Here, the Considered Line

Interface, Cloonacartan, Recess, Co Galway, Ireland

Open 12-6 daily 16th-28th September, Exhibition opening September 15th at 5pm

An international exhibition exploring the medium of contemporary drawing. The exhibition forms part of the international collaboration between artist-run spaces Altán Klamovka Gallery and Interface.

Artists Noel Arrigan (IE), Thomas Brezing (IE), Michael Geddis (IE), Marija Griniuk (LT), Lelia Henry (IE), Margaret Irwin (IE), Jiří Kovanda (CZ), Darja Lukjanenko (UA), Anne McAlarney (IE), Jan Pfeiffer (CZ), Christine Prescott (IE) and Ian Wieczorek (IE) will be presented at the exhibition.
Curator Lenka Sýkorová (CZ).
Photo: Darja Lukjanenko

Drawing provides space where we can slow down. We can also think through drawing, entering a full perception of the here and now.

Being an intimate gesture, drawing is perceived by many artists as the most direct medium for expressing experiences, with a specific sensitivity for noticing the history - great or small - currently taking place. It could be argued that the social challenges of recent years have taught us to pay more attention to everyday events, to take a moment to slow down and fully appreciate the here and now. A sketch of an idea has accompanied artists since time immemorial, combining the mind, eye and hand. The drawn line, whether on paper or guided by matter in space, is a strong visual gesture of contemporary intermedia artists.

The thinking hand (Juhani Pallasmaa: The Thinking Hand, 2009) is a gift for visual artists, where slowing down can lead to inspiration and deep concentration. Quiet presence and listening connects us with the current time and place whether wandering through waves of emotions or just being. The freedom that art gives artists is to experience unusual situations and bear witness to them. Together with this comes a fragility of the present and a vulnerability in which the artistic process can be informed by emotional intention. Slowing down, staying in the present moment can also be incredibly liberating. Sharpening the senses to fully concentrate for the moment also provides identification with the place and a full appreciation of the present without planning for the future. Drawing is then ideal for capturing the fleeting moments of the present. It can capture reality in a simple form, but also a memory trace or transformation of space in time.

The exhibition Here, the Considered Line combines work by artists from the Altán Klamovka gallery platform in Prague and artists from Interface. It brings a dialogue between artists from Central Eastern Europe and Ireland inspired by a view of drawing, which is demonstrated as a fragile but powerfully expressive medium. Simultaneously, the exhibition is dedicated to a pause that leads to a respect for nature and an exploration of the local history of place.

Lenka Sýkorová