Disarticulation // New Work by Emer Ní Chíobháin
disarticulate - /dɪsɑːˈtɪkjʊˌleɪt/
verb 1. to separate or cause to separate at the joints, esp those of bones
This exhibition of new work by Emer Ní Chíobháin, curated by Gerald Heffernan, engages in the act of disarticulation both conceptually and practically. Severed heads which have been dried, blocks of lard and gelatine, footage of live pigs, footage of humans making porcine noises and a pigs face worn as a mask make up the material content of the work. Analysis of the materials alone traces the progress of rendering the pig from live animal to abstracted material. The machinery used brings to mind scientific experimentation and the conscious act of extorting material from a live subject. The exploration of the pig as a corollary to human cognisance can be seen particularly in the vulnerability of the photography and the strange human mimicry of porcine behaviour. There is an explicit sense of detachment or abandonment in the imagery which seems to hint at a sense of impotence or uncertainty played out in violent or bizarre behaviour. This exhibition does not sympathise with the condition of the pig rather it continues the process of abstraction. How we as people negotiate concepts such as death and meaning is channelled though the the pig's ability to extend its usefulness beyond its natural life. Existential uncertainty expressed through violence is ever-present. |
The MACHISMO Project // |New Work by Conall Cary & Gary Dempsey
THE ROUGHLY HEWN NARRATIVES OF ‘MACHISMO’ AND THE COMPLEX PRESSURES OF TRADITIONAL GENDER CONSTRUCTS ARE EXPOUNDED THROUGH A FORM OF SELF-REFLEXIVE HUMOUR; A HUMOUR WHICH ACTS AS A FRONT PARADOXICALLY REVEALING THE WEIGHT OF THE SUBJECT MATTER ENTAILED'
The MACHISMO project was a series of exhibitions and symposiums based in the TACTIC project space at Sample-Studios Cork City as well as artist-led gallery 126 in Galway City in 2013. There is a deficit of work in current contemporary art practice which confronts masculinity directly as its subject matter. The Machismo Project was conceived as a means by which this neglected area of research could be examined and explored. Through exhibitions and symposiums a dialogue was opened up where the complex pressures of traditional gender constructs can be unpacked and discussed. This project did not hope to provide answers to the issues it raised but rather to begin to subvert and question the roughly hewn narratives of machismo and its intersection with society. Within the exhibitions the topic of male identity was explored by artists Conall Cary and Gary Dempsey through printed imagery and innovative construction methods. The work consisted of large scale prints on cast concrete and cut steel, utilising the inherent masculinity of the materials size, strength and toughness juxtaposed against the surface imagery. In cooperation with the exhibitions panel discussions and a series of screenings took place to further open up the dialogue. A broad spectrum of speakers were invited to take part in the discussions, from academics and art practitioners to community workers. The aim of the symposium was to constructively develop the conversation about machismo within a social context providing the framework with which to view the exhibitions. http://www.machismo.ie/ |
The Young Ones at RUA RED and TACTIC
The TACTIC curatorial team present: 'The Young Ones', with new performance, sound and video works by emerging Cork artists. The content of the work in this project will be thematically centred around the experience of surreal humour through performance, sound and video. The title 'The Young Ones' alludes to the age of the participating artists in reference to the YBA (Young British Artists) movement while also referencing the absurdist comedy television show from the 90's of the same name.
Meaning woven like the many threads of a rope finds its strength not in the individual elements but in the totality of its construct. It is impenetrable and serves only to degrade in its deconstruction producing meaningless, conflicting and partially formed fragments. To seek this deeper meaning beneath the surface will lead the viewer into an absurd labyrinth devoid of inherent essential meaning. This human tendency to search for meaning is the absurd act itself; both humorous and tragic in its inane quest. Featuring Video and Performances by: The Project Twins Rachel Barton Kieran Healy Jamie Stack Michael Foy Róisín Bohan with Róisín Murphy The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers. - Princess Leia, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope |
New Living Artist III at IMOCA & Steambox
Every year the Irish Museum of Contemporary Art offer a carte blanche invitation to a new curator, so that the design, selection and presentation formats of the annual exhibit continue to be tested and evolve alongside the New Living Art on exhibition.
In 2012 IMOCA selected curators Gerald Heffernan and Pamela Myers to invoke an unsettling or unnerving response through the selection and hanging of pieces. The curatorial approach was to recognise this theme and to integrate it into a sensory experience of the work, which was achieved through an aggressive and harsh layering of audio, visual, physical and olfactory disturbances. Including work from Danila Anca, Daire Irwin, Andrei Varga, Gerry Davis, Ramon Kassam, Damien Magee, Paul O’Neill, Rouzbeh Rashidi, Paul Quast, Aoife Flynn, David Upton, Siobhan McGibbon, Padraig Spillane, Rob Ireson, Emer Ni Chiobhain, Rory Mullen, Kevin Tuohy, Liam Slevin, MargaretO'Brien, Adam Gibney, Stephen McGlynn and Moya Clarken. |