John Gerrard is returning to Galway International Arts Festival with a follow up to his stunning Mirror Pavilion, a new installation piece Flare [Oceania] 2022.
Set within a seascape based on photographs taken by activist and artist Uili Lousi of his heating ancestral ocean near Tonga, Gerrard’s new work represents an ecology in hyper distress and a world faced with the existential threat of rising seas.
Flare will be shown as a large–scale 7m x 7m high LED wall at Galway Docks from July 10, and streamed live online.
Paul Fahy, GIAF Artistic Director, said that it’s wonderful to be working with John Gerrard once again.
“Flare is an extraordinarily powerful work and an important call to action to society and what we all need to do to address climate change.”
“This stunning simulation, which hovers between a gas flare and a national flag on the ocean, is a potent reminder to us all of our impact on the world.”
Mirror Pavilion was without a doubt the most eye-catching part of the Galway International Arts Festival 2020, attracting over 120,000 people to its first phase, Mirror Pavilion, Corn Work at the Claddagh that Autumn.
The second phase, Mirror Pavilion, Leaf Work was unveiled to great acclaim as part of GIAF 2021 on Derrigimlagh Bog.
John Gerrard is considered a pioneer of simulation within contemporary art and internationally acclaimed for his large-scale, site specific art works.
His work features in the collections of MoMA New York, Tate London, San Francisco MoMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Irish Museum of Modern Art among others.
Gerrard’s first solo show at the prestigious PACE Gallery opens this month in New York while Mirror Pavilion Leaf Work was recently seen at the Sydney Biennale of Art.
