29 July 2011 – 9 August 2011

An exhibition featuring Shane Cullen’s Fragmens sur les Institutions Républicianes IV opens to the public on 29 July at Coláiste Feirste, 7 Páirc Radharc na bhFeá, Bóthar na bhFál, Béal Feirste (7 Beechview Park, Falls Road, Belfast), as part of Féile an Phobail. The exhibition is presented here in association with the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s National Programme.

Shane Cullen is an Irish artist whose largely text-based work deals with political issues, often specifically with official documents and symbols. Fragmens sur les Institutions Républicianes IV (1993-1997) consists of ninety six large tablet-like panels onto which the artist has transcribed meticulously in paint the contents of the numerous Comms; the written communication smuggled in and out of the H-Block prisons during the period of the 1981 hunger strike campaign by Republican prisoners. The subject matter is controversial and subversive but presented in a highly disciplined fashion that references historical, sculptural monuments. Each painted word is straight-jacketed into a typeface, which mimics official government documents. More recently Shane Cullen was commissioned to create an artwork on the subject of the Good Friday Agreement, signed in Belfast in 1998.

The exhibition coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Hunger Strikes. Fragmens sur les Institutions Républiciances IV is part of IMMA’s Collection, having been purchased in 2000.

Féile an Phobail is based in West Belfast and provides a programme of arts, cultural and community-based activities throughout the year with its flagship festival, the August Féile, being the highlight of Ireland’s largest community arts festival.

The central aim of the Irish Museum of Modern Art’s National Programme is to establish the Museum’s core values of excellence, inclusiveness and accessibility to contemporary art on a national level. Focusing on the Museum’s Collection, the programme facilitates offsite projects and exhibitions in a range of venues and situations throughout Ireland. IMMA aims to act as a resource at a local level through working in partnership and relying on the knowledge and concerns of the local community. Partner organisations are wide-ranging and include a variety of venues both in traditional art and non-arts spaces, allowing for far-reaching access and interaction.

Opening launch Friday 29 July at 11.30am

VISITOR INFORMATION: Exhibition continues until 9 August. Opening hours Monday – Saturday, 11am – 4pm (closed Sundays). Admission is free. The exhibition is located at Coláiste Feirste, 7 Páirc Radharc na bhFeá, Bóthar na bhFál, Béal Feirste (7 Beechview Park. Falls Road, Belfast).
Visit: www.feilebelfast.com