The current exhibition at Mother’s Tankstation bears the title ‘I Love Those Paintings’, but there’s not a painting to be found within its walls. Instead, you’ll find animation, video art, sculptural objects, drawings, and a novel and entertaining sound piece from David Sherry that lends its title to the exhibition. Sherry recently released a limited edition concept album, each track of which is visually represented by one of the pen and paper doodlings that line the walls surrounding the headphone station it can be played upon. The most memorable track, ‘What it’s all about’, lists an assemblage of remarks said to the artist over the course of his career, from the girl who tells him his work is “like Marmite”, to the artist who tells him he looks like a character from Blade Runner. Delivered in a deadpan tone that, whilst utterly sincere, makes each comment sound faintly ridiculous, the work makes for entertaining listening that simultaneously sheds a thoughtful light on the heterogeneity of experience – and particularly, our experience of art. The rest of the works in the exhibition, contributed by Atsushi Kaga, Nina Canell and Matt Sheridan Smith, have all been cherry-picked from an array of international art events, for which they were specially commissioned, and thus now sit in an unfamiliar and unplanned context, altering their meaning. A celebration of multiplicity and fragmentation, ‘I Love Those Paintings’ is a high quality collection of works by international artists, in what is probably Dublin’s most underrated gallery.
Runs until May 26th.
Words: Rosa Abbott
