IMMA ANNOUNCES 2024 SUMMER PROGRAMME 

– Take a Breath, a major new exhibition that examines why, how and what we breathe.

– Living Canvas at IMMA, Europe’s largest digital art screen on the grounds of IMMA.  

IMMA is excited to present Summer at IMMA, a vibrant summer programme of free events that includes exhibitions, performances, screenings, talks, workshops, tours and more, taking place in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham from June to August.

The 2024 summer programme includes the opening of two new exhibitions, Take a Breath, provides an historical, social, political, and personal examination of breathing; and When the body says Yes an immersive video installation by Dutch artist melanie bonajo presented in IMMA’s stunning 17th-century Baroque Chapel.

IMMA is thrilled to present Living Canvas at IMMA in partnership with IPUT Real Estate, Dublin’s leading property investment company and supporter of the arts. The Living Canvas large-scale outdoor art screen is located on IMMA’s front lawn, allowing visitors and the wider community to enjoy a vibrant programme of artworks by Irish and international artists throughout the summer.

The summer programme culminates with EARTH RISING, a festival of free events and experiences aimed at addressing the climate crisis taking place from the 20 – 22 September.

Programme Highlights

Take a Breath is a major new exhibition opening on Friday 14 June that provides an historical, social, political, and personal examination of breathing – why we breathe, how we breathe and what we breathe – exploring themes of decolonisation, environmental racism, indigenous language, the impact of war on the environment and breath as meditation. Featuring the work of Marina Abramović, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Ammar Bouras, Alex Cecchetti, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, Ana Mendieta, Hajra Waheed, JMW Turner, among many others, the exhibition will also explore breath through movement and sound with performances by Okwui Okpokwasili in collaboration with Peter Born, Maria Hassabi, Isabel Nolan with Belinda Quirke, and Camille Norment Trio with Crash Ensemble.

Taking as its starting point the nature of breath and its vital role in our very existence, the exhibition reflects on the social, political, environmental, and spiritual aspect of breathing. Tracking this vital act from the impact of post-industrial air pollution to modern-day wars and the effect on environment, health and how we live; to the suppression of protests of voices from different communities, where breath is a symbol of community and resistance; and the use of breath as personal meditation.

Opening on 26 July, When the body says Yes, is an immersive video installation by melanie bonajo (they/them), a queer non-binary Dutch artist, filmmaker, sexological bodyworker and somatic sex coach and educator. The installation is part of the artist’s ongoing research into the current status of intimacy in our increasingly alienating, commodity-driven world. For bonajo, touch can be a powerful remedy for the modern epidemic of loneliness.

Throughout the summer Living Canvas at IMMA will feature film and moving image works by artists including Clare Langan, Helen Cammock, Bruce Conner and Derek Jarman. The summer programme will also include one-off film screenings on selected Thursday evenings from 6 to 8pm. The Living Canvas at IMMA programme opens with the screening of renowned American artist Bruce Conner’s iconic work CROSSROADS. This mesmerising and haunting 1976 short film will be shown as part of the opening of Take a Breath, from 13 June. This will be followed by the premiere of Irish artist Clare Langan’s epic new work Alchemy, 2023, launching on 27 June and screening from 2 July.

Summer at IMMA celebrates Pride Month with a special programme of events that includes the workshop Voguing at IMMA with Haus of Schiaparelli who offer a space for queer folks to find social support, to kiki and to grow, both within and beyond Ballroom; a book launch of Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage and conversation with the photographer Gilbert McCarragher; the screening of The Angelic Conversation, 1985 by Derek Jarman and Brunch with SHREM a relaxing afternoon of Pride tunes in the Camerino Bakery café. There will also be a special IMMA MEMBERS evening with Seanchoíche, a storytelling night exploring love and empathy to celebrate Pride.

Live Performances by contemporary visual artists in the galleries and grounds of IMMA include artists Alex Cecchetti, Mark Cullen, Lisa Freeman, Irina Gheorghe, Maria Hassabi, Okwui Okpokwasili with Peter Born, and Frank Wasser. IMMA Talks invites renowned critical thinkers, writers, artists, and international curators to share their contemporary views. From keynote speakers, artists’ discussions and gallery talks to offer deeper reflection on themes of breath, care, gender, representation, and resistance.

IMMA is delighted to offer our spaces for a variety of community events, gatherings, and workshops as part of Summer at IMMA. Collaborations with community groups provide diverse opportunities for engagement through guided tours, dedicated workshops, or simply offering a space for communal gatherings. Summer events include Turban Yourself a workshop led by the Bahian artist Thaís Muniz, founder of the Turbante-se platform, who has been researching the rich history and practical techniques of turbans and headwraps in Afro-Atlantic cultures since 2012.

Summer at IMMA’s much-loved programmes, delivered by IMMA’s Visitor Engagement Team, will continue this year. These include Slow Art Tours, Art & Mindfulness workshops, yoga classes, heritage tours, biodiversity tours, family workshops and Parent and Baby Hour.  

IMMA’s popular Music in the Courtyard series continues on Sunday afternoons and will feature a monthly family Céilí with live trad music and a Céilí caller who will put you through your paces.

To round off a very special summer season IMMA will present EARTH RISING, a festival of free events and experiences aimed at addressing the climate crisis and inspiring collective action towards a sustainable and hopeful future. Now in its third year, EARTH RISING will take place from 20 to 22 September and promises an unforgettable experience that seeks to provoke, inspire, and empower audiences to become agents of change.

The award-winning Camerino Bakery café which includes an outdoor van and a beautiful indoor café is open all summer for delicious lunch and treats.

– ENDS –

For further information and images please contact:   
Monica Cullinane E: [email protected] T: 086 2010023  
Patrice Molloy E: [email protected] T: 086 2009957 

Additional notes for Editors 

Summer at IMMA 
June / July / August
Webpage with full details and calendar: SUMMER AT IMMA – IMMA

Take a Breath – Opening Events 
Opening Reception: Thursday 13 June 2024 / 6 – 8pm

Artists’ Conversation with Alex Cecchetti, Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński, Isabel Nolan, and others, at 5.30pm. Booked out.
Live performance of Alex Cecchetti’s Torneremo Onde, Torneremo Foreste (We will return as waves, we will return as forests), set within the immersive installation Medusa Mothers (2022), takes place in the galleries from 6 to 8pm.
Film screening of Bruce Conner’s film CROSSROADS, 1976.

Take a Breath Talks Series  

Discussion and Screening on Ana Mendiata 
Saturday 15 June / 2 – 4pm / Lecture Room 
Join us for a discussion and film screenings on the radically experimental work of Ana Mendieta (American, born, Cuba. 1948–1985) with special guest Raquel Cecilia Mendieta, who will screen two short documentaries, Ana Mendieta, Nature Inside and Whispering Cave. This event offers reflection on the continued significance of Ana Mendieta’s work and why the artist was a true pioneer of Performance Art. Book here.

Curators Talks Series: Take a Breath 
Sunday 7 July, 2 – 3pm / No booking required / Meeting point Reception 
Join Mary Cremin, Head of Programming, IMMA, for an in-gallery discussion of Take a Breath that explores a selection of works in the exhibition.
 
IMMA MEMBERS  
IMMA MEMBERS offer access to a calendar of seasonal events, retail discounts at the IMMA Shop, and bespoke merchandise, and on 20 June will host its second event of 2024 in collaboration with global storytelling phenomenon, Seanchoíche. Celebrating Pride 2024, some familiar faces from across the arts, comedy, and activism will tell their stories in IMMA’s People’s Pavilion, exclusive to IMMA MEMBERS. Tickets will be made available on 4 June and 7 June, to IMMA MEMBERS exclusively. To access the booking link, make sure you are subscribed to the IMMA MEMBERS newsletter by 7 June. To become an IMMA MEMBER click here.