Skint at Occupy Gallery Thomas St June 16.
A fundraising auction of imagery by primarily Limerick based artists working on street sites drew a crowd of practitioners collectors and supporters to the Occupy space.
Apart from the fundraising aspects of the show, Skint operated as a showcase for the particular working methods of a group of artists who have attained visibility around the City with their colourful pasted paper works on mainly derelict spaces. A seed bombing project orbits this agenda also and free sunflowers were available to take home with the provision that they are planted in the city boundaries.
The work on the gallery walls were versions of the transient pieces that have become part of Limerick City’s visual culture and a video projection running alongside them rotated not only these examples but also documentary images of the artists clandestinely at work.
The web presence of tonight's collective invites participants to share an ethos of visual resistance to NAMA closed buildings (amongst other civic supported spaces) by pasting vivid figures who invariably initiate dialogue by their prominence in the cities pedestrian flow. Construction tips and examples offered on their facepaste pages constitute a responsible commitment to the ongoing agenda as by choice this work does not follow the open guidelines practiced by the cities tagging and permanent- material markmakers. The distinction is important particularly in light of recent Limerick social network coverage on this subject.
While the artists are articulate when confronted on their position (Socio-politically) the dialogue with the city as represented by Skint encompasses examples of the stylistic continuum presented as ‘Urban Art’, the contested arena of uncommissioned street art, and the ongoing mission of these artists as reflected through the location of their pieces and the ownership of the wallspace used.
This was a successful and responsible showcase not only for artists but for future links between legitimate spaces such as Occupy and creative’s who seek to keep debate on particular civic issues through visual means active while remaining anonymous
Paul Tarpey
more photos below
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