K2 Contemporary Izmir

I visited K2 Contemporary in early August 2012. A difficult place to find or even hear about. I have a loose contact with a gallery in Istanbul that sent me the link, (a google search of 'Art Galleries Izmir' doesn't bring them up.) Thankfully I had someone familiar with the area with me, or I doubt I would've found it! So while circling the beautiful old port-side building, we spotted the sign in the window on the third floor. 

The building was quite captivating, immediately I thought of 'From Russia with Love', a timeless Turkish place, standing still. Original Turkish tiles paved the long twisting corridors and an inner courtyard formed the centre of the building. This variety of corridors leads you through a hive of activity; art studios, art schools, offices, etc. An old c1920's lift, untouched by modernization enhances the scene of this bohemian building. Through our adventure of this wonderland, we came upon the Art Centre; a few rooms at the end of the corridor. 

I had some great photos of this wonderful building and art space, the quirkiness of a building that has had many reincarnations through the years! Unfortunately my camera was stolen a few days later, a story for another day... *sigh

A photographic exhibition hung inside the Gallery. Probably a student show, enough said about that. 

To be honest the space itself won my attention more, and I went about the space snap happy with my camera, visualizing my paintings on the walls... My partner and I discuss the work, the space, looked out the windows, examine the beautiful floors; though it's one room, we really did linger. A nice place to be.

We had a good chat with one of the staff. She filled us in on a few details about the place; the main programme won't start until September. I'll return in Autumn, I think to myself. They also put on an Triennial, the next one due to take place in 2013. She kindly gave a catalogue from 2010, which I've subsequently ploughed through hoping to get a better idea of the art scene in Izmir.

One line stands out from one of the articles; 'Izmir is a city where conservative, preservative people live, who resist the new' Borga Kanturk, pg 46. 

This, I fear, surmises the art scene in the city, as I asked 'Where do I go next? Where's the other galleries?' 

The answer; 'This is it! not many others really...' 

That said there's something very exciting about the place, a rawness or freshness, the lack of information available about it, the rarely updated website, the singular beauty of the lone gallery. Curious. 

'Life Drawings' exhibition pics

                                          

Preview of 'Life Drawings' @ Draiocht

EXHIBITION OPENS 13th June 2012 19.00

Draiocht, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

All Indian Ink on Paper, except one pencil

51 x 35.5cm + frame

 http://www.draiocht.ie/events/allyson_keehan/

LIFE DRAWINGS Exhibition

My next Exhibition Opens Wednesday 13th June at Draiocht Blanchardstown 19.00

Poised, elegant and sophisticated; Keehan’s depiction of the nude harmonises the academic tradition with gentle intimacy. Through the medium of Indian ink on paper, she gives a fluid lightness to the subject. Controlled and deliberate brush marks are juxtaposed beside happy instances of drips and bleeds, with watermarks giving life and movement to the subjects. The drawings are taken beyond the study of the human form and the models expression and identity come to life. Life drawing is seen as one of the enduring and most difficult themes in visual arts. Keehan’s approach is both expressive and considered, a complimentary extension of Keehan’s other work in oil paint. 

Born in Limerick in 1978. Keehan graduated from Byam Shaw School of Art (University of the Arts London) in 2004 with a MA in Fine Art, after completing a BA(Hons) Fine Art Painting in 2002 from Limerick School of Art and Design. Keehan has exhibited widely including London, Berlin and extensively through Ireland, including solo shows ‘Shimmeriing Synthetic Appearances; I Want To Put You Back In’ at Queen Street Studios Gallery, Belfast in January 2012 and ‘Lookie Likie; Mimetic Protagonist’ at The Molesworth Gallery in 2011. Keehan won the Merit Award in The Golden Fleece Award 2012. She is exhibiting in this years RHA Annual, and in January 2012 she started a six month residency in the RHA Studios. In 2010 Keehan undertook a residency in Takt Berlin. She now lives and works in Dublin.

Shimmering Synthetic Appearances; I Want To Put You Back In

Shimmering Synthetic Appearances; I Want To Put You Back In

Exhibition of recent work at Queen Street Studios Gallery Belfast
http://www.queenstreetstudios.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=78

Ostrich Feather in Blue Light, Oil on Linen, 2011

Opens tonight 19th January, 6pm- 9pm
Artist Talk at 5pm...

Continues till 18th Feb 2012

POSITIONS at Wandesford Quay Gallery, Cork

GAIA PROJECTS 
IN ASSOCIATION WITH CIT CRAWFORD COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN ARE PROUD TO PRESENT:


“POSITIONS”



a group exhibition at the CIT Wandesford Quay Gallery running from Friday 6th January – 31st January 2012.

“Is the syntax that requires beginnings, developments and ends as statements of fact the only syntax that exists? That's the real question. There are other syntaxes.
There is one, for example, which demands that varieties of intensity be taken as facts. In that syntax nothing begins and nothing ends; thus birth is not a clean, clear-cut event, but a specific type of intensity, and so is maturation, and so is death.”
Carlos Castaneda: “The Active Side of Infinity”
Why do certain artists choose to follow traditional methods of creating art, while others feel free to make videos, performance and installation?
Is there a place for tradition within contemporary practice, or has today’s cutting edge art lost sight of skill and craft?
While a love for tradition may hold back certain artists from exploring new syntaxes, does the freedom to create anything in any way mean that contemporary art is being made in a vacuum? Or are both directions simply differing “intensities” of creation?
This exhibition seeks to explore the various artistic positions that artists have taken and why.


DERMOT BROWNE / KELLY RATCHFORD / GAVIN HOGG / ENDA O’DONOGHUE
NEDYALKA PANOVA / TOM CLIMENT / BRIAN DUGGAN / KIWOUN SHIN
NICHOLAS ROBINSON / ALLYSON KEEHAN / CHRIS DORIS
EOIN LLEWELLYN / AOIFE DESMOND / TINY LITTLE HORSE
MIGUEL SOARES / MICHAEL CULLEN
http://www.facebook.com/events/180749378688989/ 
Wandesford Quay Gallery, Clarke’s Bridge, Cork http://ccad-research.org/gallery/

I want to be painted by George Condo

Two fantastically amazing exhibitions on in the Hayward Gallery- George Condo and Pipilotti Rist. I’m a longtime fan of Condo, but I guess now that I have certain questions concerning parts of my painting practice some thoughts came to me about Condo’s technique. Condo’s use of paint is as peculiar as the content; some paintings have in parts a heavy use of medium, maybe liquin. This leaves patches of gloss beside (rather than on top of) matt areas of oil paint. The unregulated wet and dry look to the paintings can be distracting due to the reflection of the lights, but when compared to the content it exaggerates the mania within the composition.

In the large room, one wall is devoted to portraits. The Salon-style hanging adds to the Renaissance appropriation of painting styles used by Condo. I feel privileged, though slightly disturbed, by the glimpse inside his head; meeting the absurd characters that knock-about within. I particularly like ‘The Psychoanalytic Puppeteer Losing his Mind’ 1994, ‘Three Armed Man’ 2002, and ‘Escaping Figures’ 1998. 

Across from this wall are the three crucifix; Christ with the two thieves. My initial perception was of how brilliantly he depicted their torment and mania while hanging on the cross; bursts of colour exploding out of Christ with his bulging eyes, the other two thieves, equally distorted as the realisation of their slow death. However I was disappointed when I read that the burst out of Christ was confetti- I’m sure the poor fella didn’t feel much like celebrating… so I’ll stick with my first idea that it’s some kind of painful mania bursting out of his body… 

In Room 2, the walls are painted a burnt umber and fall back completely, which let the characters pop out. Condo captures the inner crazy in all of these characters. The accompanying text says we all know somebody like them, but I think it’s more- we all have one of them lurking beneath. I want him to paint me.