Mend
28 September - 10 November
Artists include: Cristophe Neumann, Slavek Kwi, Karl
Burke, Louisa Sloan, Robert Carr
Mend / brings together five Irish based contemporary
artists, each of whom in their individual way have studied
instinctively familiar elements. The principles of physics
and sound, marketing methods, manufacturing techniques,
and formulas employed by television and filmmakers align
to connect their work.
An innate understanding of the fundamental
principles of their craft and the manner in which they are
developed, merge to create enlightening, inclusive works
rich in possibility and form. Unlike the prevalent themes
of irony and pastiche apparent in much of contemporary art
practice, ideas and structures underpin these artists work.
The five artists chosen for Mend have exhibited
works in Tripswitch*,
as part of the 5th gallery's artistic programme.
*Tripswitch is a revolving organic exhibition
of small works in a disused electrical container, part of
the 5th gallery artistic programme.
Artists include:
Karl Burke / My sculptural work is based in
the fundamentals of three dimensions and our perceptions
of object, space and their relationship.
Viewership is a primary concern in the creation of any of
my work. I design works that encourage physical interactions,
works that navigate the viewer around a particular space
and the object itself. The work pertains to minimalism in
style, using geometric angles and cubes, and draws on other
influences such as mathematics, equations, order and chaos.
Slavek Kwi / Estuary is a sound installation
using pre-recorded composition, diffused through specially
designed speakers-objects. Membranes of speakers are used
as a mechanical vibrating interface to generate other layers
and transformations of original sounds [e.g. steel strings
attached inside the cone of a speaker leading to a metal
plate - As the speaker vibrates, the strings move through
small holes in the plate, producing acoustic sounds.
Original sounds used in the composition are field-recordings:
water, mud, wind, frogs, and sea gulls, from various locations
(Ireland, Tanzania, Denmark, France, Czechie). The potential
of these sounds are further explored by computer manipulations
and zoomed to their essential structures and textures. The
soundscapes environmental character ranges from subtle and
delicate to sometimes very physical sounds, employing extremely
high and low frequencies.
Louisa Sloan / This work explores many elements
that occur between the juxtaposition of idealistic imagery
and the unforgiving nature of reality. An absurd dynamic
exists as a result of the place and point of exhibition
in comparison to the place of execution. In this context
the passivity of such rural scenes and the analytic atmosphere
of the gallery space creates a nervous familiarity between
observer and object. Our image soaked culture has granted
us an embarrassment of visual cliches, that all come along
with their own package of suggested ambience, emotion and
expectation. In examining such imagery, the work intends
to provoke the idealistic sensibilities of typical overt
romanticism.
Cristophe Neumann / At present my primary
practice is an attempt to craft everyday materials into
poetic and beautiful objects for the enjoyment of those
around me. The pieces illustrate my concerns for the reuse
of discarded materials, my love of geometry, pattern and
colour, and an investigation of advertising, packaging,
seduction, and human desire. I gather my source material
from books, magazines, television, advertising, the Internet,
or anything else that fascinates or intimidates me. With
these works I try to analyse and then make poetic the way
in which advertising and packaging create desire and play
on ideas of hope, ensnaring a market in the process. It
presents a fly¹s eye view of the web that connects
producer, promoter, and end user. My installations are made
primarily from found, discarded, recyclable or natural materials
and objects. I use cardboard, newspaper, plastic bags, cloth,
wood, grass, and stones to make short lived or temporary
sculptures based on geometry and engineering principles.
All of my work utilises to some extent ideas of craft and
handiwork and at all times I am engaged in an investigation
of systems, their energy sources, resources, processes,
patterns and participants.
Robert Carr / I have constructed two pieces
for this show the first consists of flat sheets of vegetable
parchment assembled into a triangular corrogate. This was
fixed one layer upon another to complete the forms. The
second incorporates two spheres constructed from multi-layer
birch plywood. Both were assembled, taken apart and reassembled several
times during the construction process. This was necessary
to achieve the concave shape and ribbed effect.
Curated by Mark Garry
Mark Garry is a Dublin based artist, curator
and writer. As a practising artist Mark has exhibited extensively
in Ireland in addition to shows in New York, London and
Manchester. Mark has independently curated a number of shows
over the past two years, including Ascend at Thomas Clarke
Tower Block in Ballymun, Dublin and the revolving Tripswitch
installation as part of the 5th artistic programme. This
year In addition to Mend he has curated mark which took
place at Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar from April to May
and has an off sites show entitled Shift which opens on
the 23rd of September at various locations in Dublin City
Centre. Mark is the visual Arts editor of Homage Magazine.
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