Arqueología del Color: Volver de la Guerra
The Archaeology of Colour : Returning from War
Mario Vélez
14th April – 28th May 2022, The Saldanha Gallery, Fort Dunree
Arqueología del Color: Volver de la Guerra is the first showing of a significant new body of work – paintings, drawings, sculptures and videos – by Colombian artist Mario Vélez, curated by Adriana Valderrama López, PhD Researcher at Ulster University.
Adriana was inspired to propose the exhibition to Artlink after her first visit to Fort Dunree in 2020. Speaking of the appropriateness of Fort Dunree as a location for this work Adriana says “In 2020 I went to visit Fort Dunree with a friend. I am from Colombia but currently live in Derry, I am doing my PhD in Arts and Humanities at Ulster University, and I was amazed by the beautiful landscape, the history surrounding it and the interesting conjunction between cultural heritage, a museum, a gallery, and a memorial (the Laurentic memorial), in the same location. Furthermore, the location of the Fort itself, on the edge of the ocean, on the periphery of Ireland and at the same time so close to the border with Northern Ireland, gives a special uniqueness to the place. It was precisely all this historical, patrimonial, and geographical significance of Fort Dunree that I thought could be interesting in dialogue with the work of Mario Vélez”.
The exhibition raises concerns about place, geography, natural materials and their relationship to the human experience of the armed conflict in Colombia, in the wake of the 2016 peace agreement. The canvases, which resemble military camouflage fabrics, suggest garments which, through use and contact with the skin, acquire a strong personal bond. Through this process a generic garment becomes unique. The camouflaged canvases mediated by Mario, are full of presence, evoking the marks of their wearer.
Colombia is a huge country which has suffered from a protracted conflict for the last 60 years. Mario Vélez and Adriana Valderrama López’s home city of Medellin is one of the areas most disturbed by this conflict. In 1991 Medellín was the most violent city in the world with 6,809 deaths.
When Adriana was the director of Casa de la Memoria Museum, in Medellín, a museum dedicated to working with personal, historical memory of the conflict in Colombia, she discovered the work of Mario Vélez. Adriana says “We were visiting the studios of various artists who were working in Medellin during these violent years. In the course of the visit to Mario’s studio we found his student sketchbooks from the 1980s. The sketchbooks, made as a collage, with no pretence at being a work of art, gave an account of life in a very volatile environment. The sketchbooks were basically a reflection of the violence the people lived through at that time, expressed through the sensitivity of an emerging artist.”
Arqueología del Color: Volver de la Guerra continues to be strongly influenced by Mario’s early reflections as a student. The work appropriates the textures, colours and forms of camouflaged canvases, transformed through the application of natural materials such as plants, bark, oil, graphite, gold, rock, water. Mario’s interventions on the canvas create traces reminiscent of those left by war on the land, on the combatants and on all of Colombia as a society.
About the artist and the curator
Adriana Valderrama López is a Psychologist (Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana) with a Masters in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution who has worked as a full-time professor in the School of Law and Political Science at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. She was a member of the Critical Studies Research Group. She was also a member of the Psychoanalysis, Subject and Society Research Group at University of Antioquia. Adriana is the former director of Casa de la Memoria Museum in Medellín, Colombia and she is currently doing a PhD in the School of Arts and Humanities in the Heritage and Museum Studies Programme at the University of Ulster.
Mario Vélez is a visual artist with more than 25 years of experience in the professional art scene, with great international and national reputation. Solo exhibitions in New York, Miami, California, Tokyo, Rome, London, Switzerland, Panama City, Mexico City, Austria, Bogotá and participation in exhibitions and projects in Valencia, PietraSanta, Berlin, Perugia, Los Angeles. His work is part of the public collections including the Contemporary Art Museum DAUM. Missouri, U.S.A., MoLAA Museum of Latin American Art, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A. MAMBO Museum of Modern Art, Bogotá, Colombia. MAMM Museum of Modern Art, Medellin, Colombia. Museum of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. University Museum, University of Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. Armory-Art Gallery, Elena Leech Gallery, Oregon, U.S.A. Contemporary, Perugia. Italy. U.S.A. UBS Investment Bank, Zurich, Switzerland.
Atlantic Technological University students create entertaining ‘animated logos’ for Artlink
April 2022
13 animation students from Atlantic Technological University (formerly Letterkenny Institute of Technology) have been busy creating cutting-edge logos that ‘spin, bounce, fold, warp & transform’ for a new project with Artlink Fort Dunree aimed at providing students with the real-life experience of working in a designer-client relationship.
Gone are the days when logos were only print-focused – static, flat & one-dimensional. In an increasingly digital & connected world, well-designed, evocative & memorable ‘animated logos’ are now becoming an indispensable part of the marketing arsenal of businesses & organisations globally – helping them to build connections with target audiences and raise their brand awareness.
Mark Cullen, Lecturer in Animation at ATU, says the new Artlink project has been an invaluable learning experience for the students: “At ATU we try to recreate the working environment for our animation students in all our projects” he said. “Working with Artlink on this project meant that we had a real-life client with an animation specific brief that would be used in real world scenarios. It was invaluable to have Rebecca from the Artlink team liaise with the students throughout the project and give feedback at key stages like a real client would. It gave the students a feeling of what it is like to present ideas, have work critiqued and to make changes based on feedback as you would have to as an industry practitioner. “
The ATU animation students also found the Artlink project a hugely beneficial experience, as Adrianna Whyte explained: “Working with Artlink was a great experience, we communicated well throughout the project and their feedback was really valuable to us both creatively and in helping us reach a final product they were happy with.”
Atlantic Technological University student Declan Gillespie added: “Working for the client (Artlink) was a fun challenge. We had a large range of potential ideas to choose from and the feedback was always encouraging and helpful. There was a nice sense of communication which kept me excited and motivated throughout the entire project.”
Rebecca Strain from the Artlink collective concluded: “We will be showcasing the designs & logos of all 13 students on our Instagram page and website at the beginning of April with a view to incorporating them into our website and films – and I hope that as many people as possible visit and check out the amazing creative skills of these immensely talented up-and-coming artists and how their logos give a youthful and fresh insight into who and what Artlink is and can be.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to all the students who took part and Mark Cullen for arranging this fruitful collaboration.
“Indeed, if this fantastic project is anything to go by, I have no doubt these students will go on to have phenomenal success in their future artistic careers – whether working as a freelance professional, for a design agency, or making significant contributions to the animation industry not only in Ireland but internationally!”
The 13 animation students from ATU who participated in the Artlink project were Adrianna Whytte, Caoimhe Coll, Cliona Mullane Kelly, Declan Gillespie, Elian Persival, Iva Jelavich, Jake Ochnicki, Leila Skoflek, Lydia O’Connell, Nathan Doherty, Patrick Kelly, Shane Treacy, Skyler O’Flaherty
Donegal femLENS
25 March – 10th April 2022
10.30am-4.30pm daily
Come check out this wonderful photography exhibition by women in Donegal on display in Artlink Fort Dunree gallery until 11th April 2022. There is also going to be a workshop on Saturday 9th April, 1-5pm in Fort Dunree in Buncrana, looking at the themes of the project and the importance of women’s equality and women’s voices. Sign up here to join us https://forms.gle/hkZBho7RQ4n9mVpY9 there will be food too! @donegalwomen
Donegal Visual Artist Network Launch
Tell us about the visual artists living and working in Donegal and what support you need to thrive. Fill out this simple form so that we can get a picture of who’s who here in Donegal. Please share widely https://forms.gle/Pz5scWuT5zhGPjio6
Amach Anseo
Every Thursday at 10am to 11.30am at The Potting Shed, Fort Dunree
Amach Anseo means ‘from here on /forward out’ or ‘from now on’ because now is the best time to do take a step in the right direction. Being outside and growing things at home and hopefully in the community is the first step we’re taking in this direction.
Tiny Forest Project
On 27th March 2022 residents and friends planted 120 trees at The Woods in Buncrana including:
hazel
birch
alder
oak
hawthorn
blackthorn
willow
rowan
amalamchier
ribes
purple elder-flower
fucia
cotoneaster
blackberry
blueberry
bugle
and foxglove, honesty and yarrow
The theme this year for Amach Anseo is trees and community. The aim of the Tiny Forest project is to reach out to the wider community beyond the garden at The Potting Shed. Through this project Rebecca will work with the community through workshops to create 3 ‘Choill Bheag’ or Tiny Forest based on the Myawaki Method in the Buncrana area.
Working with the support of the town gardener George McDermott and DCC Area Roads Engineer Eamon Mahon three sites in housing estates have been identified and approved for this project. Learning about tree planting will give people the knowledge and skills to create a densely planted forest in their neighborhood. The project is supported by Changemakers Donegal ‘Seeds of Change’ project. Mentorship by Patsy Toland is included in this support.
The series of workshops delivered by local forest conservation expert Michiel Verspuji will take the community in the housing estates through each step of the process and will be delivered online via Zoom to adhere to current Covid 19 guidelines and restrictions.
About the Tiny Forest
The forests that emerge thanks to Akira Miyawaki are thus distinguished from the forests obtained by a conventional reforestation method by three main aspects:
-a development 10 times faster, thanks to the emulation created between the plants;
-a density 30 times higher, which allows a greater quantity of CO2 to be absorbed;
-a biodiversity 100 times higher, thanks to the density of vegetation that does not allow man to access the forest.
Art in The Park
The ‘Art in the Park: Energy’ group exhibition sees the works of four Irish-based artists featured in Buncrana’s newly renovated Swan Park. These include a water-world globe sculpture by Kevin Harkin, an interactive ‘Fairy Village’ by Mark Cullen, a twisting ribbon-style metal sculpture echoing the history of textiles at Swan Mill by Rosalind Lowry and a windmill sculpture and dynamo by John McCarron, which will power a light show paying homage to Harry Percival Swan, who donated the park to the local community. Art in the Park is an annual outdoor exhibition every February.
Stories of Change
Stories of Change, one of only 16 projects funded by the new Creative Ireland Climate Action Fund, is an exciting new project that uses stories, food and photography to showcase feasible, practical and community-driven solutions to the climate crisis!
A team of educators, chefs and photographers are going on tour this summer to four Irish counties (Donegal, Kerry, Clare and Galway) with seven partners (BurrenBeo, Leave No Trace, Climate Ambassadors, Artlink, SeaSynergy, Essentially Eco and Wildstrands). Their mission is to bring stories and solutions to the table, to flip the current climate narrative from doom and destruction to inspire community-led climate action. The project will result in four portrait photo exhibitions, a documentary that highlights key people doing good work for the people and planet and a website featuring stories and solutions of local people, doing good things for Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.
Laura Kate and William bringing attention to Stories of Change. Artlink’s a partner on this great project celebrating people in Ireland doing good things to tackle the climate crisis. Thanks to the Inishowen Independent.
Matthew Porter Firing Line (Solo Exhibition)
Buncrana’s own Matthew Porter Ceramics has produced a suite of new works including digital and hand drawings as well as some of the finest most creative ceramics you’re likely to see this year. Treat your senses and take some time to visit. The Saldanha Gallery is open 10.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Saturday until 22nd December and continues in the new year.
Anthem: Anthony Haughey
Sunday 5th December 2021 at Fort Dunree
Anthem, the outcome of Anthony’s 2021 Artlink residency, marks the centenary of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. At that time Ireland was largely defined in terms of Nationalist/Unionist cultural identities. One hundred years later Ireland is more culturally diverse. This artwork questions what national identity means in twenty-first-century Ireland.Co-created with residents living near Fort Dunree, Buncrana and Drumfries, this art intervention will invite some of the participants who designed flags to raise them on flagpoles above Fort Dunree, in a non-militaristic act of citizenship.
