'CRISIS IS always a good time for the visual arts," declares Jota Castro, one of the curators of Dublin Contemporary, in the supplement with today's Irish Times. The title given to this major art exhibition, Terrible Beauty – Art, Crisis, Change The Office of Non-Compliance– is not only a nod in the direction of Yeats's response to a seminal event in our past history but also to the need for an imaginative artistic discourse on the state we're in today. Art for provocation's sake does not always make good art. It is up to the critics and the public to decide whether there is any meaningful interplay between the artists and whatever "crisis" they might respond to.
As to whether the work contributes to any such discourse, opinions will differ but there is no gainsaying the fact that Dublin has not seen a showcase of contemporary art on this scale since the Rosc exhibitions in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Unlike the inaugural Rosc, Ireland is well represented on this occasion – and both established and upcoming Irish artists are a powerful presence in the company of their international peers. Not everything will be to everyone’s taste but with such a variety of work “one would have to try very hard indeed to hate everything”, as Dorothy Walker once said about Rosc.
It is not that long since Ireland’s literary tradition was the overwhelming art form by which we were known and admired worldwide. Modern art was a source of bafflement and, from time to time, a bit of a furore. The number of Irish participants in Dublin Contemporary who have made an international breakthrough and now have their work represented in many of the world’s major museums is a measure of how much things have changed. The impact of Rosc was very significant and could be looked upon as opening a new direction for Irish art. Dublin Contemporary may do the same.
The benefits of a multinational exhibition are various: the broadening of horizons for local artists, as well as the establishing of links, all of which should be part of the legacy of this exhibition. However, the great revelation of Dublin Contemporary is the extraordinarily accommodating main venue, the old UCD building in Earlsfort Terrace. This opening of the shutters on a remarkable building begs some serious questions about its future – the main legacy of Dublin Contemporary should be its continued use for contemporary art – perhaps even a satellite space for IMMA’s permanent collection, now that it has outgrown the Royal Hospital.