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Invite or Reject

June, July & August 2011 – New York, Chicago and Los Angeles 

‘Invite Or Reject’ supported byImagine Ireland; an initiative by Culture Ireland.

‘Invite or Reject’ was an ambitious new exhibition curated by MART’s Ciara Scanlan and Matthew Nevin. MART www.mart.ie, is a non profit art organisation based in Ireland and our primary aim is to educate and promote Art to the public; Art in the sphere of New Media, Installation and Performance.

The exhibition consisted of 5 leading Irish Artists work shown in world renown contemporary art galleries in the heart of 3 of most influential cities in the US: New York, Chicago and LA. We have asked artists to submit work that is challenging yet irresistibly welcoming for American audiences to interact and communicate with the art works. This exhibition shall showcase some of Ireland’s leading and emerging visual artists and highlight the strength of our work in the international contemporary art scene.

MART’S ‘Invite or Reject’ refers to the duality of understanding and miscommunication that existed when Irish people first immigrated to America. It is a preconceived notion that Irish people are welcoming and hospitable. It was common for the Irish to be rejected and treated as second-class citizens for the early part of 19th centaury. The current political and social climate in America means it is difficult to gain an entry visa to work there which leaves it now as more of a holiday destination to Irish in stark contrast to history. Through the Art we will showcase we hope to breakdown stereotypes, interact and engage the audience. Many of the artworks are physically interactive and can be added to by the public. The Art works ‘Home’ will be in the gallery, but we want to move outside the gallery space, have a presence on the streets, within the public domain and have satellite branches of work that enter the city.

Artists: Ella Burke, James L Hayes, Sofie Loscher, Matthew Nevin, Nicky Teegan, Ciara Scanlan, Benjamin Gaulon, Joan Healy, Colleen Keough, Margaret O’Brien, Stephen Woods, Adrian Duncan, Benjamin Gaulon, Adam Gibney, and Tony Kenny

MART is proud to announce that this project is part sponsored by Culture Ireland’s strategic focus on promoting Irish Arts in the US in 2011.