Irish Art Scene

Our current Artist in Residence, Zin Taylor, will give a talk in The Model on his practice on Wednesday December 7th at 6pm. Zin has become known internationally for his elaborate installations encompassing elements of performance and sculpture along with drawing, printing, and video. Narration is an essential ingredient of much of Taylor’s multifaceted work, and his stories are often culled from the undergrowth of popular culture (more specifically underground music scenes) and contemporary art lore. Journalism, research, storytelling: not surprisingly, both the spoken word and the printed word figure prominently in Taylor’s practice and many of his installations have also been accompanied by publications and/or artist books. The talk, as much as it will be about his work, will traverse a wide variety of influence, anecdote and past history to arrive at the basic principle behind what it is Zin Taylor does – the development of thoughts about a subject in...

“Returning” is an exhibition of works by local artist Georgia Hopkins. The paintings are atmospheric seascapes and landscapes inspired by the natural beauty of Cork and West Kerry. Artist’s Statement ‘Returning’  I chose ‘Returning’ as a title for a number of reasons. Initially it was a literal, working title, as I would be returning to the lovely Alliance Franҫaise de Cork gallery of my first solo exhibition. As I thought more about it however, this title resonated on a number of different levels. The very fact of having this exhibition necessitated my own returning: to the painting process, to the quietness of mind that that both allows & demands, and to my enduring source of inspiration, which is the wonder and beauty of the natural world. It is always a great pleasure to return to my inner connection with nature, to the universal energy, to the place in us all that makes us both unique in spirit yet connected with everything and everyone else. ...

 Structure is John Macormac’s new solo exhibition of recent works on card, paper and wood. The title refers to the artist's interest in combining different elements and techniques to construct works that provoke a subjective sense of atmosphere, and a relationship of entities that coheres in the mind of the viewer. The artist combines collage, oil paint, acrylics, emulsion, ink, spray paint, conte crayon, chalk, felt tips, pencil and anything else that appeals. Found photographs and fragments of text can be included because of a personal sense of meaning, or purely as passages of visual ‘noise’. The work does not start with a finished image in mind. Rather it carries a sense of practical progression; each new area suggests the context and space for the next aspect of the piece. The artist will often work on several at a time. Pieces are often playful, while rough edges and accidents are encouraged. The work is in a constant state of evolution and reinvention. L...

What is a nation? And what do we need to be considered part of a nation? This event aims to consider our identity as curators, as Italians, as Europeans in a precarious time, especially because of politics and economics. We are living in hard times: both Ireland and Italy are suffering due to the global crisis and our governments are forced to cut funds to support culture. Thus the art system is in danger and a lot of people have decided to leave their own country to find other possibilities abroad. The “new emigration”, composed of graduates and highly educated people, art professionals, doctors, engineers, is changing an entire social system, especially in Italy. Taking inspiration from the financial crisis and funding cuts, the event will focus on the reaction of artists to these issues, their interpretations of the causes and effects, and their strategies to address or overcome them. Quoting Boris Groys, “artists today are using the same forms and proces...

Helen Sharp is an artist living and working in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Helen grew up on the tiny Hebridean island of Vatersay in Scotland and left the islands to take up a place in Edinburgh College of Art where she gained a First Class honours in Sculpture and received the Andrew Grant Bequest Scholarship for Highest Academic Achievement. Helen went on to gain a Masters with Distinction in Time Based Art from Dartington College of Arts gaining the highest degree result in her year. After some time teaching and also exhibiting internationally many times, Helen went on to be director of Catalyst Arts Gallery in Belfast and then to complete a PhD in Art from the University of Ulster. Alongside and equally as important to her academic career, Helen has continued her art practice and recently had a major solo show called the `Hero and Now’, exhibiting film,  photography, print and installation. Helen was one of five shortlisted artists for the Cultural Olympiad...

This major mid-career survey of the work of the internationally admired Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander covers a decade of her work. A Day Like Any Other highlights her unique contribution to the narrative of Brazilian Conceptualism and reveals her wide ranging, interdisciplinary practice that merges painting, photography, film, sculpture, installation, collaborative actions and participatory events. Three installations in the exhibition involve direct visitor participation. The first, I Wish Your Wish , 2003, is based on a tradition at a church in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, where the faithful tie silk ribbons to their wrists and to the gates of the church; and, according to tradition, their wishes are granted when the ribbons wear away and fall off. At IMMA hundreds of similar ribbons are printed with visitors’ wishes from Neuenschwander’s past projects exhibited elsewhere. Visitors are invited to remove a ribbon from the wall and tie it around their wrist. Acc...

Located In the north east inner city Dublin, Fire Station Artists’ Studios was established in 1993 to support professional visual artists. Fire Station provides subsidised residential live/work spaces for visual artists. The studios are let for up to two years and nine months and for shorter periods for international artists. A long term residency at Fire Station allows an artist to focus on their practice and general career development in a supportive and well-resourced environment. Fire Station provides large scale sculpture workshop facilities and training opportunities for artists through its Skills Programme. This programme has expanded to include digital and film training and continues to host technical training and master classes which incorporate critical reflection. A key policy of Fire Station is to contribute to the debate on collaborative and socially engaged arts practice. This is achieved through working with both local and international ar...