André Stitt +
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Akshun 1976-2013
Expanded Paint/Install 2008-current
ANDRE STITT – Current 2020
love, bombs, and bits of concrete
I see the materiality of paint and the active process of painting as a kind of synthetic transmitter of experience that reflects the historical uncertainty of time and place with the possibility that an expanded idea of contemporary genre painting might operate as a transformative medium with redemptive potential. I do not see this as static or fixed but part of a network that might be regarded as a form of ambiguous or ‘atemporal’ abstraction and includes allusions to the painted image in the age of networked, digital and computer-generated images.
The current focus of this is an exploration of individual and communal identity based on cultural artefact and the built environment. This includes the repurposing of brutalism and associated architectural legacies as a utopian embodiment of modernist ideals for civic, municipal and social progress with its dystopian conversion a form of secular transcendence. There is an undercurrent of unease in the work whereby the image revealed might embody the materiality of the built habitat and its abstract displacement as a site for conflict. Code and allegory are employed in order to evoke a memory of forms, or a hauntology, reimagined as a parallel universe.
In proposing a simulacrum I wish to question our received notion of authenticity in a world constructed through imperial and neo-liberal economies of power that contribute to national/cultural/post-colonial identities made manifest through cultural artefact and the ideological imperatives of architecture.
From an interview at the Ulster Museum, Belfast in 2014:
“Being brought up in Belfast and Seymour Hill housing estate at the height of the ‘Troubles’ making art was a matter of life and death for me. A relationship between my subjective reality, imagination and creativity and the profound frustration and anger bound by the status of domination, intolerable powerlessness, desperation and traumatic suffering connected to the politics of history, memory, place and culture that forever influenced my idea of making art as a redemptive proposition.
With a working-class background immersed in the ideals of equality allied to socialism subverted by the prism of violent political sectarianism; the main discipline of my art making changed when I attended art school in Belfast from 1976-1980. With a previous background in painting my practice changed radically as I became engaged in the current artistic debates of the time embracing performance art as a means for direct action and confrontation in an environment of civil conflict. I saw art as a practice that could offer limitless variation – my practice became interdisciplinary with emphasis on non-commodification, process & ‘live’ interaction. My work has since responded to subjective history and memory and the issues surrounding sectarianism, manipulation and control. This has extended to an investigation of the body in relation to trauma.
Many of the principles of practice embodied in my life have evolved from that initial collision of possibilities. I often think about the war in Northern Ireland that made me what I am, and how out of necessity and survival, I was brought to an affirmative understanding of the transformative power, sense of freedom, wonder, and dignity that making art has afforded me.”
Monographs:
Civics, Edge Hill University Press, UK, 2019
Living In The Material World Gallery Ten, Cardiff, 2016
14 Secret Masters of the Universe Flight Gallery, San Antonio, Texas, 2015
in the WEST Oriel Myrddin, Cymru/Wales 2012
SHIFTwork Curcioprojects, New York, 2009
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere MCAC, Portadown, Northern Ireland, 2009
Substance Spacex, Exeter, England 2008
Dingo Artspace, Sydney, Australia 2007
The Institution Chapter, Cardiff, 2005
Reclamation Chapter, Cardiff 2005
Cargo Cult Café Gallery Projects, London 2004
The Bedford Project BCA, Bedford, 2003
South Of No North Sirius Art Centre, Cork, Ireland, 2002
Small Time Life Black Dog Publishing, London 2002
Homework Krash Verlag, Cologne, Germany 2000
Akshunartifax Arts Council of Northern Ireland 1993
trace:
TRACE Displaced Parthian, Cymru/Wales, 2011
TRACE 00’05 Seren, Cymru/Wales, 2006.
1980 – 2008
AKSHUN : Working almost exclusively as a performance and interdisciplinary artist from 1980-2008. Gained an international reputation as a performance artist for cutting edge, provocative and politically challenging work. A predominate theme in his artistic output was that of communities and their dissolution often relating to trauma and conflict with art as a redemptive proposition. During this period produced hundreds of ‘live’ performance and installation works at major museums, galleries and sites specific throughout the world.
2008 – present
EXPANDED PAINTING : In 2008 he was awarded a major Arts Council Creative Wales Award to develop his painting practice and has since changed his art practice to painting. In 2015 he was awarded another major Arts Council Creative Wales Award to further investigate painting in relationship to installation art.
EXHIBITIONS
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019 BRUTAL PRINT, (in partnership with Sarah Hardacre),
Prism Contemporary, Blackburn, England
2018 SPACE, HOPE & ALTERED ESTATES,
gallery TEN, Cardiff + Alice Black, London
2017 CIVICS, Edge Hill University & Arts Centre, Ormskirk, England
ASTRO-CIVICS, Studio 18, Pontycymer, South Wales
2016 LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD, gallery TEN, Cardiff
2015 14 SECRET MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE (in partnership with James Cobb),
Flight Gallery, San Antonio, Texas
2014 DARK MATTER, gallery TEN, Cardiff
2013 IN THE WEST, Leeds College of Art Gallery
IN THE WEST, Oriel Myrddyn, Carmarthen, Wales
SPECTRAL ARC/VANISHING POINT,
(in partnership with Alastair MacLennan)
St. Paul St. Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2012 PROG, Saint David’s Hall, Cardiff
2010 EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE, Howard Gardens Gallery, Cardiff
SUBSTANCE, GTgallery, Belfast
2009 SHIFTWORK, (in partnership with Fritz Welch) The Lab, New York
EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE, MCAC, Craigavon, N. Ireland
2008 SUBSTANCE, Spacex, Exeter, England
2005 RECLAMATION, Chapter, Cardiff
2004 CARGO CULT, CGP Gallery, London
2003 WHITE TRASH, Grunt Gallery, Vancouver
THE BEDFORD PROJECT, BCA Gallery, Cecil Higgins Gallery,
Bedford, England
2002 SOUTH OF NO NORTH, Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh, Ireland
2001 HOMEWORK, Le Lieu Centre en Art Actuel, Quebec
2000 HOMEWORK, Howard Gardens Gallery, Cardiff
1999 LEARNING TO FLY, Michael Wilson Gallery, London
1997 DOMESTIC SCENES, Michael Wilson Gallery, London
1995 CROW, Galerie QQ, Krakow, Poland
1993 AKSHUNARTIFAX, Arts Council Gallery, Belfast
1990 MINI RETRO, De Media, Eeklo, Belgium
1985 SNUFF, Lantaren-Venster Gallery, Rotterdam, Holland
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 INDUSTRIALISED, Blackburn Museum, England
NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES
SOMATIC DISORDER, Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Manorhamilton, Ireland
ALTERED STATES, CSAD Exhibitions, Cardiff
TROUBLES ART, Nerve Centre, Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland
PAINT DADA, Oriel Canfas, Cardiff
2018 CROSSING LINES, Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, Ireland
NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES, Cardiff
IN THE MANNER OF SMOKE, Alice Black Gallery, London
STOP MAKING SENSE, CSAD Exhibitions, Cardiff
2017 STATIK/KONETIK, Alice Black Gallery, London
NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES, Bodedern, Anglesey, Wales
2016 CARDIFF CONTEMPORARY,Cardiff
NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES, Abergavenny, Wales
BEEP Painting Biennale, Swansea
NSK FOLK BIENNALE, The Burren, Ireland
ORIEL DAVIES OPEN, Newtown, Wales
2015 GRIFFIN OPEN, Griffin Gallery, London
COLLECTED HISTORIES, GT Gallery, Belfast
ART OF THE TROUBLES, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, England
2014 MOBILE ENCOUNTERS, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
NEW WELSH ART, gallery ten, Cardiff
BEEP PAINTING BIENNALE, Swansea, Wales
ART OF THE EASTSIDE, Eastside Arts, Belfast
ART OF THE TROUBLES, Ulster Museum, Belfast
ORIEL DAVIES OPEN, Newtown, Wales
2012 BEEP PAINTING BIENNALE, Swansea, Wales
JOHN MOORES 2012, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
WARNING! Contemporary Art, Belfast
NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES, Glamorgan, Wales
SHELTER, Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno, Wales
FRIKTION, Upsala Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
2011 NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES, Wrexham, Wales
DEATHANDDADA, Galerie Lehtinen, Berlin
EPHEMERAL, Substation, Singapore
2009 5TH WORLD CERAMICS BIENNALE, Icheon, Korea
PIANO NOBILE, Centre for Contemporary Art, Geneva, Switzerland
2007 AFTERMATH, Artspace, Sydney, Australia
2008 ASIATOPIA, Bangkok Art & Culture Centre
2006 ACUTE ZONAL ULTRA, Drawing Centre, New York
2005 NAVIGATE, Baltic, Gateshead, England
2004 EPAF, Lublin Cultural Centre, Poland
2003 BLUR, Arab Israeli Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
REACTION, Venice Biennale, Italy
2000 0044, Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast
0044, Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork, Ireland
1999 0044, PS1, New York
0044, Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo, NY
AMORPH, Box Forum Gallery, Helsinki
ART SURGERY, Newlyn Gallery, Cornwall
1998 STREETWORKS, Streetlevel Gallery, Glasgow
BONE,Stadtgalerie, Bern, Switzerland
NATURE IS PERVERSE, New Modern Museum, Stockholm, Sweden
1997 DOING IN ITS OWN RIGHT, Serpentine Gallery, London
ROOTLESS, Ferrans Gallery, Hull, England
ARTPOOL P-60 Gallery, Budapest
1996 RENCONTRE INTERNATIONALE, Le Lieu, Quebec
NIPAF, Japan Foundation Forum, Tokyo
FIX, Catalyst Arts, Belfast
1995 EXPEDITION IN THE PERFORMANCE WORLD, Artpool, Budapest
CARDIFF ART IN TIME, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
1994 AART, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
PAQUET CADEAUX, Galerie Satellite, Paris
1993 OF LOVE, Galerie Satellite, Paris
1991 EYE TO HAND, The Heritage Centre, East End, London
1990 FANZINE AS OBJECT, Karl Ernst Museum, Hague, Belgium
1989 HARDCORE, Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, Texas
BOKE FACTORY, Zero-One Gallery, Los Angeles, California
ARTZ ATTACK, Project Arts Centre, Dublin
1988 AIR MAIL, Air Gallery, London
1987 CONFRONTATIONS, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England
AT THE EDGE, Air Gallery, London
FIGURES, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, England
1982 SADE, Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork, Ireland
1984 NOVA, Arts Council Gallery, Belfast
1981 EXHIBITION OF DRAWING SIGNS, Rysunku Gallery, Poznan, Poland
1980 EVA, Limerick City Art Gallery, Ireland
1979 EXHIBITION OF VISUAL ARTS, Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork, Ireland
IRISH EXHIBITION OF LIVING ART, Bank of Ireland, Dublin