For this year’s Art Weekend Aarhus, Kvindemuseet will host a screening and panel discussion exploring Irish sexual politics.

Ireland made global headlines last year for repealing its abortion ban, which until January 2019 had been one of the most restrictive in the world. This was the latest in a string of legal battles overturning the country’s deeply conservative laws: divorce was legalized in 1995, work houses for unwed mothers banned in 1996, gay marriage legalized in 2015. Bit by bit, Irish voters have been claiming their sexual agency, chipping away at the state’s ability to regulate their sex lives. But the Catholic values that largely informed these restrictive laws still hold a firm grip on the national psyche. Many contemporary Irish artists grapple with the ways in which this legacy shapes their experiences as sexed and gendered subjects.

The event will open with a screening of three video artworks. Anne Maree Barry’s Leisure with Dignity examines the history of prostitution in Dublin’s former red-light district. Kevin Gaffney’s Far From the Reach of the Sun imagines the invention of a desire-altering drug. Kevin Smith’s Love in Technicolour explores the emotional turmoil of an unexpected breakup.

In keeping with the museum’s mission to promote critical dialogue on sex and gender across cultures, the screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will unpack the physical, mental, social, and emotional vulnerabilities at play in the three artworks. Laura McAtackney is going to moderate the panel discussion. Laura is an Associate Professor within Aarhus University’s Department of Archeology and Heritage Studies, and an affiliate with the Centre for Irish Studies in Aarhus.

Viewers will then be invited to Kvindemuseet’s café for a catered reception, where they can continue the dialogue through personal conversation with the artists.

Information
This event is free and open to the public as part of Art Weekend Aarhus.
Supported by The Danish Art Foundation, Aarhus Municipality and Culture Ireland.
Curated by Pamela Grombacher.

Date: Saturday, October 5, 2019
Time: 5:00-7:00 pm (followed by reception)
Location: Kvindemuseet, Old Town Hall
Artists: Anne Maree Barry, Kevin Gaffney & Kevin Smith