau (Stuttgart), K48 (New York), Kadist Art Foundation (Paris), Kling & Bang (Reykjavík), L’Appartement 22 (Rabat), Latitudes (Barcelona), Laxart (Los Angeles), Light Industry (Brooklyn), Lucie Fontaine (Milan), Migrating Forms (New York), Mono. Kultur (Berlin), Mousse Magazine (Milan), Next Visit (Berlin), Not an Alternative (Brooklyn), Participant inc. (New York), Black Market / Rob Pruitt (New York), Rhizome (New York), Starship (Berlin), Storefront for Art and Architecture (New York), Studio Film Club (Trinidad), Supportico Lopez (Berlin), Surasi Kusolwong (Thailand), Swiss Institute (New York), The Mountain School of Arts (Los Angeles), Thisisnotashop (Dublin), Transformer (Washington DC), Viafarini (Milan), Vox Populi (Philadelphia), Wage Artists (New York), White Columns (New York), Yokoland supported by the Office for Contemporary Art Norway, (Oslo). 3) From a conversation with the writer. 4) Restoring the Eek to Eking out a Living 25 June 2009. New York Times. 5) From a conversation with the writer.