Douglas Hyde Gallery
Encyclopedia
The Douglas Hyde Gallery is a publicly-funded contemporary art
gallery situated within the historical setting of Trinity College
, Dublin, Ireland
.
When the Gallery opened in 1978, it was for a number of years Ireland's only public gallery of contemporary art. Today, in an abundance of smaller galleries and exhibition spaces in Dublin, The Douglas Hyde Gallery continues to sustain its reputation for holding exhibitions by some of the most established and well-regarded Irish and international artists working today.
The Douglas Hyde Gallery consists of two exhibition spaces that are used to show concurrent exhibitions, which often have a relating theme or tone.
, Marlene Dumas
, Gabriel Orozco
and Peter Doig
. Notable Irish artists who have exhibited in Gallery 1 include: Dorothy Cross
, Willie Doherty
, Gerard Byrne
, Patrick Graham, Patrick Hall, Michael Warren
and Kathy Prendergast.
objects and artefacts which are generally marginalised by larger museums and galleries. The most popular of these exhibitions have included: Nepalese Shamanic objects, Japanese Tea Bowls and Ghanaian Asafo Fante Flags.
A number of exhibitions in Gallery 2 fall under ‘The Paradise’ series of shows, which invites artists to create a new work or present a series of works based on their own idea of ‘The Paradise’. As of February 2011, there have been 34 exhibitions in The Paradise series.
The Leaves & Papers series of books and leaflets is an ongoing project which allows The Douglas Hyde Gallery to produce and publish ideas, images and texts relating to a specific theme or concept which does not always relate directly the Gallery’s programme.
Another ongoing series of books documents the Galley’s programme while also highlighting some of the central principles of the Gallery and its exhibitions. The books explore ideas about visual culture, identity, and spirituality through carefully selected texts and imagery. These books include: the bread and butter stone, 1997; Patmos, 1999; 33 Happy Moments, 2003; Alabama Chrome, 2007; The Bridge, 2008; Questions of Travel, 2009; Saunter, 2010.
, Sufjan Stevens
and Laura Veirs
have all played in the Gallery. Sometimes the musical performances relate directly to exhibitions: In 2008, Jandek
performed a concert to coincide with an exhibition of his album covers and in 2009, Jim White played a gig to celebrate the opening of his exhibition of ephemera from the American South
. It is more often the case that the performances and exhibitions share a mood or atmosphere rather than a direct connection.
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
gallery situated within the historical setting of Trinity College
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
, Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
When the Gallery opened in 1978, it was for a number of years Ireland's only public gallery of contemporary art. Today, in an abundance of smaller galleries and exhibition spaces in Dublin, The Douglas Hyde Gallery continues to sustain its reputation for holding exhibitions by some of the most established and well-regarded Irish and international artists working today.
The Douglas Hyde Gallery consists of two exhibition spaces that are used to show concurrent exhibitions, which often have a relating theme or tone.
Gallery 1
Gallery 1, designed by Paul Koralek of ABK Architects, is the Gallery’s main space and has played host to solo-exhibitions by renowned artists such as Fischli/WeissPeter Fischli & David Weiss
Peter Fischli and David Weiss , often shortened to Fischli/Weiss, are an artist duo that have been collaborating since 1979. They are among the most renowned contemporary artists of Switzerland...
, Marlene Dumas
Marlene Dumas
Marlene Dumas is a South African born artist and painter who lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Stressing both the physical reality of the human body and its psychological value, Dumas tends...
, Gabriel Orozco
Gabriel Orozco
Gabriel Orozco is a Mexican artist, who in 1998 was called "one of the most influential artists of this decade, and probably the next one too." He was born in Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico and educated in the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas between 1981 and 1984. He then continued his education...
and Peter Doig
Peter Doig
Peter Doig is a contemporary artist born in Scotland. In 2007, a painting of Doig's, entitled White Canoe, sold at Sotheby's for $11.3 million, then an auction record for a living European artist.-Early life:...
. Notable Irish artists who have exhibited in Gallery 1 include: Dorothy Cross
Dorothy Cross
Dorothy Cross is an artist born in Cork, Ireland. Working with diverse media, which includes sculpture, photography, video and installation she represented Ireland at the 1993 Venice Biennale...
, Willie Doherty
Willie Doherty
Willie Doherty is an artist, who has mainly worked in photography and video. He has twice been a Turner Prize nominee.-Life and work:...
, Gerard Byrne
Gerard Byrne
Gerard Byrne is an Irish artist based in Dublin. He works primarily in film, video and photography in large-scale installations which reconstruct imagery found in magazine published in the 1970s through the 1980s...
, Patrick Graham, Patrick Hall, Michael Warren
Michael Warren (sculptor)
Michael Warren is an Irish sculptor who produces site-specific public art.Inspired by Oisín Kelly, his art teacher at St Columba's College, Michael Warren studied at Bath Academy of Art, at Trinity College, Dublin and, from 1971-75, at the Accademia di Brera in Milan. He now lives and works in Co...
and Kathy Prendergast.
Gallery 2
Gallery 2, which opened in 2001, was designed by McCullough Mulvin Architects. In addition to exhibitions by contemporary artists, this space is often used to show small collections of ethnographicEthnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
objects and artefacts which are generally marginalised by larger museums and galleries. The most popular of these exhibitions have included: Nepalese Shamanic objects, Japanese Tea Bowls and Ghanaian Asafo Fante Flags.
A number of exhibitions in Gallery 2 fall under ‘The Paradise’ series of shows, which invites artists to create a new work or present a series of works based on their own idea of ‘The Paradise’. As of February 2011, there have been 34 exhibitions in The Paradise series.
Publications
The Douglas Hyde Gallery produces publications for many of its exhibitions. These books can take the form of exhibition catalogues, artists’ books or curated projects and, while extremely different in content, they all share a similar exterior presentation. Since 2002, the Gallery has published over forty books in this small, hardback format.The Leaves & Papers series of books and leaflets is an ongoing project which allows The Douglas Hyde Gallery to produce and publish ideas, images and texts relating to a specific theme or concept which does not always relate directly the Gallery’s programme.
Another ongoing series of books documents the Galley’s programme while also highlighting some of the central principles of the Gallery and its exhibitions. The books explore ideas about visual culture, identity, and spirituality through carefully selected texts and imagery. These books include: the bread and butter stone, 1997; Patmos, 1999; 33 Happy Moments, 2003; Alabama Chrome, 2007; The Bridge, 2008; Questions of Travel, 2009; Saunter, 2010.
Music
The Douglas Hyde Gallery has become increasingly well-known for its programme of musical events. In recent years, Cat PowerCat Power
Charlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
, Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
and Laura Veirs
Laura Veirs
Laura Pauline Veirs is an American singer-songwriter.Veirs was raised in Colorado, studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College, worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China, and now lives in Portland, Oregon.While growing up, she heard folk-country, classical, and pop...
have all played in the Gallery. Sometimes the musical performances relate directly to exhibitions: In 2008, Jandek
Jandek
Jandek is the musical project of an anonymous outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released over 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical...
performed a concert to coincide with an exhibition of his album covers and in 2009, Jim White played a gig to celebrate the opening of his exhibition of ephemera from the American South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. It is more often the case that the performances and exhibitions share a mood or atmosphere rather than a direct connection.