REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE TEMPLE BAR INTERNATIONAL PRINT SHOW
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE TEMPLE BAR INTERNATIONAL PRINT SHOW 1998 ON SATURDAY, 31 OCTOBER 1998
I would like to begin by thanking Laura Mahagy for inviting me here today to close the Temple Bar International Print Show and to launch its tour to Belfast and Stoke-on-Trent. I would also like to extend my congratulations to Brian Kennedy, Curator, and Belinda Buckley, Manager of the International Print Show ’98, and all the participating artists for the success of the exhibition which has generated a lot of interest and has been very well received since its opening on the 8th October, 1998.
This exhibition reflects how artists observe life across eight different European cities: Belfast, Berlin, Bilbao, Cork, Dublin, Marseille, Stoke-on-Trent and Venice, telling the stories that are shaping contemporary Europe. In his book Saving the City, Frank McDonald poses the question “What do we mean by the City?”, and by way of reply, quotes the great planning philosopher Lewis Mumford.
“The City he wrote is the form and symbol of an integrated social relationship; it is the seat of the temple, the market, the hall of justice and the academy of learning. It is also a conscious work of art, and it holds within its communal framework many simpler and more personal works of art. Mind takes form in the city: and in turn, urban forms condition the mind. For space, no less than time, is artfully reorganised in cities: in boundary lines and silhouettes, in the fixing of horizontal planes and vertical peaks, in utilising or denying the natural site, the city records the attitude of a culture and an epoch to the fundamental facts of its existence. The dome and the spire, the open avenue and the closed court, tell the story not merely of different physical accommodations but of essentially different conceptions of man’s destiny. The city is both physical utility for collective living and a symbol of those collective purposes and unaminities that arise under such favouring circumstances. With language itself, it remains man’s greatest work of art.”
The career of a professional artist can be a difficult one and many artists work in isolation. These centres bring artist together and create and encourage a strong community of artists which facilitates an exchange of ideas, material and a diverse range of skills. The presence of a vibrant and strong artistic community was the impetus which led to the refurbishment of this area and underpins its strength. It also assists in making our capital city a living and breathing organism. These centres have provided us with stimulation, complex and at times controversial exhibitions, which have challenged the way we view art, the role of art in our society.
They have also embraced the creative challenges posed by new technologies and have provided artists with opportunities to use and explore the creative potential of these new technological tools. In this exhibition, printmaking is looked at in the broadest possible context: etching, screenprinting and lithography are viewed alongside the work of artists in photographic, digital and video media.
This exhibition attests to the strength and diversity of contemporary prints in Ireland and Europe. We are now a much more affluent society and as a result there is a greater demand for art, both for investment and aesthetic purposes. Editioned prints by contemporary artists are affordable to art collectors and the interested public, making art less exclusive and more accessible.
I am confident that this unique encounter between Irish and European artists will strengthen the art of printmaking and contribute to the enrichment and understanding of cultures and a sense of shared experience.
I congratulate all who have worked so diligently to ensure the success of this exhibition and I wish it further success as it travels to Belfast and Stoke-on-Trent.
Thank You