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Young Curators Inc.: The Verdict

26.10.2011

After working with Dublin Contemporary curators, artists and facilitators, the Young Curators Inc give their verdict on the exhibition. Read on to hear what Diane Meyler thought…

The exhibition ‘Terrible Beauty – Art, Crisis, Change and The Office of Non-Compliance’ consists of a wide variety of high quality artworks from remarkable artists. Although many of the pieces depict a dismal ambiance, I found the way they were presented by the artists interesting and uplifting. Many pieces that stood out to me had an underlying meaning that I found appealing. I noticed that an artist’s effort to draw in the viewers’ attention often depends on how the works are displayed and what information is provided.

One of the most personally memorable pieces from the exhibition presenting the themes of ‘crisis’  and ‘change’ was the work entitled ‘Blow Up 160-Subatomic Decay Patterns: Picture of the Village of the Future’ by American artist Kysa Johnson. This is a site-specific work consisting of a 360-degree chalk on blackboard drawing of an Irish landscape composed of subatomic decay patterns. Its domineering presence at all angles around the viewer accentuates its impact, while the simplicity of the drawing’s subject at first glance is a contrast to this effect. What struck me most about this work was the how the artist conveyed the small but significant things in life that people generally tend to oversee. We only notice the detail of the micro patterns when we observe the drawing up close, thus obscuring the entire landscape image. This illustrates our habit of neglecting minor details and taking everyday occurrences at face value without appreciating their existence. The changes that occur in our lives on a daily basis are illuminated by the inconspicuous symbols that make up the entire background. I felt that the room exhibited a morose and haunting atmosphere and almost demanded more space.

The exhibition’s theme of ‘terrible beauty’ is blatantly existent in the Italian collaboration Vedovamazzei’s piece entitled ‘Nave Emmet Native Amer’. The idea of death and transformation is illustrated by this piece while raising ethical issues with regard to its medium. Beautiful pictures resembling floral wallpaper are made using the ashes of an individual sentenced to death in America. These pieces draw beauty from tragic circumstances while bringing to attention the issue of righteousness. When I first saw the pieces, their simplicity was thought-provoking. They are displayed in a spacious room and are the only pieces on the wall. Both pictures are framed and hung at eye level. The lighting in the room is bright, lending the art a peaceful quality appropriate to beautiful images on display. However, after having read the panel of text that stated the medium used, my whole perspective on the pieces changed as they effectively gained a dismal aura. The contrast between their visual impact and their association with death is striking. Its bold statement and relevance to the title of the exhibition was evident when reality closed in on me as I read the panel of text.

Another piece that caught my attention was Wang Du’s ‘Le Berceau’ (The Cradle). Initially, this piece seemed to invite us to return to our childhood. The enormous cradle consists of a massive bed frame with the mattress printed with images of crumpled newspapers so that the viewer is surrounded by pictures and text. Above the cradle is a number of suspended television screens switched to real-time programs, pulling us towards the reality of our media-centred society. I thought the artist’s premise was conveyed in an extremely clever manner as he used the people’s interaction with the cradle to support his idea. The children and adults who happily rock back and forth on the cradle are apparently oblivious to the fact that by doing so, they are proving the artists point about today’s ubiquitous flow of information from all directions to new generations of media and technology-oriented individuals. The piece’s connection with future generations is a contrast to the age-old building in which the exhibition is set. The remnants of the past are still on display within the building, including marks of removed shelving, peeling paint and rough floorboards.  I found this appropriate to the theme of ‘change’ as the surroundings recall the past while in the presence of contemporary art.

In conclusion, much of the artwork on display requires the viewer to take a closer look in order to understand what the piece is about. I found that a prevailing theme was society’s obliviousness to the changing world in which we live. The way in which an artwork is displayed has an effect on its impact and I enjoyed the fact the building remained un-renovated as it brought a sense of the past to the exhibition of contemporary art.

Diane Meyler

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