Dublin Gallery Weekend | Artist Talk: Frank Sweeney, 'Go Ye Afar'

Join Frank Sweeney in the Gallery as he discusses his new film installation Go Ye Afar. The talk will be followed by a brief Q&A. Following the talk, the Gallery will open late and attendees will have the opportunity to watch the film in full (approx. 30 mins).

Go Ye Afar follows as Irish-Nigerian taxi driver on a miraculous voyage through the streets of Dublin and Calabar. The film uses rear-projection, reenacted interviews, archival material, and Nollywood-style special effects, to connect the use of media by missionaries in shaping the Irish understanding of the Nigerian–Biafran War, to the foundation of major Irish NGOs in response to this conflict and the legacies of colonialism in contemporary free trade and immigration systems.

Frank Sweeney brings attention to the ways broadcast media has been instrumentalised to impose or restrict certain viewpoints, often in relation to state ideologies such as religion and cultural identity. Celebrating the slippages in authenticity inherent in analogue recording and transmission, he reveals the potential for a broader range of narrative truths and histories. Recent exhibitions and screenings include Anthology Film Archives, New York (2024); FILMADRID, Madrid (Special Mention) (2024); International Film Festival Rotterdam (Winner Tiger Short Award) (2024); EVA International, Limerick (2023); Sirius Art Centre, Cobh (2023); CCA-Derry (2022); Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2021); Green on Red Gallery, Dublin (2019).

In addition to being an exhibiting artists, Frank Sweeney holds a Three Year Membership Studio at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios.

Dublin Gallery Weekend runs from November 6 -9, and is hosted by Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA). In its third year, Dublin Gallery Weekend brings together Ireland’s most exciting artists, galleries, cultural institutions and creative spaces in a citywide takeover.

Event location information: This event takes place in a ground-floor, street-facing Gallery. The space will be darkened with low lighting with theatre style seating. For further accessibility information please contact Learning + Public Engagement Curator Órla Goodwin.