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INTERVALS Press Release

| Irma Irsara

16 May 2022

UK artist Irma Irsara presents her brand new works at Tabernacle Gallery on the
occasion of ‘Intervals’ exhibition opening in June.

Water Levels 1 (2021) – 31 x 51 cm, cotton fibre, dyes

On June 7th, Irma Irsara, contemporary Italian artist who lives and works in London, will present her latest artworks at the Tabernacle Gallery on the occasion of the summer exhibition, Intervals.

Irma will be exhibiting three of her latest projects with centrepiece of the show, Accendo la luce, nasce l’ombra (2021), a large installation work, consisting of 72 panels and created using a dedicated papermaking technique, being presented for the first time. A selection from Irsara’s recent Water Level Series relating to ecological and environmental themes and created using the same paper pulp technique will also be debuted. Finally, the artist will be showing a time-lapse digital video work, originally created for the exhibition Earth is Calling at the Crypt Gallery in 2019, part of which was also shown at the Bargehouse for Totally Thames, Foragers of the Foreshore exhibition.

Accendo la luce, nasce l’ombra (2021), is inspired by notions of loss of connectivity and nostalgia for past encounters leading to feelings of isolation and vulnerability. At the same time, it explores the shared life experiences and the sense of equality that certain phenomena create, uniting people while keeping them apart.
The shift in the perception of time as a result of the pandemic, led the artist to change her outlook: instead of working towards a precise event or end point, she found herself reimagining outcomes by revisiting the past, looking at old work and notebooks, and extracting significant words and phrases in a process of re-evaluation.
Irsara worked extensively on this work over the lockdown periods, forming a composite wall piece that consists of separate panels with embossed lettering, using letterpress printing on a book binding press. Each standalone piece becomes part of the overall installation – a wall of fragments incorporating old sayings with scraps of personal, nostalgic thought. The words are deliberately intended to have possible multiple meanings to reflect diverse responses to a common experience and evoke an imagined future.

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Accenda la luce, nasce l’ombra

| Irma Irsara

Loss of connectivity and nostalgia for past encounters and associations can lead to feelings of isolation and vulnerability. At the same time, shared life experiences creates a new social equality that connects us even though we’re kept apart.

The shift in the perception of time over the last year led to a change in my outlook. Instead of working towards a precise event or end point, I found myself looking backwards, reimagining outcomes by revisiting the past.

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I looked at past work and notebooks, extracting significant words and phrases in a process of re-evaluation. I also worked on the project Accenda la luce, nasce l’ombra over the lockdown periods, a composite wall piece consisting of 72 sections with embossed and printed lettering using letterpress type and book binding press. Each standalone piece becomes part of the overall installation – a wall of fragments and random thoughts incorporating old sayings with scraps of personal nostalgic thought. The words are deliberately intended to have possible multiple meanings to reflect diverse responses to a common experience and to evoke an imagined future.

Irlandese con currach

| Irma Irsara

Irlandese con currach
(Irish with currach) 1990

A companion piece to ‘Verso l’isola di Murano‘, ‘Irlandese con currach’ uses a precise palate of earthy colours to comment on ideas of tradition and survival linked to landscape.

Both pieces have similarities in theme but they are also preoccupied with captured light. In this piece, the fresh strong green that reflects back the light is particularly important and represents a response to an area with a unique visual identity.

Details:

Price £70 (multiple) offered as part of #artistsupportpledge initiative.

unframed price

Limited edition 2 plate etching
Aquatint, sugar-lift, aquaforte, rolled colour

2/50 – number 2 of an edition of 50

Paper: Somerset White Texture 300gsm

Print size: H 15 cm x W 15 cm
Paper size: H 25.5 cm x W 25 cm

Suggested framed dimensions:
H 31 x W 31 cm (min)

Available at:
http://irmairsara.bigcartel.com/product/irlandese-con-curraghs

Artist info:
https://irmairsara.com/about.htm

I’ll be offering further work for £200 or under and will pledge to use 20% of every £1000 raised to purchase a piece myself or as a donation to one of the art charities supported by the scheme.

About the scheme:
#artistsupportpledge is an artist-led movement and network to support artists struggling financially during Covid 19 using the social media platform Instagram.
Full details: artistsupportpledge.com

Zero Celsius DAY 13 – 02

| Irma Irsara

ZERO CELSIUS

Victorian Ice Wells, London Canal Museum, King’s Cross  –  Non-permanent, ever-changing, time-based ice installation

Materials:
Ice (created from canal water on site each day using three top loading freezers from), 1.3mm El Wire, different lengths powered by mains and battery packs (for embedded lights), Melanex shapes, Silver birch bark sourced from fallen trees source restored to original location at the end of the project. Charcoal made from pruned vine branches.

Dimensions variable.

Zero Celsius was an opportunity to witness, explore and be part of an unexpected subterranean landscape in the heart of King’s Cross. Through investigation and elaboration of different elements embedded in blocks of ice, artist Irma Irsara developed an experimental work with ever-changing outcomes. The installation process was determined by the interaction between the artist, the unique host location and the melting shapes of ice, resulting in a unique participatory experience.

www.zer0celsius.wordpress.com