simon fleming: March 2009

Monday, March 30, 2009

This must be the Place

Well the opening for imoca's inaugural exhibition titled THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (Curated by Paul Murnaghan and Sally Timmons) occurred on Friday 27th. IMOCA asked a number of artist-run organizations to consider the question, how do we think? We ( 126 ) responded with an installation based on the idea of turning the inside outside.
The installation represents the thinking at 126, constructive and subversive. It takes the traditional notion of the gallery space and challenges it...as if everything beyond the confines of the gallery is a work-in-progress.
So here are a few pics of the well attended opening.

The 126 installation.

The Good Hatchery installation

The ART/not art installation.

A good turn out.

126 crew @ the 126 "site"

Trying to keep everything authentic.

Maybe instead of Royal Dutch we should have brought in some of the all to common (for Galway anyway) broken bottle of Buckfast.

So how did the individual organizations respond to the question? The Good Hatchery had a visually commanding presence. I read themes of collection, dispersal and preserving, from their work and think that sums up there modus operandi quite well. I have a soft spot for all things wood so I was rather fond of this piece. Monster Truck recreated the interior of their gallery and held an Art swap. The swap was a great idea reflecting for me at least a community based platform. They had some great pieces in the swap and I regret not participating. Blackletter's contribution was wonderfully simple. A painted chalk board that allowed for open and continual participation from the audience. Which is an appropriate reflection of what Blackletter is. In their own words; Blackletter provides platforms for artists to communicate, exchange, document and publicize. A few of the organizations responses to the question, either didnt address the question at all or did it rather poorly. ART/not art, who answered the question with a question in their statement was one that I had difficulty with. In viewing the piece I could not find the connection or relation of the physical construction to the question posed by the curators. Aesthetically the installation was challenging and interactive. I liked the way the piece commanded the space but beyond that I was left still trying to decipher the link.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Some wee houses

Some small works to be wheat pasted on 126's Imoca project (This Must be the Place)

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

I love getting mail. It stems from the days of ordering punk records and waiting for that all too familiar envelope or package sticking out of the mail box. It was like x-mas. That wonderful feeling came rushing back today as our doorbell rang, and upon opening the door there our Post carrier stood holding a large yellow (ish) envelope. I knew right away what it was. A Canadian Artist and very close and dear friend of mine has sent us a capital B Beautiful piece of hers.
Artist: Shannon L. Phair, Untitled 2009

Thank you Shannon!

Monday, March 02, 2009

Time to move on and other thoughts

Head Light Big Horn, Oil on Board, 24"x16" ish
Ok I think that should do it for now. Teach me to fiddle with things that are not broken. Anyway, I also added little widget thing at the bottom to show who enjoys dropping by this ol' blog. So if you're so inclined please link up down there. ( Upon further reading it seems the widget thing only takes a gmail or yahoo account. So if you have either then sign in if not I'll look around for something more inclusive I guess) Above is a recent painting. Its a smaller format, but I think it works well. We will see how it goes.
So whats new on the Irish front? I mentioned the studio, when I get my gear in I will throw up some photos. 126 had its last show in the Ballybane location. We had a bit of a closing /farewell party. We also had a ceremonial burning of the old sign. The ride home from that night was a wet one and that forced Nina and I to call it an evening a bit early. We (126) are still looking for a new venue but have a few potential places lined up. I'll post as soon as something solid comes through. So I have the good fortune of seeing a couple really good exhibits recently. Nevan Lahart's Ugly Lovely at the kevin Kavanagh Gallery

Photo courtesy of Kevin Kavanagh Gallery
Wonderful installation on multiple interpretations of a single subject matter. The paintings were mostly on found wood and panel and the installations had a playful engaging nature to them. It brought a smile to my face, as I walked through the works. What is it about art that can at times put a stupid grin on your face? There are times I will come into an exhibition and I can almost feel the pupils of my eyes begin to widen. My lips start to part, my heart beat quickens, it is a full body experience, as I take in the visual before me. It strikes me as similar to a chemically induced reaction. It is also art that can start my head to throb, my anxiety to rise, my patience goes out the window and I want to turn around and run. Its at these times that I slip into my mantra "spend some time with it, spend some time with it" I guess that's what I love, the unexpected, the unknown, the challenge of Art.

The other exhibit was Sinéad Ní Mhaonaigh at the Galway arts Centre. Sinéad's paintings are about the act of painting itself. They are thick and lush. When looking at these pieces your eye cant help but slowly wander around the surface, occasionally tripping on a scraping here or a gouge there. Subject-wise She plays or hints at slight constructions, boat like shapes, buildings, and platforms.

Image courtesy of Galway Arts centre: Untitled, oil on canvas, 2008

So here are some recent pics from 126.

Jim brings about the fall of 126 (the sign that is)

I played at being the paparazzi. I think I've been caught.

Apparently the Irish don't care for the Paparazzi either!

And with that we bid adieu