art Archives - ACOMSDave

Ulster Museum

09/09/2020 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Ulster Museum Ulster Museum - Outside Sculpture

Dear Sir or Madam

I was an avid user of the museum before the lock-down, and in particular, the art galleries, and have really enjoyed the exhibitions over the last three years since my return from Spain, where I had been living for a year.

I was wondering though if it would be feasible to plan ahead and have some exhibitions to cover the areas of:

Chinese paintings – maybe something to rival the ‘Masterpieces of Chinese Painting: 700-1900 put on at the V&A
An exhibition of Henri Matisse and some of his contemporaries
An exhibition of Leonora Carrington’s work,
Willy Conor’s work based around the book Conor’s Attic, published by Ormeau Books

It is difficult to suggest areas which might be explored, as I have no idea what the current breadth of paintings and other artistic artefacts are held by the museum and its contemporary institutions which you could borrow from.

I am also very conscious of the terrible burden that the COVID 19 virus both in terms of finances and staffing, has had on institutions like yourselves.

I look forward to hearing from you in due time.

Yours faithfully

Dave

Reply:

Today I received a lovely reply from the Ulster Museum.

…

Dear Mr McFarlane

Thank you for your interest and enquiry about future exhibitions. I have copied a number of colleagues into this reply so that your ideas and suggestions can be brought to their attention. If you would like to know more about the art collection at the Ulster Museum you can explore the Art UK website. Unfortunately as I am working remotely I can’t send you a link to this site on this email however I will try to send it separately.

With best wishes

Anne

…

What made this very satisfactory is that I made my first visit to the museum since ‘lock-down’. It was a surreal experience in that I had to book my visit first online, then on arrival, I had to queue to have my ticket validated and have the route explained as everything is one-way.

Obviously the standing exhibits have not changed, and whilst I did stop at one or two, I moved quickly on to see the art exhibitions which are always my main interest points.

In the main gallery, there is an exhibit of Ursula Burke ‘A False Dawn’ which is on display carried over from lock-down. Ursula’s work explores abuses of power in the social and political realms of the West (National Museums NI) The main room consists of busts and other individual pieces on separate stands. For me, it was interesting to look at the pieces and in particular the faces of what was white males and compare against that of the one black man’s head – the difference in the facial expression does stop you in your tracks and make you think.

There was another wonderful exhibition on art which had been produced before the realm of posters, postcards, television etc as a means of educating people about exotic places. Two striking pieces are those of Susanna Drury (fl.1733 – 1770) which she had painted of the Giant’s Causeway. It is even more poignant as the museum has pointed out that little is know about her.

East Prospect of the Giant's Causeway (c.1739)

National Museums NI

East Prospect of the Giant’s Causeway (c.1739)

There was another exhibit and also the main standing one – but you need to visit and look for yourself.

Gilbert & George

20/06/2019 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

This Gilbert and George exhibition has now ended, and I was fortunate to be able to see all the exhibits on three different occasions.

Wikipedia says that …Gilbert Prousch,sometimes referred to as Gilbert Proesch (born 17 September 1943 in San Martin de Tor, Italy) and George Passmore (born 8 January 1942 in Plymouth, United Kingdom) are two artists who work together as the collaborative art duo Gilbert & George. They are known for their distinctive and highly formal appearance and manner in performance art, and also for their brightly coloured graphic-style photo-based artworks.

So the MAC brought three galleries of Gilbert & George’s work for display and discussion. And indeed, if nothing else, the works do provide discussion items. The exhibits are large, and you do need to take time to peruse each item, and the parts that make it up. However, I must state now that it was not a body of work that excited me. I came away from the exhibit looking for a theme, for a catch that made the series of displays of highly technical works gel together with each other, other than by colour – and for me, they don’t.

It was obvious that there were references to London streets, to various political statements, but I needed more context. I was looking for the story and I didn’t find one.

Should the Gilbert & George exhibition be in your area, I would urge you to go. Potentially you will see something that I missed – I hope so.

PS – having just been to the Ulster museum this weekend, there is one large piece by Gilbert & George on show on floor 4 – so if you missed the main body of work, at least you could catch up with one piece.

Location: The MAC [Metropolitan Arts Centre] – Belfast

Dates of show: 22 Jan – 22 April 2018

Art I have Bought

17/02/2019 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Over the last month, as I always do, I have haunted charity shops to look for books, postcards, music and art which I find interesting. I am combining December 2018 and January 2019 together for this article due to the holiday, and I have to report that it has been a success, the art I have bought from my finds is exciting (at least for me).

I have bought the following:

From a charity shop in Newcastle, Co Down this lovely oil painting. It is not by any recognised artist, indeed some of the work is very naive, but I love the topic.

Then from another charity shop in Belfast, near Rosemary Street, I found the following two prints. Both in excellent condition and of an excellent size also, both have no name or artist attributed, so if you know please comment:

10 postcards which cost me £2.50

It is an eclectic mix, and each has been bought because it will bring enjoyment to myself and hopefully others.

The £3 sailing boat seascape is hanging with pride of place in my bedroom at present (I am soon to redecorate my apartment, so locations will change)

The two prints I shall have to get framed and they will then hang in my study/art room to give me inspiration (or to create a guilt complex because I haven’t done any drawing or painting!)

And lastly the postcards have been bought for me to send to friends. I still love writing properly to my friends and giving them the joy and surprise when a postcard arrives through the letterbox.

So you can the art I have bought, whilst not expensive, will be enjoyed and cherished, just as much as the art I see in galleries and museum – but these I own

2017 – Royal Ulster Academy of Arts Exhibition

11/02/2018 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

The RUA (Royal Ulster Academy of Arts) 136 Annual Exhibition took place last year in the Ulster Museum, Belfast. The exhibition was on the 5th floor of the museum (one floor up from the Game of Thrones (GOT) tapestry) and the consisted of works by 266 artists, 169 of whom had been selected from countries, including Germany, Poland, USA< France, Italy, Finland and Denmark.

A backdrop to the RUA’s exhibition was the display of Poppies: Weeping Window sculpture by artist Paul Cumins and designer Tom Piper. The original installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Sea of Red’ was originally at HM Tower of London in 2014. This installation was to reflect, as with all 14-18 NOW projects, aims to prompt a new, nationwide dialogue around the legacy of the First World War.

Whilst there is no direct link between the two events, the sculpture of poppies certainly made for an interesting talking point for many visitors, whether this is outside, in the refreshment area, the shop or the other areas of the museum.

Returning to the RUA exhibition, for myself, I did not find any of the items on display stood out as exceptional. They were obviously all of a high calibre, selected for their excellence by the panels, however, I did go back to the exhibition three times and from my visits I came away with these artists as someone to relook at:

James Allen RUA – Blue Sea (Oil on paper)
Neisha Allen ARUA – Doorway (Oil on Board)
Daniel Chester – The Gap (Oil on aluminium)
Dan Dowling ARUA – In the city (2) (Pencil on paper)
Eileen Ferguson – Crossing (Photo etching)
Leila Henry – Ballyhernan Dune II (Charcoal on Arches)
Belinda Larmour – Kevin (Acrylic)

Crossing

Kevin

As I said I did go back to the exhibition a number of times and was drawn over that time by a few pieces which seem to hold an affinity for me. They stopped me, made me think and reflect, and after all that is what art in any shape or form should do – I look forward to this years exhibition, and again will be asking what would I like on my wall, what could and would I talk about but wouldn’t have on my wall?

Apply for GFEST

17/04/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

{Reprinted from GayTimes)

Are you an artist? Apply for GFEST

You could be the next star in the making

London’s annual gay arts fest, Gaywise FESTival, kicks off in November and they’re looking for talented entrants who fancy themselves a bit of recognition.

Organised by arts charity Wise Thoughts, the festival accepts expression of interests from LGBTQI filmmakers, artists and performers in three main categories: Films (shorts and features), Visual Arts and Performances.
Niranhan Kamatkar, director of GFEST, said: “This year we will work with venues that will actively promote the profile of these artists. The festival has been offering an excellent platform for LGBT films and artworks over the last 8 years now.”
Working alongside these established names, you could gain invaluable experience as GFEST is internationally recognised as a high profile event by media and other festivals.
Visual artist and trustee of Wise Thoughts, Dr Trevor Wood MBE, said: “This has helped many new and aspiring artists with their careers. Taking part in GFEST can help promote your work within the mainstream arts industry in London and wider afield.”
More info on the festival and how you can get involved can be found here.
Words Rebecca Peel, @BeccaPeel

PHOTOS: A Luke Smalley Retrospective

12/04/2015 By ACOMSDave Leave a Comment

Droll, witty, and tensely erotic, Smalley’s work takes place in an invented time and space, like one you dreamed of when you were young.

Reprinted from The Advocate: BY CHRISTOPHER HARRITY – APRIL 11 2015 4:00 AM ET

There is something so enjoyable and likable about Luke Smalley’s work, that it only emphasizes the early loss of his talent. Inspired by school athletics and high school yearbook photos, Smalley takes the gay male gaze past the closet-y subterfuges of Bruce Weber and into a more analytic perception of youth, male ritual, and sexuality.
After Smalley died unexpectedly in 2009 at the age of 53, the Smalley Partnership was formed for the purpose of continuing Luke Smalley’s photographic legacy. The art gallery ClampArt, in the Chelsea district of New York City, currently represents the efforts of the Smalley Partnership.
ClampArt is currently presenting a retrospective exhibition of photographs by Luke Smalley ongoing until May 9. The show includes examples from Smalley’s first black-and-white series, “Gymnasium,” in addition to his two color collections—“Exercise at Home” and “Sunday Drive.”
ClampArt
531 W. 25th St., Ground Floor, New York City, 10001