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The Visual Artists’ News Sheet
Roundup Oonagh O’Brien, Robin Parmar, Patricia
A Walk in the Woods The Courthouse Arts Centre, Wicklow presented Greg Tierney’s exhibition of new paintings ‘A Walk in the Woods’ (21 Mar – 18 Apr). The press release explained how the show took inspiration from the ways in which “trees have always had a keen connection with man as a source of
Reed, Fiona Reilly, Christopher Mahon, Tia Schmidt, Lytle Shaw and Jimbo Blachly, Myles Shelly, Sunghoon Son, Spiritstore, Christine Tauber, David Theobald, Allard van Hoorn, Tara Whelan and Xia Peng. www.eva.ie
shelter, firewood or building materials”.
Column
Chris Fite-Wassilak
Underneath the Cuts, The Beach
Catalyst Arts Catalyst Arts, Belfast presented a fivechannel version of Michael Fortune’s We Invented Halloween (4 Mar). As the press
Arts funding provides an interesting societal portrait in miniature. In a debate that’s
release noted, Fortune’s work follows his
becoming increasingly dichotomous, on the one side are conservative calls for cuts,
mother disguising her identity year after
privatization and the rule of the free market, on the other a social democratic model
year, to fool his grandmother, who imagines her daughter to instead be a
Rubicon Gallery
May – June 2010
great-grandchild.
www.tinahely-courthouse.ie
www.catalystarts.org.uk
which views federal funding for the arts as a necessary social balm. McCarthy and An Bord Snip Nua’s calls for the dissolution of Culture Ireland and the Film Board were hardly surprising in their view of art as the baby fat of business, while the accusations of ‘censorship’ following the threat of such closures is also no new thing. The ‘c’ word
Catherine Delaney
clearly isn’t accurate, as it’s not deliberate silencing: but what do you call the closed
Verge Symposium
Solstice Arts Centre presented ‘Pile’, an
GMIT, Galway recently hosted a
exhibition by Catherine Delaney (24
symposium
Mar – 24 Apr). Delaney’s work was
coinciding
with
the
circulation of Verge, a new visual art
described by the gallery notes as
roads, extinguished possibilities, and things that ‘might have been’ if only the money was there? I wanted to write an article about similar examples over the years, parallel
publication focused on contemporary
decisions and axed agencies, and its deleterious effects on that locality’s art scene. But
art activity outside of urban centres (19
it is hard to follow a non-existent trail. In 2005, the Canadian Tories shut down
Apr). The press release noted “Verge is an
PromArt, the equivalent to Culture Ireland. It’s hard to say exactly the knock-on effect
alternative to urban-based visual arts
of this. But how many Canadian artists have you seen lately? Ok, so Paul Butler
publications and contains articles from
brought his ‘Reverse Pedagogy’ project to the Model Niland in September last year.
Byrne at the Armory
writers, artists and poets on issues
Anyone else?
For the 2010 Armory Show, New York,
relating to rural arts and profiles of
I do believe that the lack of funding is having and will have very real consequences,
pertinent projects.” The panellists for the
in terms of the visibility, circulation and opportunities for engagement with
symposium were Jay Koh, Megs Morely,
contemporary visual art. Take, for example Circa’s, current suspension of publication.
“converting the gallery into a makeshift recycling centre for the collection of unwanted clothes”. www.solsticeartscentre.ie
The Green On Red Gallery presented Subject, a three-channel work for monitors by Gerard Byrne (3 – 7 Mar). Byrne’s work was described as addressing “Brutalism in University architecture of the 1960s as a ruin, an allegory of a lost pedagogical civilisation, which had been shaped in the form of a modular machine.” www.greenonredgallery.com
Tom Molloy Dove (X-ray) No.2 25 x 20 cm.
The Rubicon Gallery, Dublin recently presented ‘Aftermath’, an exhibition of new works by Tom Molloy (24 Mar – 24 Apr). The press release explained, “Molloy’s practice has revolved around politics, history, war, and justice, around
Pat Cooke, Michaele Cutaya, Dr. Anne Byrne, Dr. Aine Macken Walsh, Jenny Haughton, Catherine Marshall and Deirdre O Mahony. www.gmit.ie
intersections, and our own complicity in
discussion of Irish contemporary visual artists’ work. In the UK in 2005, and the Netherlands last year, funding cuts accompanied when less is available to fewer people, public spending dumbs down, leaving the risks
Byrne @ Lismore
to be taken by small projects and venues on their own. It’s telling to see that it is fringe, speciality organisations internationally that have actually had to close: Community
them.” Micky Donnelly
domestic coverage and comment, Circa the only dedicated platform for critical
attempts to provide funding to new organisations and support younger projects. But
morality and mortality. His new works delve deeper into these subjects, their
While the VAN, Source photography journal and the Irish Arts Review still provide
The following show was the self-
Cultural Development New South Wales shut up shop in March, the funding from the
titled exhibition of painting by Patrick
Australian government pulled after 25 years. Kaleido, the charity that provided
Michael FitzGerald (29 Apr – 29 May).
training and development to assist deaf and disabled artists in southwest England,
The press release noted that FitzGerald
closed its offices the same month.
employs “direct approaches to picture making. Fragmentary, doubtful and
Gerard Byrne A Thing is a hole in a thing it is not still
Maybe there are positives – the squeeze can squeeze back. Bureaucracy is the baby fat that needs to be slashed, and a culture of experimentation and daring, away
always very close to their moment of
Lismore Castle Arts, Waterford has
conception or extinction they have an
announced that their 2010 exhibition
undeniable contemporary feel, there is
will be a solo showing by Gerard Byrne
frequently something more akin to the
(24 Apr – 30 Sep). The exhibition will
Micky Donnelly Placement Oil on Fabric 24 x 30 cm
restless modernist impulses, and extreme
feature four separate films about
Taylor Galleries, Dublin presented
contrasts, of Pierre Bonnard, Liubov
minimalism, shown parallel to one
‘Prospects, Propositions, States of Affairs,’
Popova or Clyfford Still.”
another, alongside work focused the
sponsorship taking on the mantle of arts funding to the current Conservative Shadow
efforts of two actors and a director
Minister of Culture, Jeremy Hunt. (By the time you read this, we’ll know whether the
attempting to understand a script
‘shadow’ has been dropped.) But he wants the government to step out of the scene and
through dramatisation.
the suits to step in at a time when private investment in the arts in the UK is actually
www.rubicongallery.ie
an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Micky Donnelly (19 Mar to 10 Apr).
from the watchful eye of the State, should be a boon for the Irish arts scene. As an interesting side note, one could trace the rise of conceptual art being taught in the UK’s art schools alongside Thatcher’s cuts to education funding. Limitations can be productive. Thatcher shared a similar misty-eyed view of philanthropy and corporate
Donnelly’s works were described as
Simon Burch
“exploration of visual ambiguity and the
Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge
restless shifting of perception and
presented Simon Burch’s exhibition of
association intrinsic to our everyday
photography ‘Under A Grey Sky’ (25 Feb
experience”.
– 30 Mar). The gallery notes explained
news that New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has pulled his program of funding
that Burch’s work studies “the bogland
through the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which helped support small, local
areas of Co. Offaly, the black landscapes
non-profit projects throughout the city.
www.mickydonnelly.com
www.lismorecastlearts.ie
ev+a 201
of turf, and the community and
‘Open / Invited EV+A 2010 / Matters’ is
individuals who live and work there.”
need only look to LA, where its Museum of Contemporary Art was nearly derailed
George Vaughan
after a drastic fall in its traditional private donations. More dismaying is the recent
Solutions? Well, firstly get used to the idea of text-based and found art being even more prominent the next few years. Financially, spaces like the Wysing Arts Centre
www.riverbank.ie www.sburch.net
now on show in various venues across
falling. Hunt cites the American tradition of philanthropy as an ideal model, but one
near Cambridge are paving more quietly practical routes, using their studios and
Limerick (13 Mar – 23 May). The selected
project space as a springboard to a group of individual and corporate investors who
artists are Peter Carroll, John Gerrard,
Spontaneous Generation
collectively own a body of work. Setting up a website to get documentaries for social
Tom de Paor, Peter Maybury, Shin
The Zach Feuer Gallery, New York
Egashira, Eva Hild, Rebecca Ivatts, Hans
presented ‘Spontaneous Generation,’ a
change seen and sustained, Goodscreenings.org is giving an alternative route for
Josephsohn, Michael Kane, Peter Märkli,
group exhibition featuring work by
Staffan Nihlén, John Pickering, Stephen
Lynda Benglis, Sarah Braman, Alistair
Rothschild , Sai Hua Kuan, Janna
Frost, Fergus Feehily, Zak Prekop, Ken
Syvänoja, Wang Ruobing, Kaspar Aus,
Price and Kevin Zucker (Feb 6 – Apr 3).
Matthew Beattie, Javier Burón & Eleanor
The press release noted of the exhibition,
Moloney , Loretto Cooney, Aoife
“The works might re-imagine moments
Desmond, Simon English, Tom Fitzgerald,
from Modernism, as they happened in a
Leo Fitzmaurice, Christina Gangos-Klien,
parallel universe that is just slightly
Stephen
Hällsten,
different than this one … they signal a
Fionnuala Hanahoe, Karen Hendy, Sandy
rejection of the notion that every artwork
Kennedy, Kirsty Kilbane, Caoimhe
dealing with abstraction must call
Kilfeather, Valérie Kolakis, Christopher
attention to its condition as a palimpsest
Leach, David Lilburn, Sarah Lincoln, Liu
or collage of the works that came before
Wei China, Jacob Maendel, Francis
it.”
Hall,
Johanna
Matthews, Maria McKinney, Ben Mullen,
www.zachfeuer.com www.fergusfeehily.com
filmmakers to distribute their films and a digital-age version of the filmmakers co-op. George Vaughan – work from 'Time Place Memory'
Providing a bespoke license fee, you pay for the right to screen the film, then you can
The Butler Gallery, Kilkenny presented
keep any profits made from the event. Simple.
‘Time Place Memory’, a series of new
Meanwhile, Julieta Aranda and Anton Vidokle’s ‘Time/Bank’ project has only
paintings by George Vaughan (6 Mar –
gotten as far as getting a bankroll of their friends to design hypothetical notes for the
18 Apr). The works in the show were described as “a refined body of work, simple in style, employing a visual vocabulary reflective of the mature artist making work afresh … born from a particular experience, or in reaction to having spent time in a specific place”. www.butlergallery.com
unit of time traded, but its implications might just prove further reaching. Taking a community volunteer structure as the basis for a wider economic model, Time Banks have developed mainly in the US as a means of creating mutual charity and commitment independent of cash. Aranda and Vidokle have imported this into the art world: “if you happen to be in Beijing or Hamburg and need someone to help you go shopping for materials or translate your press release, you would be able to draw on resources from your time/bank account without money changing hands.” So, now if you can just get that funding to put on that show in Berlin, and you might just have an international art economy on your hands…