Dublin Contemporary 2011

Dublin Contemporary 2011

Ireland's first major international contemporary art event takes place from September 6th until October 31st 2011. Dublin Contemporary 2011 is one of the most ambitious art exhibitions ever staged in Ireland. The work by over 90 international and Irish artists is presented at multiple locations in the dynamic, historic capital of Dublin under the theme Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance. The title was taken from William Butler Yeats’ famous poem “Easter, 1916”, the poet's response to turn-of-the-century political events and the world’s societal, cultural and economic triumphs and ills. The second part of the exhibition’s title underscores Dublin Contemporary 2011’s emphasis on art that captures the spirit of the present time, while introducing the exhibition’s chief organizational engine: The Office of Non-Compliance. Headed up by Dublin Contemporary 2011 lead curators Jota Castro (artist/curator) and Christian Viveros-Fauné (critic/curator), The Office of Non-Compliance will function as a collaborative agency within Dublin Contemporary 2011, establishing creative solutions for real or symbolic problems that stretch the bounds of conventional art experience.

Dublin Contemporary’s central exhibition will be presented at the vast 18th century Victorian building and former University site, Earlsfort Terrace, as well as at some of the city’s best known landmarks including, the Iveagh Gardens, the Douglas Hyde Gallery, the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane and the Royal Hibernian Academy.

The carefully selected presentation of work aims to investigate and reflect on emerging developments in contemporary art. Presenting politically and socially motivated works from local, national and international figures. Some of the many highlights we found interesting are the titanic sculpture by Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn, an installation by eminent Greek artist Jannis Kounellis, a series of powerful photographs portraying a wounded Iraq war veteran by American Nina Berman, entitled ‘Marine Wedding’, new video works by Israeli artist Omer Fast and Irish artist Niamh O’Malley, as well as a major interactive multimedia sculpture by the Chinese artist Wang Du.

The Italian painter Alberto Di Fabio, known for his interweaving of biological and cosmological imagery, will present a number of new works, as will Irish painters Mairead O’hEocha and Brian Maguire. Also on exhibit will be an extraordinary large-scale sculpture of a giant squid by German artist David Zink Yi and a striking piece by Bulgarian Nedko Solakov. Emerging artists, including Ella Burke (Ireland), Ludovica Carbotta (Italy), James Deutsher (Australia) and Miks Mitrevics (Latvia), will all present new work side by side with commissions by leading figures such as mounir fatmi (Morocco), Jorge Tacla (Chile) and Corban Walker (Ireland).

Collaborative practices from Ireland and abroad are also well represented in this exhibition. They include, among others, the artist collectives The Bruce High Quality Foundation (USA), Claire Fontaine (France), goldiechiari (Italy), Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor (Ireland), and Superflex (Denmark). Performance pieces include, among other works, new commissions by the artists Amanda Coogan (Ireland) and Teresa Margolles (Mexico).

For more information about tickets, venues, artists and educational programs visit the official website.