Curated by Eamonn Maxwell
Coexist is an exhibition that explores hidden practice in contemporary art making, namely the role of the studio development, expressed through works on paper. The artists in the exhibition are best known for other practice – performance, film and sculpture – and have never, or very seldom, shown works on paper. This exhibition will endeavour to unveil the processes involved in the production of works for exhibitions and related projects, much of which is never intended for public interaction.
Ailbhe Ní Bhriain uses collage and composite imagery to construct digital films which explore the physical layers of what the human eye expects to see. For COEXIST Ní Bhriain is exhibiting a series of collages and preparatory drawings made for a new two-part work shot in location at the former, now abandoned, Cork airport terminal building.
Gerard Byrne works in lens based media – film, video and photography. His practice is informed by historical situations and the restaging of interactions that are real or constructed. In this exhibition Byrne is showing a series of images which depict the conditions of his studio/research methodology as he prepares for major projects.
Working at the forefront of live, durational performance, Amanda Coogan’s works are driven by endurance, repetition and ceremonies always undertaken by the artist herself (though sometimes in collaboration with others). Two sets of instructions, one from Coogan to her co-performers and one from a director to Coogan, form her contribution to COEXIST.
John Gerrard’s practice uses technology, in particular 3 dimensional simulations to make a form of sculptural photography, which exists in a space beyond filmmaking, often focused on isolated industrial architectural structures. He is represented in COEXIST by a series of pages from his sketchbooks, showing his working methodology for several concurrent major projects.
Nevan Lahart’s art practice aims to engage in creative collaboration in ways that may be seen as either humorous or deeply subversive, with that humour often acting as the central tenet of his work. For COEXIST Lehart is exhibiting several works that have been the source material for a variety of recent exhibitions and projects.
Sean Lynch’s artworks investigate and reflect upon the methods, understandings and representations involved in dealing with contents of history, recently spotlighting idiosyncratic moments of the past. In preparation for major solo exhibitions at Hugh Lane and Modern Art Oxford, COEXIST features a large contact sheet from his studio demonstrating his research practice for those exhibitions.
