The Prehistory of the Crisis (2)

As the stones shift beneath our feet, where will discontent arise? Has post-boom Ireland already begun to witness an upsurge in nationalism as unemployment rises rapidly in 2009?

Project Arts Centre and Belfast Exposed have invited four artists with a common interest in the complexities of multi-cultural living to make new work for The Prehistory of the Crisis (2). This exhibition commissions and brings together Susanne Bosch, Anthony Haughey, Daniel Jewesbury and Sinéad McCann at a time in history when economic recession underscores every cultural and artistic event taking place in Ireland, North and South. This situation is not just symptomatic of the recession that has hit many globalised economies since 2008. Ireland's recession brings with it one of the most pronounced changes in fortune, and significantly, Ireland's first major drop in productivity since the boom days - the swan-song of the Celtic Tiger. For Northern Ireland the credit squeeze, compounded by cuts in public spending, threaten the unfinished work of economic and social regeneration promised by the peace process.

Many migrant workers have left Ireland in recent months and with imminent changes to the eligibility for new work permits coming into effect across both jurisdictions, many more non-EEA citizens will be denied the right to work, forcing them to leave the country. The Prehistory of the Crisis (2) situates itself in a moment when the idea of crisis is twofold: while the term is strongly associated with the impact of economic recession, the cultural crisis which might or might not emerge is bound to be characterised by a relationship to 'the other'.

The Prehistory of the Crisis (2) will be presented simultaneously in Project Arts Centre in Dublin and Belfast Exposed in Belfast, split over the UK and the Republic of Ireland, yet united by the island of Ireland. The art works in each exhibition are related, but not identical, and we hope to build a web of discourse between these two exhibitions which can help to open a public discussion about migration and attitudes towards individuals or minority groups. The artists don't propose solutions to these problems, instead they will attempt to cast the discussion in new light – abstracting and performing notions of power play and disempowerment, suggesting what the future may hold. They will give a voice to otherwise muted perspectives, and provide a window into scenarios and activities, allowing spectators to design their own response to the exhibition.

This exhibition was preceded by The Prehistory of the Crisis (1) at Project Arts Centre in 2008, which brought together four European artworks and artists, Patrick Bernier & Olive Martin (FR), Jeanne Faust & Jörn Zehe (DE), Aernout Mik (NL), Andrijana Stojkovic (RS). Each of the artworks drew attention to the shifting attitudes towards immigrants (often within the contexts of various guest worker schemes), and the resulting clashes, conflicts or crises that have played a major role in defining ideas of culture within countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and France.

Please see http://www.projectartscentre.ie for information on public talks associated with the exhibition, programmed by Jonathan Carroll, and http://www.belfastexposed.org for events taking place in Belfast.

The exhibition has been supported by the Goethe-Institut Irland. Project Arts Centre is funded by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Dublin City Council. Belfast Exposed Photography is funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

The Prehistory of the Crisis (2)
Kuratoren: Tessa Giblin, Monica Nunez

Künstler: Susanne Bosch, Anthony Haughey, Daniel Jewesbury, Sinead McCann

Stationen:
03.07.09 - 15.08.09 The Prehistory of the Crisis (2) Project Dublin
01.07.09 - 07.08.09 The Prehistory of the Crisis (2) Belfast Exposed Photography
24.10.08 - 29.10.08 The Prehistory of the Crisis (1) Project Dublin