Renowned international artists for Tulca Festival of Visual Arts

Date Published: {J}

Tulca 2011 Festival of Visual Arts returns to Galway next month with a packed programme of exhibitions, events, talks and workshops. 

 This year’s festival, entitled ‘After the Fall,’ will run from Novemnber 4 to 20 and will examine aspects of the recent fall-out in Ireland, by addressing artist responses to political, social and economic collapse. ‘After the Fall’ will also consider re-imaginings for the future, in the wake of these collapses.

The festival programme was launched on Monday at the GMIT Cluain Mhuire campus by Michael Carmody, President of GMIT, and James C Harrold, Galway City Council’s Arts Officer.

Curated by Megs Morley, the Festival’s 2011 programme includes the work of many renowned international artists, whose work has not previously been exhibited in Ireland. This year’s Festival, entitled ‘After the Fall’, will include Russian collective, Chto Delat? (What is to be done?), and also work from well-known Irish artist Jesse Jones.

Chto delat? is a Russian collective, made up of artists, philosophers and writers, that sees its diverse activities as a merging of political theory, art and activism. Formed in 2003, the group’s ideas are rooted in their observations of post-perestroika Russia, and in principles of self-organisation and collectivism.

Museum Songspiel: The Netherlands 20XX is a film work by Chto Delat?, set against the background of Dutch politics in the year 20XX which will be screened in the Tulca Festival Gallery, where Nikolay Oleinikov of Chto Delate? will also create a site-specific installation for the Festival.

Dublin-based artist Jesse Jones’ practice reflects and re-presents historical moments of collective resistance and dissent. In her films and videos she explores the gesture of the revolutionary action, and finds resonance in our current social and political landscape.

Jones’ new work ‘Against the Realm of the Absolute,’ will be exhibited in Galway Arts Centre throughout Tulca. Adapted in part, from Joanna’s Russ’s feminist Sci-Fi novel from 1975, ‘The Female Man,’ this film work attempts to attend to the multiple possible futures we might face and how, through this very act of fictional speculation, we may in turn open up critiques of our present reality.

Jesse Jones has exhibited internationally at the 9th Instanbul Bienniale, Nought to Sixty at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts as well as Solo shows in RedCat Los Angeles and Collective gallery in the UK.

Since its establishment, Tulca has been associated with utilising unusual and quirky spaces across Galway City, and the 2011 Festival is no exception.

The Festival trail will bring visitors into contact with adapted gallery spaces that serve to compliment and indeed present an artist’s work in a new way.

More information on the festival is available at www.Tulca.ie.