CCUPY

ISSUE 2
2 Occupy Paper Issue Two 3

CCUPY CONTENTS
In the Gallery
‘Island’
Mary Noonan and Damien O‘Connell 04

Talk about their new joint exhibtion in Occupy Space

Occupy Paper is a new online

publication for contemporary art,
which will run alongside the visual art
programme in place in Occupy Space.
Interview
Gareth Jenkins 16
Occupy Space is one of Limericks newest exhibition
T alks about his practice and recent MA in the National College of Art
spaces, located on Thomas street. It has been set up to and Design
facilitate an ever expanding need for artistic exhibition
spaces in Limerick. It is an artist led project, run by members Beth Fox 24
of Wickham Street Studios on a voluntary basis. Occupy
Space is committed to delivering a relentlessly energetic Talks about her practice and new exhibtion
programme of exhibitions and events. Submissions

Our intention is that this space will be a central axis for a

huge variety of creative people to experiment and present Occupy paper is a free
their work. The organization encourages openness and online journal published Review
accessibility to artists and the visiting public alike, and monthly or bi-monthly. Dana Schutz 28
aims to provide an open solid platform for the visual arts. We are actively looking
Our program involves hosting exhibitions of emerging and for contributors to write Deirdre Kelly reviews Schutz’s new show at The Douglas Hyde Gallery
established artists, with a strong emphasis on exhibiting articles, essays, and reviews.
those based in Limerick. Occupy Space also hosts other Occupy paper accepts
artist led projects such as artists talks, seminars and all submissions related to
collaborative events with other creative practitioners and contemporary art practice
organizations. from painting and print
to sculpture, video and
This new visual art journal is intended to expand on the beyond.If you would like
exhibitions and events happening in the gallery as well to be included in the focus
as provide a platform for critique and dialogue between section please send a CV, Focus
5-10 images and a short Laura McMorrow 32
emerging and established artists in Limerick and beyond.
Artists, critical writers and other art practitioners are invited statement about your work. Member of Wickham Street Studios, Limerick
to submit to the journal and engage with it as a means of All submissions should be
testing, experimenting, developing and expanding on new sent by email to :
ideas and concepts.
occupy.space@gmail.com
4 Occupy Paper Issue Two 5

In the Gallery
Occupy Space presents Island, an exhibtion of work by
Mary Noonan and Damien O’Connell. Both artists explore
the concept of the island as a closed space. Much like a
waiting room or prison cell, the island is conceived as a

Island
dual space of infinite limitation and potential. The island is
a place we long to escape or seek refuge.

Mary Noonan and Damien O’Connell The show previewed Thursday 1st of July 7-9pm and ran until 17th July
6 Occupy Paper Issue Two 7

Island Mary Noonan and

Damien O’Connell tell
Occupy Paper about their
respective practices and
their new joint exhibtion
in Occupy Space

OP Tell us a bit about your

academic background,
did you have any
influential tutors or peers?

DOC I did my BA in
Limerick School of Art
and Design and my MA
in Central St Martins in
London.

MN I did a diploma in
Fine Art in DLIADT in
2000; in 2001 I returned
to college and spent
two years in the NCAD
painting department
graduating with a BA in
2003. I recently finished
a two-year Master in
Fine Art (MFA) in NCAD
through the painting
department again, that
was in 2009. The most Both were great tutors with was the best thing I could
influential tutors I had very different approaches, have done for my work. I
were Robert Armstrong, which I think brought out the found it very challenging and
Susan Mac William and best in me. Susan was very extremely worthwhile. I spent
Sarah Durcan. During encouraging and always the two years focusing solely
my masters I was lucky helping me to push the on the development of my
enough to have Susan work further. Sarah asked work, trying to find my own
as my personal tutor the tough questions and personal standpoint as an
in the first year and Farmer’s Daughter, really helped me to focus artist.
Sarah in the second. mixed media,
Mary Noonan 2010
my practise. The Masters
 8 Occupy Paper Issue Two 9

OP What kind of themes and
concerns are explored in your
practice?
MN I use my research into
folklore and superstition to form
the basis/foundation for my
work. There is a strong sense of
narrative to most of the work
and these narratives are often
left open and are not clearly
defined in the finished piece.
I interpret stories I research
embellish and change them
through the process of making
the artwork. In a sense I am
creating my own ‘world’
in my work, using research
and personal memory and
experience. My upbringing on
a farm in county Mayo informs
the work a lot. There is a strong
element of the surreal and often
the pieces are quite sinister.
I’d like to think that the work is
a sort of an amalgam of the
‘real’ world along with another
imaginary parallel world. Much
of my research relates to ‘fairy-
faith’ and stories about the
fairies. For example what drew
me to the fairly common story
of the changeling was how So filthy spuds
multi-layered and imaginative could grow in his
it was, but also how it was a ears..., watercolour,
way for people to explain and watercolour
understand things like disease pencil, pencil and
gold marker on
and mental illness at a time torn paper, Mary
when professional medical Noonan 2010
advice was unavailable to the
majority. These stories for me
are a very imaginative way of
explaining the unexplainable. A
lot of the sources I look at were
written in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth century
from the perspective of the
Anglo-Irish, with people like

Douglas Hyde and Lady
Sperenza Wilde giving great
accounts of folklore. I am
interested in how myth and
superstition have informed
how ‘Irishness’ is viewed
and interpreted and how
it has added to what is an
element of our national
stereotype.
DOC One thread that
runs throughout my work
is absurdity. What Camus
Farmer’s Daughter(close-up), (when discussing the work
mixed media, Mary Noonan of Kafka) describes as “an
2010
indescribable universe in
which man allows himself
the tormenting luxury of
fishing in a bathtub, knowing
nothing will come of it.”
I think that could sum up
the broad scope of my
practice, intertextuality,
incongruity, failure and
laughter.
OP Your work seems to
be divided into drawing/
painting and sculpture,
which part is more important
or stronger in your practice?
MN I love both. I treat the
sculptures almost as if they
are 3D paintings, and have
a very tactile approach to
the 2D work. I often cut and
tear the paper, with this I
am trying to give a sense of
the psychological aspects
of what is going on in the
work. By ‘doing a violence’
to the paper I am in effect
leaving a physical residue
and visual evidence of that
trauma. I don’t think that
one element of my practice
is more important or stronger
10 Occupy Paper
than the other I like being
diverse and working in a
number of different ways.
DOC For me, there is no
such hierarchy. I will use
whatever method or means
likely to accomplish my ends
and this will often expand
beyond drawing/painting
and sculpture. With much
of my work, including Island,
the sculptures are curious,
liminal objects while the
drawings serve to fold and
unfold the elusive narrative.
Both elements perform
separate but related
functions, so the work might
be encountered as a series
of fractured connections,
which amount to an open-
ended model of thought.
Scotoma 1, watercolour &
pencil on paper, Damien
O’Connell 2010
OP Where does your
imagery originate?
DOC On a superficial level,
the imagery I use could be
perceived as solipsistic or
hermetic and perhaps on
some level these images
are a reflection of an inner
world. However, it is not
my intention to create
something overtly esoteric
or private. Instead, I want
to recover some kind of
critical vitality by arousing
wonder and curiosity, or, like
Gide, I want to know ‘who
will deliver our minds from
the heavy chains of logic.’
So, to answer the question,
the images emerge from
tangible but disparate
sources, such as, books, art
(historical & contemporary),
film, newspapers,
and so on. Through recurring
elements, such as the
chair, I intend to exploit the
burdensome symbolism
of the object. Through its
omnipresence in my work,
the chair becomes an
unwitting provocateur: it is
an accepted totality within
the miniature tableau but a
bewildering conundrum for
the viewer. This is the tension
I am interested in, between
wonder, confusion and
failure.
MN My visual research is
broad and includes sources
such as painters from the
Northern Renaissance, Lucas
Cranach the Elder, Pieter
Breugal and Hieronymus
Bosch to contemporary
artists Verne Dawson, Dana
Schutz and Ellen Gallagher.
I am also very interested
in illuminated manuscripts.
I am happy to take
inspiration from wherever I
can and often the literary
sources I look at suggest
imagery or trigger memories.
I keep a notebook with me
at all times and jot down
ideas when I have them. I
visit galleries a lot and am
quite nerdy taking notes as I
go along.
OP How do you tend to
work, what can you tell
us about your process in
general?
DOC I collect fragments
of image/text from
‘the sculptures
are curious,
liminal objects
while the
drawings serve
to fold and
unfold the elusive
narrative’
Sucking on a lemon,
watercolour, watercolour
pencil, pencil& pencil on
cut and torn paper
various sources and
attempt to construct a
vocabulary/narrative by
looking for connections or
combinations that might
lead towards a divergent
or an incongruous situation.
In a practical sense this
amounts to an ongoing
process of reading,
underlining, looking, writing,
drawing and making. These
elements then collide in a
constructed mise-en-scene.
MN I have already
mentioned tearing and
cutting the paper. I work
on a number of pieces at
the same time, sometimes
finishing a piece fairly
quickly but more often than
not working on something,
leaving it and then returning
Issue Two 11
to it at a later stage. I
find I need to have a few
things ‘on the go’ at the
same time. The sculpture/
installation Farmer’s
Daughter that I showed at
Occupy Space took a long
time to evolve. I had the
cot in my studio for about
two years. I tried several
things with it that just didn’t
work, eventually the idea of
having a landscape almost
spewing itself out of the
cot emerged. I was hoping
to give a sense of having
been born into something
‘the land’ in my case, and
how ones environment and
ancestry or sense of place
influences someone from
an early age. The fact that
the land is made from very
‘unreal’ materials such as
12 Occupy Paper
Insula, sculpture,
Damien O’Connell 2010
the scenics used for model
railways was important
to me also, I felt that the
‘fakeness’ of the materials
might suggest to the viewer
a detached or removed
view of the land and lean
towards issues surrounding
stereotype and identity. I
wanted there to be a strong
sense of narrative as the
viewer worked their way
around the piece. I wanted
there to be that same sense
of navigation in the large
watercolours. I often don’t
have a very set plan for my
work but rather start with a
general idea and through
working with the materials
allow for them to somewhat
suggest the eventual
outcome of the work. I try as
much as I can to push the
materials as far as I can. As I
mentioned already my little
notebook is very important
to me. I jot down notes
on artworks and ideas for
artworks. Generally these
notes could be expressions
that I heard growing up,
quotes from books or visual
‘diagrams’ of ideas for
future work.
OP Are there any artists out
there that you really admire
and maybe
influence you?
Issue Two 13
DOC There are many
artists whose work I am
continually drawn to, Mark
Manders, Fischli & Weiss,
Julian Rosefeldt, Paul Thek
and Bas Jan Ader, to name
a few. Samuel Beckett and
Flann O’Brien have had at
least an equal impact, for
the transgressive laughter
that resonates through their
work.
MN Yes of course, the ones I
have mentioned already as
well as many others. I try to
expose myself to as much
art as I can without getting
overwhelmed! Ideas can
come from the unlikeliest
Monument to Lent after Breugel, sculpture, Damien O’Connell 2010
14 Occupy Paper Issue Two 15

e-mail, so I felt we had been initiated summer program. Murphy at the Roscommon
places sometimes, so I try to acquainted already. The I have also been working Arts Centre in late 2011. I
be open. whole process was very closely with the curatorial am working toward a solo
democratic between us, the group Tall Tales in London, exhibition in the Linenhall Art
OP How did you find installation was discussed and have upcoming group Centre, which is in 2011 as
exhibiting in Occupy Space? and mulled over and we exhibitions in Bearspace well, so I’ll be busy working
What did you think of the got on very well. It was a and The Elevator Gallery, away in my studio at the
similarities between your very pleasant experience London. Red Stables.
work? working with Damien.
MN Yeah, I’m showing
DOC It was an interesting OP What are your plans for five watercolours in COE
space to negotiate and the future?Any upcoming 2010 in my hometown of
sometimes had quite a exhibitions? Claremorris in September,
transformative effect on the so looking forward to that.
installation. The dark room felt DOC My next solo show will Also I was selected to
especially cavernous, given be Monument with Pallas exhibit in a three-person
the miniature nature of my Contemporary Projects in show with Peter Burns and
work, placing the small Dublin as part of their artist Anne Hendrick by Patrick
Monument to Frugality piece
in this solemn concrete
mausoleum created a further ‘one way of
disruption of scale and
expectation. Beyond the
describing the
surface similarities in our work, exhibition is that I
it was interesting to uncover
the more subtle thematic observe the island
connections, such as our
separate approaches to
from a detached
belief systems. I think one way distance whereas
of describing the exhibition
is that I observe the island Mary has a
And a great tumult came from the from a detached distance
ground..., mixed media,
whereas Mary has a more
more immediate
Mary Noonan 2010
immediate presence, in other presence, in other
words, she is onshore while I
am adrift! words, she is
MN I was really happy to
onshore while I am
exhibit in Occupy Space, I adrift!’
think the space itself is great
with a lot of scope to work
with. Personally it was a great
chance for me to show some
of my bigger pieces. Working
with Damien was very
enjoyable, although we had
never actually met before,
running up to the show we
New Wonder Cure, kept in good contact via
mixed media, Deus Ex Cathadra and Precipice,
Mary Noonan 2010 sculpture, Damien O’Connell 2010
16 Occupy Paper Issue Two 17

Interview
Gareth Jenkins
Gareth talks to Aoife Flynn
about his practice and
upcoming exhibtions

AF Hi Gareth, so tell us a
bit about your academic
background, where you
did your degree and your
Master’s, did you have any
influential tutors or peers?

GJ My interest in a career
as an artist began later
than most, in fact it came
at a time when I was a full
Installation View 2010.
time chef working abroad
in New Zealand. Being in
a new environment and
different culture gave
‘My interest in a career as an artist began later
me the opportunity to
diversify my creative skills
than most’
from cooking to painting
and sculpture. In 1998
I enrolled on a full time
on pursuing my interest in institutions around Ireland The courses themselves
one year diploma course
art (especially painting) and was lucky enough to be although very insightful and
at a local art college
further. With no portfolio or accepted at the Limerick useful on so many different
called ‘The Learning
any secondary education to School of Art and Design. levels were only as good as
Connexion’ in Wellington,
speak of my only option was After completing my four the students and staff that
New Zealand. The
to return to education as a year ‘BA Honours in Fine Art breathed life into them.
course gave me a basic
mature student at the local Painting’ in 2008, I moved I met many tutors and
practical understanding
Further Education Centre to The National College of peers whose advice and
of artistic techniques and
in Abbeyleix, Co. Laois in Art and Design in Dublin encouragement helped
methodologies. After a
2003. After successfully where I recently finished shape my current practice
year my visa ran out and I
completing the ‘Fetac level a two year Master of Fine and whom I shall always
returned to Ireland where
5 Arts, Craft and Design’ Art post-graduate degree hold in high regard and to
I continued as a chef for DSC 0014 - Acrylic on board - 30cm x 33cm. 2010 course, I submitted my in research by practice name them all would require
three years but I was intent
portfolio to a handful of Art through painting. a sequel to this publication.
18 Occupy Paper
‘the concept
is born out of
fragmented
memories of
architectural
forms’
AF What kind of themes
and concerns are explored
in your practice? How did
they change from your
Bachelor’s to your Master’s?
GJ The paintings I produce
are to a degree intuitive,
by which I mean I start
straight in to painting
without any back up
drawings or sketches. Over
the past couple of years I
have taken and collected
hundreds of photographs
of architectural structures
and spaces from the urban
landscape that I use to
reference the linear and
sharp edged forms and
structures inherent in my
work. One of the main
concerns in my practice at
the moment that came out
of my time on the Master’s
course at NCAD is my
interest in the painting as
object. To put it another way
I am interested in treating
the application of paint
as a constructing process,
building up different layers
and thicknesses of sharp
edged marks. In a similar
way I am also experimenting
with constructing physical
3-D structures that are
referential of painting as the
constructed object. Looking
back on my practice at
bachelor level my themes
have changed in the way
Issue Two 19
AF I remember your work had a strong technology
theme when we did our degree course, did this carry
on into your Master’s?
GJ Technology as a theme didn’t carry over directly
but there are some recurring elements and motifs
that resurfaced through the research process. There
are concepts of geometric forms and a use of sharp
edged line, but instead of using those to relate directly
to in this case a technological object; I now use them
to create illusions of space and structure.
DSC 0001 - Acrylic on
board - 2ft x 2ft. 2010
I am not so concerned
with referencing an area or
idea directly. For example
my work at the moment
is not linked directly to
architecture or urban
landscapes; it is more that
the concept is born out of
fragmented memories of
architectural forms. Over
the last two years I have also
gained more confidence
in decision making with
regard to exhibiting my
work, i.e. what to hang and
how much work to show,
whereas at my Bachelor
exhibition I felt I had
exhibited too much work.
Installation View 2010.
20 Occupy Paper Issue Two 21

AF What about your process

in general? How do you
‘my process is work?

intuitive, it can GJ As I mentioned previously

move in different my process is intuitive. It can
move in different directions
directions depending on what I am
depending on trying to do. In some cases,
especially in my current
what I am trying body of work if I am dealing
to do’ with sculptural concepts as
well as a painting process,
I will begin by looking at
or taking photographs
of interesting forms or
structures. Then I will start to
make a variety of models/
sculptures out of what is
lying around the studio, this
usually takes the form of
DSC 0012 - Acrylic on board - 21cm x 21cm. 2010 cardboard or wood and
again will be very abstract
and intuitive in nature.
At any given moment I
might begin to lay down
a variety of forms or linear
marks using acrylic paint on
board and a masking tape
that will usually reference
fragments of the models or
photographs so in this sense
the process is quite organic.
The colour of paint usually
comes from a photograph
of a particular structure
but can change or be
layered over quite rapidly.
My choice of acrylic paint
over oil paint came out of
a sheer lack of patience.
Accustomed to oil paints at
Bachelor level, I carried on
with them into my Master’s
course but they were too
messy so I had to change
my process and materials
to acrylic in order to speed
DSC 0002 - Acrylic on board - 2ft x 2ft. 2010
up the process and to allow
me to create a tighter
line. Canvas had to be
exchanged for MDF board
as well, because I needed
a sturdier ground to paint
on which also allowed me
the ability to sand the paint
off if I was dissatisfied at any
point.
AF Are there any artists out
there that you really admire
and maybe influence you?
GJ There are artists I admire
and there are also artists
that influence me. Any
artists that are out there
working away at the
moment even though they
are struggling to survive
financially would be an artist
that I admire. There are
plenty of artists and writers
I have befriended along
the way whom I keep in
touch with that are finding
it tough and I respect them
for their convictions. As for
artists that have influenced
me I would have to say
out of the many, Tomma
Abts, Frank Nitsche, Thomas
Schiebitz, Thomas Nozkowski
and Richard Tuttle. All these
artists have influenced
my practice in that I have
found interesting links
between their processes
and my own, whether it
is similar application of
paint or use of materials
or their outlook on art and
the contemporary world in
general.
AF You went straight from
your degree into your
Master’s, looking back now
would you have preferred
some space from the
whole academic aspect of
college or was it important

DSC 0010 - Acrylic on board - 2ft x 4ft. 2010

22 Occupy Paper
DSC 0003 - Acrylic on board - 29cm x 33cm. 2010
for you to keep this up, to
keep the momentum going?
GJ Going straight from my
Bachelor’s in LSAD to the
Master of Fine Art course
in NCAD was not an easy
decision at the time. I was
right in the middle of the
dreaded thesis, trying to
get to grips with the final
term of practical work and
Teresa (my wife) and I were
expecting our first baby. We
both decided I should apply
and if it was meant to be I
would get on to the Master’s
at NCAD. After the interview
I was sure I had blown it and
I was already making plans
for life after the Bachelor’s.
Anyway I received a letter
saying otherwise and I
started the course in NCAD
about two weeks after
Teresa gave birth to baby
Naomi, timing is everything
I guess. There were a lot of
moments on the Master’s
that I regretted being there;
I had notions of making the
wrong decision usually when
my practice seemed to be
stagnating. In retrospect
with the nature of my
practice feeling unresolved,
at the time of finishing the
Bachelor’s, I now believe
that going straight into
the Master’s for me was a
positive step that I now do
not regret. For other artists
it could be a different story
and I think it depends on the
individual’s needs at that
time. I would recommend
most Bachelor’s students
take a few years out to get
to grips with their practice in
a real world scenario before
taking the next step towards
a Master’s, as some people
will never need to do the
course.
‘going straight into the
Master’s for me was a
positive step’
AF Is being able to work
alongside other artists
important to developing
your practice after college?
GJ Again it depends on the
individual, some artists prefer
to be alone and others
need the constant stimulus
of fellow artists for their work
to flourish. Personally I am
quite happy to work on my
own but it is also useful and
sometimes important to be
able to be in contact with
other artists and friends from
time to time. I usually email
or phone friends once or
twice a month for a chat
and even arrange to meet
up at events like gallery
open nights. Sometimes I
arrange to meet up with
friends to visit exhibitions
once a month to keep up
with trends in contemporary
art, an important part of any
artists practice.
AF You have a studio space
near your home, what are
your plans for it?
GJ Living in a small town
does have its advantages
sometimes with regard to
studio space. For the past
two years I have been very
lucky in that I was given a
free space in an old closed
down primary school which
is within walking distance
from home. There are no
signs of it being reopened
at the moment so I am safe
there for the foreseeable
future.
AF Has the recession
affected your practice at
all?
GJ Having only just left
education after six years
I am not in a position to
say anything concrete
about the recession and
my practice personally.
There are artists out there
that are still having sold out
exhibitions, and there are
still grants and bursaries
available. However it does
go without saying that
when there is less money
available most people are
going to see purchasing
any form of art as a luxury
and not a necessity, but for
now anyway it seems there
are still some opportunities
out there. Whether they are
there next year or the year
after we will have to wait
and see.
AF What are your plans for
the future?Any upcoming
exhibitions?
GJ At the moment I am
working towards a group
exhibition in September
with a collective known as
Issue Two 23
DSC 0005
Acrylic on
board
29cm x 33cm
2010
‘prettyvacanT’ who put on
exhibitions in disused spaces
around Dublin. In October
I will be exhibiting as part
of the ‘Table of Contents’
project at the Limerick
School of Art and Design
and in November I have my
first Solo show in the ‘NAG’
at the Cross Gallery, Francis
Street in Dublin, so short term
I am pretty busy. Next year
and the foreseeable future
I am not sure, I will continue
with my practice and apply
to future projects and
exhibitions. If I was given
the choice I would jump at
the opportunity to become
a tutor at a third level
college of Art while also
continuing with my practice
as I am always interested in
continuous discourse with
students and artists alike.
24 Occupy Paper Issue Two 25

My main area of research

surrounds how and why artists
use humour in their work. This
is a subject that Ihave been
studying for the best part of
two years. My own practice
doesn’t really follow any one
particular line of enquiry, it’s
more a series of reactions to
whatever is happening to
me in my life. In that way my
practice is similar to a sense of
humour. I am concerned with
themes of originality, value and
the whole notion of being ‘an
artist’ and art-making, but of
course, that’s really the only
thing I can make work about,
as that’s the only thing I’ve
been thinking about for the
last four years. It’s like when
you’re writing an essay in
secondary school, they tell you
“write about what you know”.
Basically I make work about
trying to make original work. I
am also very interested in the
thin line between ‘paying
homage’ and ‘ripping off’.
I often use humour as a
communicative device in my
work, sometimes it is subtle,
other times it more overt.

My work is very reactionary.

Beth Fox
Recent graduate of Limerick School of Art
and Design talks to Occupy Paper about
I can go for months without
having an idea, then
something might happen, or I’ll
read something or have a
conversation and than I’ll
have AN IDEA, I’m sure that’s
the same for everyone. A lot
of the time the artists that I
am researching will have a
huge influence on the way I’m
working. I can look back at my
portfolio and see what artists I
was reading about at the

her practice and new exhibition

26 Occupy Paper
time that I made a specific
piece. That used to worry
me, but now I think it’s okay,
I’m all for acknowledging
influence, embracing
unoriginality. I was worried
that I didn’t make a lot of
work until I read this lovely
interview with Christian
Boltanski, he said “A lot of
the time I don’t do anything,
I just watch TV, then I have
an idea but usually it only
takes fiveminutes to make.
Then I go back to watching
TV”. That sort of sums it up
really.
The idea of the degree
show work stemmed
from the system that is
currently in place in the
sculpture department vis
a vis The Degree Show.
We are all told to write
a proposal for our Show
three months before the
actual event in order to
lay claim to a suitable
space in the gallery. Due
to my own practice being
quite interchangeableand
reactionary I had no idea
what I would be making
three months down the line,
and I hated the idea of
having to write one proposal
as a sort of culmination of
four years study, and have
to stick to it. I couldn’t
decide which one idea
to stick with. I ended up
writing loads of proposals.
I wrote proposals for work
that I had made in the
past, proposals for ideas
that had died along the
way, proposals for work
that I would like to make
but could never afford, and
proposals for other artists
work, that I ‘appropriated’.
Then I just decided to stick
the proposals up on the
“A lot of the time I
don’t do anything,
I just watch TV,
then I have an
idea but usually
it only takes
five minutes to
make. Then I go
back to
watching TV”
Christian Boltanski
wall. I liked the fact that the
viewer would have to try
to visualise all this work that
wasn’t there. In a way it was
like a really minute form of
institutional critique. As well
as being very economic.
Gavin Turk is obviously an
artist that I really admire, his
work is funny but more than
that. His work is all about
value and authorship, which
is obviously something that
I am also really interested
in. I remade his plaque for
my Degree Show. I liked the
idea that something that
was made for a show in
the Royal College back in
the 90’s was being remade
in Limerick twenty years
down the line. I also love
Stutervant as well, since
she’s all about copying.The
artists that she chooses to
copy are what make her
so interesting though I think,
often she replacates an
artists work before they’ve
even become established.
Other artists that I love and
have ripped off are Felix
Gonzalez Torres, Sarah
Lucas, Douglas Gordon,
David Shrigley, Gillian
Wearing...Lots of the YBA’s...
(not so Y anymore!)
Issue Two 27
I’m currently living in
Brighton working and
trying to save money as
I’m starting the MA in Fine
Art in Central St Martins at
the start of October. My
Degree show is going to
be re-exhibited in Cork in
September in a show of
recent Graduates selected
and curated by Ian
McInerney from the Black
Mariah.
Beth’s show in the Black Mariah, Cork
opens Septemeber 10th and runs for
a week
28 Occupy Paper
Review Dana Schutz
Deirdre Kelly reviews Schutz’s new
show ‘Tourette’s Paintings’ at
The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin
Thursday 15th July, saw
Dana Schutz give an
artist’s talk in the Douglas
Hyde Gallery, TCD to
mark the opening of
her exhibition, Tourette’s
Paintings. A large group
gathered to hear the self-
deprecating American, a
graduate from Cleveland,
Ohio, talk us through
her new body of work.
She exhibits from the
Zach Feuer Gallery and
a number of her works
are in all the major
North American Galleries
as well as the Saatchi,
London. The first impression
upon walking into the
gallery is one of colour,
brightness and a feeling
of summer due to the
bright oranges, reds and
yellows that populate her
work. The colouring is
reminiscent of the Fauvists
and indeed one of her
larger works has a Matisse
style decorative patterned
background in intricate
swirls of blue and black.
Issue Two 29
There is also a sense of
the cartoonish humour of
Philip Guston with inflated
and overblown grotesque
features enveloping each
figure in different hues
of pink and red. Francis
Bacon’s distorted features
also comes to mind so it
is clear that Schutz carries
a weight of art history
throughout her concept.
There is a good sense
of humour emanating Dana Schutz, Swimming, Smoking, Crying, 2009.
from the work which Oil on canvas, 45 x 48 inches. Collection Nerman Museum of
Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland
Schutz claims was not Park, Kansas, gift of Marti and Tony Oppenheimer and the
a deliberate act on her Oppenheimer Brothers Foundation.
part but one gets the
impression from the artist
herself that this humour
is an essential element suffers from this syndrome his reaction be if she strange, someone on
of her own make-up. herself. For instance, suddenly leaned over and the periphery, someone
However , it is a more her piece, Poke, came poked him in the eye?’ that people do not quite
black than whimsical about as she was sitting Her images therefore know what to make of,
humour in that there is an in a restaurant with her are her visualisations of in essence, someone
underlying sense of gloom friend and as he was thoughts and impressions with Tourette’s Syndrome.
or unhappiness prevailing. talking, her mind was going on in her head This someone however
The title of the exhibition overflowing with questions. which she knows that has far more complexity
comes from the fact that ‘Why hadn’t she noticed if she carried out in and intelligence than is
Schutz can feel stifled or before how blue his eyes real life, she would be apparent to the viewer.
awkward around certain were?’ ‘What would considered as someone Swimming, Smoking,
situations almost as if she
30 Occupy Paper Issue Two 31

Crying and its counterpart contradictions which

Shaking, Cooking, Peeing are clearly more subtle
came about through a than apparent from her
mixing of elements or imagery.
actions that cannot be This opposition conveys
accomplished together. an air of tension in the
One or two are capable work although the artist
of being performed herself would not be
simultaneously but when drawn on this. She does
the third angle is added, not feel any anxiety
the result is impossible. or apprehension when
Even women with their undergoing her process
ability to multi-task are but she accepted that
inhibited by this third if that was what people
element. Schutz recalls felt than perhaps it was a
how as a teenager subconscious act on her
she loved to swim and part. She is perhaps, she
while underwater shout admitted, releasing built-up
her head off to release anxieties through her work.
her tensions. She always One image has a
thought that being distorted face with
underwater muted her sharp protruding angles
screams until she heard emanating from his/her
someone shouting while throat. Schutz recounts
swimming and realised how this autobiographical
that everyone had been imagery came about
able to hear her all through her own panic
along! This led her to and embarrassment. She
think of things that it did not have the correct
was not possible to do change one day in a
while swimming. Crying store or department and
and swimming go nicely found her ear flaring
together because nobody involuntary, which she
realises you are actually shows in the image, while
Dana Schutz,
Shaking, Cooking, Peeing crying. Smoking and crying her throat contracted and
2009, Oil on canvas also seem complimentary she could not get the
72 x 60 inches but swimming and words out. It felt like a
Private Collection
smoking are a no-go, an bird had been trapped in
impossibility.Shaking and her throat and the only
cooking can combine way she could project this
when one is performing sense of helplessness was
tasks in the kitchen. through an image of a
Peeing and shaking are sharp and distorted throat.
also possible but again Obviously then there is a
Exhibition runs at the Douglas Hyde
adding all three together lot more to Schutz than Gallery from July 16th to September
just does not work. She playful, colourful and 15th 2010. A catalogue is available
thus works with the gestural painting. from the Gallery to accompany
the exhibition.
idea of opposites and www.douglashydegallery.com
32 Occupy Paper
Focus
Laura McMorrow
Laura is a graduate of Limerick
School of Art and Design and is
currently a member of Wickham
Street Studios. Here she talks to
Occupy Paper about her practice
and recent exhibition.
Issue Two 33
OP Hi Laura, so can you tell us what kind of themes and concerns are explored in your
practice?
LMcM I am concerned with the reinvention of found objects, approaching each object
differently, depending on the surface. I use a wide range of mediums including paint,
collage, drawing, and print to convey a narrative that comes about by presenting a
number of different images collectively. I aim to create work that requires a second
glance from the viewer by subverting traditional methods of hanging. My recent work
explores themes of geology, taxidermy, and drunkenness.
OPYou use a lot of found and discarded materials and that’s been a continuous thing
since college. Is that something that comes naturally, are you quite a collector?
LMcM I’m a hoarder, I can’t throw anything out. I’d like to think a lot of artists have the
same problem! It just makes more sense to me to recycle what is close to hand. I’m
particularly prone to collecting cardboard packaging, and I do my bit for society by
keeping the charity shops in business.
34 Occupy Paper Issue Two 35

OP A lot of the images you work from are found images too, does the collecting
aspect also apply to your source material?

LMcM I used to work from my own photographs, but one day I decided I wanted to
paint a polar bear, and it wasn’t feasible for me to take the photo myself. So since that
I’ve been using Google image search. It’s like having a photographic memory. Except
everything is slightly different to how you remember it. I have folders of source material
saved on my computer, they are often poor quality, but act as a good starting point.
The vastness of information on the internet means I have used images from many
different sources, including a pregnancy blog, and stills from youtube videos. I think
scrolling through pages of thumbnails provides a bombardment of images, that
echoes the found nature of the objects I work on.

OP What can you tell us about your process in

general? Give us some insight into how you work
‘There is work
LMcM My work is quite process based, I sit at my desk
everywhere,
surrounded by clutter, and develop ideas I have
either stored in my brain, or in my notebook. There is
paintings
a playfulness in my approach to making paintings,
and my studio has been compared to a laboratory.
balance
There is work everywhere, paintings balance on other
paintings, and pieces leaning on the ledge of the
on other
skirting board. I tend to use every available space. The
work is small scale, but when presented collectively
paintings,
they play off against one another. My work tackles
the boundaries between real and illusory, presenting
and pieces
the works as artefacts are an import parallel to my
paintings.
leaning on
OP Are there any artists out there that you really
the ledge of
admire and maybe influence you?
the skirting
LMcM I was really impressed by a Fergus Feehily show
I saw in the Douglas Hyde Gallery recently. I also
board’
admire Thomas Mailaenders’ work. He’s a French artist
I’ve come across recently. And Hank Schmidt in Der
Beek, because he’s funny.
36 Occupy Paper Issue Two 37

‘ If the
studio is
busy, I
feel more
inclined
to make
work’

OPYou won the Contact Studio Bursary in college and you’ve also been working in
Wickham Street Studios since last year, was it important for you to keep working in a studio
environment and do you think that being able to work alongside other artists is important
to developing your practice, especially after college?

LMcM It’s great for bouncing ideas around, and for motivation. If the studio is busy, I feel
more inclined to make work. I was lucky to get a space in Contact Studios, which was a
great space for the transition from college to real life. Then the Wickham experience led
to the involvement with Occupy Space, which has been invaluable. And it feels like we
have really contributed to the art scene in Limerick.
38 Occupy Paper Issue Two 39

OP You had an exhibition recently in Belfast, how did that come about? Are you looking
forward to starting the MFA in Belfast this year?

LMcM I submitted a proposal to Queen Street Studios Gallery, and having the show there
in July was a great introduction to what Belfast will be like when I move up in September
for the MFA.
40 Occupy Paper

occupy.space@gmail.com
Disclaimer: Occupy Paper is free and makes no profit from the publication of any materials
found therein. Occupy Paper is a publication for the dissemination of artistic ideas and will
not be liable for any offense taken by any individual(s) resulting from any material contained
therein.All images in Occupy Paper are the sole property of their creators unless otherwise
stated. No image in the magazine or the magazine logo may be used in any way without
permission of the copyright holder.
Submissions: All works submitted to Occupy Paper must be the sole, original property of the
contributor(s), have the appropriate model releases, and cannot interfere with any other
publication or company’s publishing rights.
Occupy Paper is edited by Aoife Flynn, Occupy Space/Wickham Street Studios, Limerick,
Ireland.

CCUPY