The Ábhar agus Meon workspaces are a web 2.0 wiki environment where the artists involved in the exhibitions can exchange ideas and comment on eachother's works and thoughts.
Visitors are invited to explore the workspaces at their leisure.
Ábhar agus Meon is an international contemporary art exhibition series exploring relationships between the themes and practices of art and archaeology. It occurs as part of Ireland’s hosting of the Sixth World Archaeological Congress in June/July 2008 at University College Dublin.
All events and exhibitions have been curated and directed by Ian Russell in collaboration with Niall Bergin, Supervisor, Kilmainham Gaol, Gabriel Cooney, Professor, School of Archaeology, UCD, Ruth Ferguson, Curator, Newman House, UCD, Christina Kennedy, Senior Curator, Irish Museum of Modern Art and Jerome O Drisceoil, Director, Green On Red Gallery.
Event Brief
We live, capriciously enmeshed in a world of things. In the process of human becoming, both artists and archaeologists, as skilled negotiators, mediators and translators of things, have opportunities to steward, provoke and subvert our intra-relationships in the shared ecologies of our world. Today, artists and archaeologists are turning towards each other to exchange experiences, narratives and revelations about our shared world. The Ábhar agus Meon exhibitions series celebrates new and also longstanding relationships between art and archaeology through the practices and processes of contemporary arts.
Continuing the collaborative exhibition of contemporary art and archaeology established by the Rosc exhibitions in Ireland in the 1960s and 70s, Ábhar agus Meon turns towards the rich etymologies of the Irish language to present the challenge of negotiating, mediating and translating the relationships entwining humans and things. ‘Ábhar’ carries meanings of not only materials and matters but also subjects and themes, while ‘meon’ hints at mentality, ethos, spirit and temperament. Rather than merely asserting polarisations of mind and body, the theme Ábhar agus Meon suggests a multiplicity of intra-relationships between mutually indistinguishable conceptions of things and thoughts.
Ábhar agus Meon will occur in spaces throughout Dublin with a special focus at University College Dublin and the Sixth World Archaeological Congress. Local and international contemporary artists will offer new and old work in exhibitions, installations and performances on UCD’s campus, in Newman House on St Stephen’s Green and at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Through their work, Ábhar agus Meon will explore the materials which constitute things, the tempering of materials through artistic and archaeological processes, the shared subjects of artistic and archaeological inquiry, the collaborative spirit of artistic and archaeological endeavours, the ethos of artistic and archaeological mediations, and the mentalities represented, constructed and subverted through artistic and archaeological expression.
For further information regarding submission guidelines or event programming, please contact the curator, Ian Russell (ian.russell(at)amexhibition.com).
Discussion
For over 25 years my artwork has explored the subtleties of ritual and imagination. Irish prehistoric art, bronze-age artefacts, early monastic metalwork, 20th century design and architecture are my creative influences. Equipped with this visual vocabulary I create artefacts that often combine the textured surfaces and flowing lines of our past with the strong and austere forms of modern architecture. The ultimate goal is to create a work of art that is timeless, thought provoking and responsive to the human spirit. A childhood divided between the rich monastic ruins of Tipperary and the skyscrapers of Manhattan has profoundly influenced my sense of place and the way I approach the creation of intimate artefacts or site-specific installations.
As an artist, Kevin has a singular style and profile, which succeeded in having him named as one of the 100 most influential Irish Americans by Irish America magazine in 2007. His works have been purchased by collectors the world over including Nelson Mandela, King Carl Gustus (Sweden),The Japanese Imperial Family, President Bill Clinton and King Juan Carlos (Spain) . His work is featured in public collections including the High Museum (USA), Racine Museum of Art (USA), The Victoria and Albert Museum (UK),Ulster Museum, Espace Paul Ricard (France), Governor’s Palace (Belgium), Sculpture in the Parklands and the National Museum of Ireland. O’Dwyer has represented Ireland in over 40 international exhibitions as well as lecturing and teaching masterclasses in Europe and the United States. He founded Sculpture in the Parklands, a pioneering land-art sculpture park in Lough Boora Parklands, Co. Offaly in 2002. He directs and curates the on-going programme at the sculpture park which provides artists with the opportunity to respond to the rich environmental and industrial heritage of the peatlands.
O’Dwyer’s mastery of metalworking married with his vision for public sculpture and sensitivity in landscape intervention promise to make his residency and commission a unique contribution to UCD’s growing public art collection, capturing the dynamic discussions of WAC 6 in the flowing forms of his artwork.
Participants of WAC 6 and the UCD scholarly community are invited to meet Kevin during his residency and contribute to the conversations which will lead to the final realised piece. For anyone wishing to arrange a private meeting, please contact Ian Russell (ian.russell@amexhibition.com) who will make every effort to accommodate requests.
More information on Kevin’s work can be found at: www.millennium2000silver.com
More information on Sculpture in the Parklands can be found at: http://www.sculptureintheparklands.com
More information on the Sixth World Archaeological Congress can be found at: http://www.ucd.ie/wac-6 Art at UCD
University College Dublin is commited to the support of ambitious public art initiatives which dynamically challenge students in their learning environments while reaching out to the wider community by inviting people to experience the campus as a site of artistic excellence. More information is available at: http://www.ucd.ie.
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