The biggest cultural and historical weekend these shores have ever seen may have passed but there are still a treasure trove of exhibitions and events on nationally to continue the cultural outpouring. In this installment of Picture This, following on from visual and musical spectacles of last weekend, we’re throwing light on video and music themed shows on nationwide. From personal accounts of childhood, to comments on city architect and pieces about relationships these is something on for all to enjoy. Words by Aidan Kelly Murphy.
Belfast: “An exploration of the mythologies of past events and relationships.”
What: Other & Father
Where: The Metropolitan Arts Centre
When: 5th February to 24th April
Presented in the Sunken Gallery in The MAC in Belfast is the latest work by American artist Mariah Garnett. Her father, from whom Garnett was estranged from until just over 10 years ago, was originally from Belfast and featured in a BBC documentary in 1971. The documentary, which looked at the relationship between him a Protestant male and Maura a Catholic Girl, forms the root of Other & Father. Presented as a diptych are the original documentary and a re-enactment featuring Garnett as her father. Included with these works are extracts of her diary that she kept while exploring Belfast and the world her father once occupied, as well a third video is shown which captures Garnett and her father watching the original documentary which he never saw when released over four decades ago. Other & Father is a powerful look at the histories of people and is an exploration of the mythologies of past events and relationships.
Full details on the show are available here.
Cork: “A rare insightful look into the formation and exploration of an artist.”
What: Hold The Candle To Your Eye/Light The Criss-Cross On Your Chest
Where: Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh
When: 10th March to 24th April
Hold The Candle To Your Eye/Light The Criss-Cross On Your Chest, the latest exhibition from artist Richard Proffitt on in the Sirius Art Centre in Cobh, sees a return to childhood and is drawn from Proffitt’s childhood artistic musings and memories. The exhibition echoes its location in Ireland’s great immigration port of Cobh and is a look at both the themes of departure and arrival for the artist. Accompanying the works is a 15-year digital archive of Proffitt’s musical escapades which cover personal experiments as well as previously created works for other shows. This show is a rare insightful look into the formation and exploration of an artist and one not to be missed.
Full details on the show are available here.
Dublin: “Imitation of Life showcases Siegel’s distinctive and alluring tracking shots.”
What: Imitation of Life
Where: Temple Bar Gallery + Studios
When: 19th February to 9th April
Imitation of Life is the first solo exhibition in Ireland by renowned American artist Amie Siegel. Featuring two of Siegel’s most recent video pieces: In The Architects and Quarry, Imitation of Life showcases Siegel’s distinctive and alluring tracking shots. Both pieces are comments on industry of architecture and design in major cities, as well as specifically looking New York city itself. In The Architects looks at spaces within New York and the vast architecture created for modern cities, while Quarry documents the life of marble from a cave in the Vermont to plush New York apartments with an accompanying orchestral soundtrack. Imitation of Life presents not just one but two rare opportunities to see Siegel’s work Ireland – seize it.
Full details on the show are available here.
Kilkenny: “Illustrates McAdam’s skill as a mixed media artist and the depth to which she researches.”
What: Strangers: Film & Drawings
Where: Butler Gallery
When: 29th March to 24th April
Entitled Strangers: Film & Drawings, the current exhibition on in The Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, is the first collation of films by Irish writer, director and filmmaker Trish McAdam. Spread across four rooms in the gallery, the show is broken into three which showcase six of McAdam’s films with another dedicated to her charcoal drawings. The films include a trio of charcoal animated films – A Poem to Liu Xia (2015), No Enemies (2012), Caged Bird (2012) – that sought to raise awareness about human rights activists and artists in China. The room of charcoals illustrates McAdam’s skill as both a mixed media artist and the depth to which she researches and explores the subject matter of her films. Strangers: Film & Drawings offers an unrivalled look at McAdam’s work so be sure not to miss this opportunity.
Full details on the show are available here.
