Show Me exhibition at Occupy Space

By John Rainsford

Show Me, a stunning exhibition of visual art, is the latest success for Shannon-born artist Emmet Kierans and his colleagues at the Occupy Space Gallery in Limerick.
Emmet and five other recent graduates from Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD) set up an art studio at 12 Wickham Street, Limerick before opening Occupy Space on Thomas Street last September.
Their exhibits, together with those of internationally recognised artists, are now being regularly showcased at the venue.
Despite being relatively inexperienced at running a gallery. the new venture has attained an increasingly high profile both regionally and nationally.
As one of the directors, Emmet regularly invites suggestions for exhibitions, which are usually run every three weeks.
Show Me, the brainchild of curators Nora O’Murchú and Anna Crudge, exhibits the works of Ivan Twohig, Alison Carey, Benjamin Gaoulon, Sarah Doyle, Grant Hamilton, Andy Callahan, Jessica Foley, Luna Maurer and Roel Wouters.
The success of the gallery has offered great hope to struggling artists in the region. There is, currently, no definite career path for graduates of art colleges to follow in Ireland.
Some choose to do a Higher Diploma or Masters Degree in Fine Art first, before going on to teach the subject at secondary or third level, while others find jobs to help support their artistic endeavours.
With falling commercial values being applied to works of art, most graduates are forced to live hand to mouth. The use of buildings that would normally lie vacant as artistic venues has been of great benefit to artists.
Emmet explains,  “Only a few artists are making a living purely from selling their art and it can be a long journey from graduate to professional. Our goal is to give these artists a chance to exhibit at Occupy Space.
“I am very excited by recent developments at the gallery. The idea of renting the space free of charge to art students was the brainchild of Lise Ann Sheehan, a former project manager from Limerick City Council.
“It was an idea modelled on cities such as Berlin, which were largely deserted due to recession, but are now thriving artistic centres with vibrant, open cultures. We have taken a lead in this area and I am getting emails from other cities asking us for advice on how to do it.”
Emmet graduated from LSAD in 2003 and from 2005 spent two years completing a Masters in Fine Art (MFA) at Glasgow University. It was, he says, like Limerick, a city with a tough reputation but now one increasingly acquiring a niche for its artistic excellence.
Fellow member of the Occupy Space board, Susan Holland, is a former graduate of the John Shinnors Curatorial Fellowship at the Limerick City Gallery of Art (LCGA).
“There is a recognised tradition of painting in Limerick and this will be seen to continue with many strong painters currently working in the region,” she says.
“In October, Occupy Space is hosting a trio of solo exhibitions by Ramon Kassam (director of Wickham Street Art Studio) Laura McMorrow and Mark O’Kelly.
“The juxtapositioning of these three artists’ practices should stimulate discussion about contemporary painting. It will also form the starting point for various talks and discussions programmed to coincide with the current exhibitions.”
The gallery board members are in the process of devising the arts programme for 2011, which promises to be an exciting selection of curated exhibitions, strong solo shows and experimental projects. They are determined to build on the successes of 2010 while continuing to promote contemporary art practice.
“Occupy Space provides an environment for experimentation and encourages the creation and presentation of art works that are challenging and innovative. A focus of the Occupy Space programme is to foster exchange between local, national and international artists.
“We also intend in the coming year to continue to develop a framework of support for emerging artists, curators and writers via the range of opportunities we offer through Occupy Paper, Process Space and by facilitating critical dialogues,” Susan adds.
“Occupy Space is indebted to the continuing support of the Creative Limerick initiative run by Limerick City Council and to the owners of the Thomas Street Complex, Don and Michael O’Malley.”
Emmet once drew a cartoon strip called Rasher for the underground Limerick magazine The Whipping Post about a working-class guy who could not get out of his situation.
He wanted to humanise those youths he saw in tracksuits who were in a rut through no fault of their own. That philosophy forms the basis for his art.
“People are people and they are deeply flawed. Attempts at Utopia are always going to fail. I try and have a sense of humour in my work, which is usually oil on canvass. I tend to create mercurial figures existing in fictional parallel worlds.
“These worlds are governed by ideologies that echo those of our own society. However, I do not want my art to be overtly political in its outlook and I am more interested in changing people’s ideals.”
For more information see http://occupy-space.blogspot.com/ or contact Emmet Kierans at occupy.space@gmail.com