Microdot

SPY STATION

Microdot Gallery, Haymarket Arcade, Belfast

SPY STATION, a solo exhibition by Brendan Jamison at Microdot, Belfast. Photography: © David Turner

Detail of TEUFELSBERG CROSS-SECTION (2013) Brendan Jamison, coloured plastic blocks, 50 x 67 x 2 cms. Photography: © David Turner

Detail of TEUFELSBERG CROSS-SECTION (2013) Brendan Jamison,

coloured plastic blocks, 50 x 67 x 2 cms.

Photography: © David Turner

SPY STATION, a solo exhibition by Brendan Jamison at Microdot, Belfast. Photography: © David Turner

TEUFELSBERG CROSS-SECTION (2013) Brendan Jamison, coloured plastic blocks, 50 x 67 x 2 cms. Photography: © Tony Corey for Jamison Sculpture Studio

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE OF TEUFELSBERG FIELD STATION BERLIN (2013) Brendan Jamison, coloured plastic blocks, 50 x 78 x 2 cms. Photography: © Jamison Sculpture Studio

Microdot is pleased to present ‘Spy Station’, a new solo exhibition by internationally-renowned artist Brendan Jamison. Already known for his wax, wool and sugar cube sculptures, this is a world-wide debut for Jamison’s new Lego series. The two works on display are of a cross-section and aerial perspective of Teufelsberg: Field Station Berlin.

Over the past year Jamison has been in Germany working on a project in response to the 50^th anniversary of the spy base, a secret listening station built during the Cold War era. It is located in the Grunewald, Berlin’s largest forest, and sits on the peak of Teufelsberg (translated as Devil's Mountain), an artificial hill built from the rubble of the bombed buildings of the Second World War.

Field Station Berlin was built in 1963 by the American National Security Agency and shared with British Intelligence. In early 1992, the intelligence community vacated Teufelsberg following the end of the Cold War, however, the work undertaken there remains classified. From the outset the field station was clouded in secrecy. Over the years, some of these mysteries have been revealed, whilst others have become mixed with myth and imagination...

For further information on Brendan Jamison's research into the spy station and the upcoming solo exhibition in Berlin in September please visit www.brendanjamison.com

About Microdot:

Microdot is the brainchild of David Turner, one of Northern Ireland's top creative entrepreneurs. Following graduation with his MFA from the University of Ulster in 2006, Turner established Belfast's gigantic Platform Arts exhibition space and studios in 2007 and now 6 years later he has created a second smaller space in the city. Its footprint is a mere 55 square feet and the idea is to observe art from the outside, looking into the space like a shop or boutique. Turner describes how "Microdot is a concept space, a site-specific space, an artist's space, a changing space, a challenging space, an engaging space, an experimental space..."

Visiting Microdot:

SPY STATION at Microdot opens from 3-5pm on Monday 5th August. Exhibition continues until Sunday 18th August 2013. Daily access to Microdot is through Haymarket Arcade (linking Royal Avenue with Gresham Street) from 10am-5pm, after 5pm, access via Hudson's Bar.

To contact the Gallery Director David Turner please email turnerda@hotmail.co.uk or by telephone on 07779 255375

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/microdotbelfast

WEBSITE: www.microdot.info

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE OF TEUFELSBERG FIELD STATION BERLIN (2013)

Brendan Jamison, coloured plastic blocks, 50 x 78 x 2 cms.

Photography: © David Turner

SPY STATION, a solo exhibition by Brendan Jamison at Microdot, Belfast. Photography: © Jamison Sculpture Studio

Artist Brendan Jamison outside Microdot Gallery at the launch of SPY STATION on Monday August 5, 2013. Photography: © David Turner

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Friday July 19 - August 2, 2013

JEMA at Microdot Gallery, Haymarket Arcade, Belfast

On Friday July 19, Microdot, Belfast's new contemporary art gallery, will present two travelling exhibitions by the John Erickson Museum of Art (JEMA), a ten-year art project developed by American artist Sean Miller. The John Erickson Museum of art is a location variable museum that exhibits an international array of contemporary artists. For Microdot, two mobile JEMA galleries will present the work of San Francisco-based artist, Kevin B.Chen, and Limerick-based artist, Paraic Leahy. Chen’s exhibition is curated by Sean Miller and Leahy’s exhibition is curated by Limerick-based guest curator Annette Moloney.

Microdot is located in Haymarket Arcade, linking Royal Avenue with Gresham Street. It is the brainchild of David Turner, one of Northern Ireland's top creative entrepreneurs. Following graduation with his MFA from the University of Ulster in 2006, Turner established Belfast's gigantic Platform Arts exhibition space and studios in 2007 and now 6 years later he has created a second smaller space in the city. Its footprint is a mere 55 square feet and the idea is to observe art from the outside, looking into the space like a shop or boutique. Turner describes how "Microdot is a concept space, a site-specific space, an artist's space, a changing space, a challenging space, an engaging space, an experimental space. It's a window, a ceiling, three walls and a door! All you need are the ideas!"

KEVIN B. CHEN: detail of 'The View From There' installation at JEMA (2013). Graphite on Bristol board. Each drawing measures 9 cms high x 5.5 cms wide. Image © JEMA/Sean Miller/Kevn B. Chen 2013

Kevin B. Chen describes how 'seen from a distance, the view of a city is a sight of promise, spectacle, and stimulation. From this perspective, it's a place that can feel so large and anonymous yet can help materialize our sense of location, orientation, grounding, and belonging. Historically, buildings that rose above a city’s sightline were constructed for religious and sacred purposes - the Hagia Sophia, The Cathedral of Chartes, Angkor Wat, St. Peter's Basilica, the Great Hall of the Buddha. In contemporary times, commerce has driven how urban skylines have developed - Burj Khalifa, Transamerica Pyramid, Shanghai World Financial Center, Empire State Building, Petronas Twin Towers. Tapered roofs and radio antennae - which are sacred, which are profane?'

Chen's graphite drawings are not referenced from real buildings, but represent a prototypical modern urban landscape. The economic, cultural, religious, and territorial relationships between buildings and people form complex and often times contentious spheres of interaction. This will only increase in years to come. In 1800, only 3% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. By 1900, 14% were living in urban areas, although only 12 cities had 1 million or more inhabitants. In 1950, 30% of the world's population resided in urban centers, and the number of cities with over 1 million people had grown to 83. In 2008, for the first time, the world's population was evenly split between urban and rural areas, and there were more than 400 cities with over 1 million inhabitants and 19 cities over 10 million. By 2050, it is predicted that 70% of the world population will be urban, and that most of the growth will occur in less developed countries. According to the United Nations, the world’s population reached 7 billion in late 2011 and is predicted to reach 10 billion as soon as 2050. With so many people moving towards cities and with urban areas continuing to increase in size and density, what becomes of the 30% that sees the city from this peripheral perspective? Will there still be a there there?

PARAIC LEAHY: detail of 'Tight Squeeze' installation at JEMA (2013) Curated by Annette Moloney. Image © JEMA/Sean Miller/Paraic Leahy 2013

Paraic Leahy explores a number of themes and motifs through the process of painting and drawing. Routinely his work is left incomplete with sections that are untouched. When placed next to highly detailed sections of work, the disparities between the two are emphasized. Paraic’s work often relies on child-like or adolescent sources. The work presents non-scenes, where the world outside its own narrowly selected view has been bleached out, verging on the erased. He is primarily interested in isolated forms and the use of specific pieces of wood to convey these ideas, aiming to create an overall subtleness within the work. According to the artist ‘Just as memory is exceedingly selective, faced with such an overwhelming amount of data, so too are these images. What is recalled is rich in specifics, whether true or not, and attempts to reconcile dichotomies between corporeality and fiction, as well as between what appears tamable and intractable, to create a tension within the work, despite being imbued with a child-like sense of curiosity.’

Visiting Microdot:

JEMA at Microdot opens from 7-9pm on Friday July 19. The exhibition launch night will take place in Hudson's Yard and visitors should enter through the Hudson Bar on Gresham Street. Exhibition continues until Friday August 2. Daily access to Microdot is through Haymarket Arcade from 10am-5pm, after 5pm, access via Hudson's Bar.

To contact the Gallery Director David Turner please email turnerda@hotmail.co.uk or by telephone on 07779 255375

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/microdotbelfast

WEBSITE: www.microdot.info

Further information on exhibiting artists/curators:

SEAN MILLER:

Sean Miller is an international multimedia artist, curator and Assistant Professor at the University of Florida based in Gainesville, USA. Miller’s major project is the John Erickson Museum of Art (JEMA), a ten-year old miniature museum and conceptual art project. JEMA, a location variable museum, works with international artists to create projects that require mobility and/or aim to destabilize traditional notions of art or art institutions. JEMA is a museum that supports the efficient delivery of art to its viewers. JEMA’s galleries are housed in a series of 16"x12"x9" aluminium carrying cases (and also occur in other unconventional spaces). Selected exhibitions include ACC Galerie (Weimar, Germany), Contemporary Museum (Baltimore, MD), Indianapolis Museum of Art, Deitch Projects Art Parade (NYC., NY), National Museum of Ireland (Dublin, Ireland), Schalter (Berlin), Contemporary Museum (Baltimore, US), Golden Thread Gallery (Belfast, U.K.), Post Gallery (LA, CA.), and Museo Raccolte Frugone (Genoa, Italy). For further information on the John Erickson Museum of Art please visit: www.jema.us

KEVIN B. CHEN:

Kevin B. Chen has been involved in the San Francisco Bay Area arts community for close to 20 years as a curator, writer, and visual artist. His work has been exhibited in the Bay Area at Southern Exposure, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, ampersand international arts, Blankspace, and Kearny Street Workshop, and nationallt at Angel’s Gate Cultural Center (San Pedro, CA), and The Kitchen (New York, NY). He is represented byJack Fisher Gallery, San Francisco, CA. To learn more about his practice please visit his website at www.kevinbchen.com

PARAIC LEAHY:

Paraic Leahy graduated from Limerick School of Art and Design in 2008 with an Honours Degree in Fine Art Painting. He was an original Founding Member and Technican with Occupy Space, an artist led gallery in Limerick City. He recently exhibited a solo show at Ormston House (Limerick). Past projects include Isolated Borders (The Old Police Station Art Center, London), The Water Tower Art Fest (Sofia, Bulgaria), The Woods (Limerick),“Something tells me there's something happening at the zoo” at the Kevin Kavanagh Gallery (Dublin), Imposing Nature (Monster Truck Gallery, Dublin) and Claremorris Open (Mayo). He has recieved numerious awards such as Ucross Foundation Fellowship (Wyoming, U.S.A), North Tipperary Artist Support Scheme, Arts Council of Ireland Travel and Training Award, Claremorris Open Exhibiton (Second Prize) and the Tyrone Gutherie Centre Bursary Award. For further information on artist Paraic Leahy please visit: www.paraicleahy.com

ANNETTE MOLONEY

Annette Moloney is a socially engaged artist, curator and collaborator based in Limerick. Her arts practice includes exhibitions; critical writing; talks; artist’s professional development and mentoring as well as public art projects. Her self-published text on 'Art in Slack Spaces' can be found at www.artinslackspaces.ie and in July 2011 a version of the text was shortlisted for the New York based e-flux Art & Education New Prize for Young Scholars on the topic of 'No Rules: Negotiating Art and Deregulation'. Recent projects included the role of Artists Liaison on the Dialogue Arts + Health project working with the 'Arts and Health Coordinators Ireland' (AHCI) and also co-curating a project based in Dundrum, Co. Dublin, entitled unfolding narratives, Dundrum Open Submission 2011 (with Maeve Mulrennan). Previous professional experience includes working as project manager at the Irish Pavilion at the 53^rd Venice Biennale, as Artistic Director of Clare County Council’s Public Art Programme and as Public Art Specialist with the Arts Council of Ireland. She is a keen athletics club runner and a proud member of the Munster Rugby Supporters Club.

With headquarters in Belfast, Northern Ireland, IMPACTICA was established in 2012 by Founder and Chief Curator Brendan Jamison. It delivers international curated exhibitions to art galleries and museums in Europe and America. Not-for-profit organisation. Contact: impactica@gmail.com