John Gerrard
dal 16/11/2006 al 6/1/2007
Segnalato da
16/11/2006
John Gerrard
Royal Hibernian Academy RHA, Dublin
Gerrard's works could be described as virtual sculptures, which makes them somewhat like film in that they are time based but are also sculptural and photographic. In addition, the artist will show a series of photographs titled 'Dark Portraits'.
Dark Portraits
John Gerrard is an artist whose varied works investigate the emotional possibilities
of digital technologies, creating pieces that allow us to question our physical and
psychological identities, our relations to each other and toward the physical
environment.
Working in the arena of new technology, Gerrard's understanding and manipulation of
the medium is extraordinary. He explores the rift between real and the virtual by
his insistence that real space and time be programmed into the behaviour of virtual.
His sculptures and images frequently hinge around the new temporal and experiential
possibilities to be found in real-time 3D.
The works could be described as virtual sculptures, which makes them somewhat like
film in that they are time based but are also sculptural and photographic. New works
in this show include Smoke Tree (2006), a virtual sculpture with the central basis
formed by an oak tree that is transformed as it emits plumes of dark and swirling
carbon, creating a mesmerising and ever-changing tableau. The work operates from
dawn to dusk, constantly moving around the central motif.
One Thousand Year Dawn (2005) presents a portrait of a young man on a beach, looking
out to sea. There is no movement apart from the roll and ebb of the tide. The scene
seems still and yet the sun rising in the screen will finish it's journey in
September 3005.
In addition, Gerrard will show a series of photographs titled 'Dark Portraits',
which are part of an ongoing project of placing subjects in a completely dark room
and then photographing with a series of flash bulbs. The sitter appears lost,
staring into a void, the visual relationship with the world suspended.
Gerrard was born in 1974 and lives and works both in Dublin and Vienna, Austria. A
recipient of various awards and residencies, including the Siemens Residency at the
Ars Electronica Futurelab in Linz and an Arts Council residency in Banff, Canada,
Gerrard has exhibited widely in Ireland and abroad. He first exhibited in the RHA as
part of Eurojet Futures in 2004 and again in 2005 as part of the anthology
exhibition. Gerrard is represented by Hiliger Contemporary Gallery, Vienna.
A full colour catalogue with essays by Shane Brighton and Christiane Paul, Curator
of New Media at the Whitney Museum, NY will accompany this exhibition.
Royal Hibernian Academy
Gallagher Gallery, 15 Ely Place - Dublin
Tue-Sat 11am-5pm . Sun 2pm-5pm . Thu 11am-8pm
Admission Free