12 Irish Artists:
David Beattie
Rhona Byrne
Brendan Earley
Aleana Egan
Fergus Feehily
Mark Garry
Kevin Kirwan
Bea McMahon
Niamh O’Malley
Locky Morris
Dennis McNulty
Tamsin Snow
“I don’t even know who I am anymore. Who am I? Do you know who you are?” Hari asks. “Yes, all humans do,” Kelvin replies.
It is a function of our biology to strive to survive day to day. Our futures – and our forming identities – depend on the choices we make. Once we make a choice, we are oblivious to other possible futures; but we sometimes remain transfixed by the path not taken, its unknown and unfilled potential. We can have regret, imaginings and even memories of that unknown possibility.
In Andrei Tarkovsky’s film of the sci-fi classic Solaris (1972), psychologist Kris Kelvin meets his dead wife on a space station in mysterious disarray. She is confused and asks Kelvin who she really is. Michel Foucault wrote in The Politics of Truth, “One of the main moral obligations for any subject is to know oneself, to tell the truth about oneself, and to constitute as an object of knowledge both for other people and oneself.”
The artists in this show reflect on the everyday experiences of materials, of literature, music, our interaction with knowledge and the incomprehensible phenomena of aspects outside of ourselves, which we accept but may not understand. The artists’ processes and the physical outcome is the telling of their journey, and the choices and mistakes made are perhaps analogous to getting to know oneself.
Aleana Egan solo show, The Drawing Room, London, 2010, Berlin Biennale, 2008, Art Statements, Basel 2009. Dennis McNulty, Performa NYC 2011, Centre Cultural Irlandais, Paris, 2011. Rhona Byrne, Curators’ Paul O’Niel, project, Tasmania, 2011, Commonage, IRL, 2011. Mark Garry, Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh 2010, solo show Hugh Lane Gallery IRL, 2010, represented Ireland at Venice Biennale, 2005. Bea McMahon, 2011 two person show CCA Glasgow, 2011 John Latham Foundation, London. Locky Morris, 2011 solo show Cultural Arts Centre, Letterkenny, 2010 Mother’s Tankstation, Dublin. Fergus Feehily, 2011 Stuart Shave Project, Modern Art, London, 2011 Tanya Bonakder, New York. David Beattie, solo show, Temple BarGallery + Studios, Dublin, 2011, Mattress Factory, 2010. Tamsin Snow, UNBUILDING, Mermaid Arts Centre, Co Dublin, 2010. Brendan Earley, RHA, solo show, Dublin, 2012, solo show Mother’s Tanksation, Dublin, 2011. Niamh O’Malley, Dublin Contemporary 2011, Screening, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, solo show Green on Red Gallery, 2011. Kevin Kirwan, Limerick City Gallery, 2012, Cake Contemporary, solo show, 2011, Gracelands, 2010.
Curator: Aoife Tunney, Independent Curator, Curator-in-residence, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, 2010-2011.
Associate Curator: Chris Fite-Wassilak, Writer, Critic and Independent Curator based in London and Dublin.
Curatorial panel members:
Gavin Delahunty, Head of exhibitions & displays, TATE Liverpool.
Seamus Kealy, Director, The Model, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sligo
Caoimhin Mac Giolla Leith, critic & curator.
Declan Long, Course director, Art in the Contemporary world, NCAD, Dublin.
