‘We Need To Talk About . . . Expanded Painting and Metamodernism’ with Colin Martin and James Cussen

Doors open 6pm. Talk starts 6:30pm sharp.

Join Colin Martin and James Cussen in Studio 6 as they seek to illuminate discussion, debate and new thinking on painting practice in the expanded field and metamodernism. Beginning with an introduction from organiser and moderator Karen Ebbs, Colin and James will each offer a presentation. This will be followed by a panel discussion about painting and its relation to the broader spheres of art and its contemporary, cultural, theoretical and philosophical development. Audience participation will be encouraged through a Q&A.

Metamodernism has ‘hope’ at its core, and comprises ‘magical realism’, ‘pragmatic idealism’ and ‘ironic sincerity'. In psychology, metamodernism is held up as a way of viewing the world from multiple perspectives, an idea which can be seen in contemporary art, where it is used to offer ways to ‘hold space’ for multiple perspectives where opposing positions co-exist. Metamodern sensibilities seem to be neither an attempt to cancel postmodernism’s critique of modernism nor a desire to return to the ideals of modernism, but rather seeks to combine them to provoke new thinking.

Expanded painting’s allure is its direct, accessible, and unmediated relationship to the physical body, materiality and sense perception. Refusing boundaries, expanded painting practices have led to the ‘spatialisation’ of painting and its adept subsumption of other art forms. Discourse and a sharing of minds/positions/ideas is an excellent way to advance one’s understanding and appreciation of the prevailing, contemporary cultural and philosophical shifts.

Colin Martin is an artist and lecturer based in Dublin. He is currently Head of the RHA School and lectures in the NCAD Media Department. He is a graduate of DIT and NCAD and works in the medium of painting and film.

James Cussen is from Limerick and holds an MA in Philosophy. He is the founder of The Living Philosophy website and Youtube channel.

Karen Ebbs is an Irish painter working in expanded painting. She is a graduate of NCAD holding a BA and an MA in Fine Art painting.

We Need To Talk About . . . is a series of talks on painting organised and moderated by artist Karen Ebbs. It follows the success of We Need To Talk About Painting, a series of talks held at IMMA and The Complex Dublin, October and November 2022.

This event is supported by Free Space at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios. Free Space creates the opportunity for artists to access space in the city for peer learning, artist exchanges, project development and presentations.

Event location information: Studio will be dimly lit for the presentations with theatre style seating. It is located on the first floor and is accessible by lift. There is a semi accessible toilet on the ground floor. Please note there is currently construction outside our gallery.