The much anticipated reopening of the main building at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in October, coinciding with the opening of five exhibitions including a major retrospective of the work of Eileen Gray, one of the most celebrated and influential designers and architects of the 20th-century; the presentation of two pioneering exhibitions This Situation by the acclaimed British-German artist Tino Sehgal and an exhibition by a new generation of young European artists I knOw yoU; the launch of IMMA’s Collection online and an extensive programme of public talks and events which have been devised to engage with the themes of IMMA’s exhibitons are some of the exciting developments taking place throughout 2013 by the Irish Museum of Modern Art and announced today (Thursday 18 April) by IMMA’s Director Sarah Glennie. The 2013 programme also includes the haunting film work Secretion, 2012, by leading artist Willie Doherty, first shown to critical acclaim at dOCUMENTA 13; an exhibition exploring the relationship between art and cinema, Cloud Illusions I Recall, which includes some of the most important artists of recent times such as Cindy Sherman, Ed Ruscha, Marcel Broodthaers and Andrei Tarkovsky; and the first major retrospective of Leonora Carrington’s work in Ireland, a significant figure in the Surrealist art movement who exhibited alongside André Breton and Max Ernst.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, Sarah Glennie said: “I am delighted to launch IMMA’s 2013 programme on the occasion of the opening of this our major new exhibition I knOw yoU. IMMA’s programme at our temporary home will continue until September with projects by acclaimed artists Tino Sehgal and Willie Doherty and this extensive show of some of Europe’s most exciting young artists. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to our home at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham for the opening on 12 October of our new season of exhibitions which includes a major retrospective of the work of Eileen Gray, one of Ireland’s most important cultural figures, rarely seen work by Leonora Carrington, a group exhibition of young Irish artists and a significant new exhibition drawn from our Collection. We are grateful to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and all our partners for their invaluable support in making this ambitious programme possible. We hope that our audiences will find plenty to enjoy over the coming year.”
IMMA’s first exhibition of 2013, Analysing Cubism, which explores the early decades of Cubism and features the work of such celebrated Cubist artists as Albert Gleizes, Evie Hone and Mainie Jellett continues its successful run in the New Galleries at Kilmainham until 19 May. From April IMMA presents two dynamic exhibitions at its off-site venue, IMMA at NCH, in Earlsfort Terrace – This Situation which offers visitors the first opportunity to experience British-German artist Tino Sehgal’s innovative approach to art, in which he responds to and engages with gallery visitors through the use of conversation, sound and movement; and I knOw yoU an exhibition by a new generation of young European artists, curated by artist Tobias Rehberger; Nikolaus Hirsch, Director of Städelschule, and IMMA’s Head of Exhibitions Rachael Thomas, which examines the idea of cultural capital, what it means to be European, and ideas at the core of the financial heart of Europe.
From 21 May IMMA presents the film work Secretion, 2012, by leading Derry-born artist Willie Doherty in the Annex space at Earlsfort Terrace. Secretion is a new direction for the artist and attempts to engage, not only with the landscape as it looks today, but also as a repository of the memories of past experiences and our apprehension about the future. Cloud Illusions I Recall, which explores the concepts of the poetic and the imagination in cinema, opens in the New Galleries at IMMA, from 22 June. Co-curated by artists Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Cerith Wyn Evans, and IMMA’s Rachael Thomas this exhibition offers a unique and wide-ranging exploration of the relationship between art and cinema. Two special works have been created for the exhibition, a choral performance conceived by Cerith Wyn Evans for the opening night of the exhibition, and the premiere of the unique performance of Lola Montes by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster. The first major retrospective of Leonora Carrington’s work in Ireland opens in the New Galleries on 18 September. This iconic exhibition is a timely rediscovery of this Surrealist painter and her role in the Surrealist art movement.
From 12 October the Irish Museum of Modern Art will fully reopen at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham with four new exhibitions alongside the newly opened Leonora Carrington exhibition. IMMA is delighted to reopen its main building with a major retrospective of the work of Eileen Gray. Designed and produced by the Centre Pompidou, Paris, in collaboration with IMMA, this exhibition is a tribute to Gray’s outstanding career as one of the leading members of the modern design movement alongside such distinguished figures as Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe. Eileen Gray at IMMA is a significant exhibition featuring many of the works shown at the Centre Pompidou. IMMA is the only other exhibiting venue after its first showing at the Centre Pompidou.
Other exhibitions opening at this time include a group exhibition of young Irish artists, In the Line of Beauty, which examines artists’ quiet fascination with the beauty of objects, and includes artists David Beattie, Oisín Byrne, Rhona Byrne, Aleana Egan, Fiona Hallinan, Sam Keogh, Caoimhe Kilfeather, Ciarán Murphy, Lisa Murphy, Joseph Noonan-Ganley, and Ciarán Walsh. The first solo exhibition in Ireland by Swedish-born artist Klara Lidén features a selection of her Poster Paintings, accompanied by a film work. Drawing on IMMA’s Collection, One Foot in the Real World, includes works that explore the urban environment, the everyday or the domestic. The exhibition addresses themes of transformation; the psychology of space; scale and the body; interior and exterior; or dress as architecture.
Other developments to coincide with the re-opening include the launch of the IMMA Collection Online. All artworks in the IMMA Collection will be listed, a substantial number with images and descriptions. The Collection Online is an on-going project, with further images and uploads to be added as the content become available. There will also be a new area in the Museum aimed at welcoming visitors to the range of work in the Collection. The displays in this area will rotate regularly, with an emphasis on showing works for the first time since their acquisition by IMMA. In an exciting new initiative IMMA has invited the Irish Architecture Foundation to take over a gallery space during the run of the Eileen Gray exhibition, from which they will run a programme that will provide contemporary context to Gray’s work.
Highlights from our Education and Community Programme in 2013 include an extensive programme of public talks and events which have been devised to engage with the themes of IMMA’s exhibitons. Drawing on the concept of knowing, in the context of the exhibiton I knOw yoU, IMMA is hosting a number of seminars, talks and events to consider themes such as the role of the art academy, the public intellectual and the experience of the artist as emigrant. This theme of knowing will also inform a range of thematic workshops and activities for families and children. The What is¬_? Programme will address theoretical perspectives, What is Theory?, in the context of I knOw yoU and the practices presented by
Tino Sehgal in his work This Situation.
New projects and events for children include the exhibition Pictiúr, a partnership with Children’s Book’s Ireland and the Laureate na nÓg Office, featuring the work of 21 children’s book illustrators curated by Laureate na nÓg, Niamh Sharkey.
DECIPHER, a three year, €4.3 million Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP) supported by the European Commission, in which IMMA is a partner, is now in its final year. Storyscope is the prototype software from DECIPHER. Using Storyscope’s workspace and tools, museum professionals and visitors can research, develop, and present stories that connect cultural objects across diverse museum collections. In 2013 Storyscope’s usability and performance will be improved through trials, workshops, showcases, and feedback from museum professionals, consultants, and the public.
During the refurbishment of the main building at IMMA in 2013 the Artists’ Residency Programme is working in association with artists’ studios around Ireland to offer young Irish based artists the opportunity to occupy a studio for four months during the partial closure of IMMA. From October 2012 until June 2013 eight artists were nominated to use four studio spaces at IMMA. This opportunity was realised through an open nomination and selection process in conjunction with national artists’ studios. It was initiated to continue providing resources to emerging artists already resident in Ireland during the closure of the main building at IMMA.
For further information and images please contact Monica Cullinane or Patrice Molloy at Tel: +353 1 612 9900; Email: [email protected]
18 April 2013