First View 2020
Final Year Visual Art Students from Waterford Institute of Technology Offer a First View of their Degree Show Work
We were delighted to pop along to the opening of First View 2020 the final year visual arts students show at Garter Lane on Tuesday night last (28th of January) which was opened from Gemma Tipton from The Irish Times.
First View forms part of the WIT students’ final academic year programme and is an opportunity for the emerging artists to be involved in the full process and practicalities of installing an exhibition in a professional gallery space and exhibiting their work publicly before they graduate. Exhibiting Artists are; Emma Burke, Jaela Bates, Karra Peters, Lisa Comerford, Roisin Brazil, Marika Manning, Milana Ziedelyte, Roberta Sarni and Susie Kelly.
This year’s exhibition is inspired by an array of concepts including consumerism, climate change, voyeurism and vulnerability. Using both traditional and new methods the artists present drawings, charcoal paintings, photography and screen-based works, installations and sculptural works. Many of the pieces are works in progress, giving the students an opportunity to develop their ideas further.
Gemma Tipton from The Irish Times remarked that it was wonderful to be in a space where the art on show “communicates” very well together and it’s not very often that it happens.
We’d have to agree with Gemma because walking through the exhibition you there is a real correlation of real-world problems brought home to a local level. This symbiotic relationship between problems and concerns really is thought-provoking and food for reflection.
The students have been supported by Garter Lane Arts Centre staff throughout their course in developing ideas and learning the process of mounting an exhibition in a professional space- from marketing to the installation of their work. The project provides invaluable and unique learning opportunities for the students to support them in developing their artistic careers.
Ben Reilly Lecturer at Waterford Institute of Technology says “First View gives students the opportunity to take a piece of their work out of the studio environment and place it in the clean white space of the public gallery. Terrifying in one way as the reality is, can it stand on its own merits as a decent piece of work?”.
Opening hours: 11am-5.30pm Tuesday – Saturday and during evening performances. Admission free.
For further information, contact Sandra Kelly, Visual Arts and Outreach Manager, Garter Lane Arts Centre: T: 051 877153, E: gallery@garterlane.ie.
