Ireland’s first international contemporary art event begins on Sept. 6 through to the end of Oct., featuring work from over 90 Irish and international artists. Venues are located throughout Dublin’s historic locations and allow the capital to become one big gallery space for all to experience. Artists from Cuba, Switzerland, UK, China, America, and Italy are among some of the exhibitors.
Supervised by New York-based curator and writer, Christian Viveros-Fauné, and Franco-Peruvian artist and curator, Jota Castro, the exhibition title is taken from William Butler Yeats’ famous poem, Easter, 1916.
The eight-week event billed as: “Presenting politically and socially motivated works from local, national and international figures, new and recent works will be exhibited from artists including Willie Doherty, Dexter Dalwood, Jim Lambie, Thomas Hirschhorn and Teresa Margolles” as stated in a press release.
Venues accommodating the exhibition include Dublin’s vast 18th century Victorian buildings, former University site, Earlsfort Terrace, (occupying the same venue as the National Concert Hall) the Iveagh Gardens, the Douglas Hyde Gallery, the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and the Royal Hibernian Academy.
Within the Earlsfort Terrace site, The Iveagh Gardens venue will function as an outdoor sculpture garden, featuring a titanic sculpture by Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn and a photographic exhibit portraying a wounded Iraq war veteran by American Nina Berman, entitled Marine Wedding among others. The Annex will house a multiplicity of sound works titled All Together Now.
As part of Culture Night 2011, on Sept. 23, Dublin Contemporary are offering a chance to visit the main exhibition venue at Earlsfort Terrace for free, limited tickets can be booked on the website.
Works hosted by The National Gallery of Ireland include a new commission by Irish artist Brian O’Doherty, noted for conceptual and installation art along with his writings on art and its attendant ideologies.
Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht who announced the programme said: “This autumn, Dublin Contemporary 2011 will greatly enhance Ireland’s reputation as an important cultural destination and will attract a large international and domestic audience. Ireland needs the arts to lead the way in innovative thinking and Dublin Contemporary 2011 is to the forefront in this area.”
The minister also announced additional funding this week of over 1.2 million euro for touring of work in Ireland in theatre, music, traditional arts, literature, visual arts, young people’s programming and dance. The Arts Council said that the funding would enable 38 individual artists and organisations to take their shows on the road until July 2012 reaching all corners of Ireland.
Minister Deenihan said: “In our Programme for Government we are committed to protecting the State’s investment in regional arts infrastructure … not only will the shows be of interest to local people and complement their own arts activity on the ground, but the work will undoubtedly bring cultural tourism opportunities to these towns and villages.”
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