What you are, I am Too
Curated by Ben Crothers and Kim McAleese; featuring artists: Amy Brooks; Ian Charlesworth; Annabel Frearson; Davy Mahon; and Ryan Moffett.
What You Are, I Am Too explores threat, vulnerability and anonymity in the context of collective behaviour, social interaction, and the performance and concealment of identity. Audiences are challenged to consider our simultaneous state of being perceived as potentially dangerous and in danger when we sacrifice our individual identities to enter into a larger social construct, forging alliances and having a collective identity placed upon us.
Whilst conceptually and aesthetically varied, all of the featured works demonstrate an understanding and questioning of the various roles we simultaneously play. Whether concealing our identities within groups, with masks, costumes and uniforms, or even from behind computer screens, we sacrifice our individuality to adopt an empowering anonymity which frees us of our inhibitions but ultimately shackles us to a new collective identity of which we do not necessarily have control.
About the artists
Amy Brooks (b.1986) works primarily with performance art; amidst a little text, sculpture and installation on the side. Her practice is concerned with the mundane and ordinary moments that we encounter. Brooks is currently a Co-Director at Catalyst Arts, Belfast.
Ian Charlesworth (b.1970) mainly uses photography and drawing to explore problems of representation and mediation in a specifically Northern Irish context. His work is held in the collections of the Czech Museum of Fine Art, the Limerick City Art Gallery and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Charlesworth is currently a lecturer in Moscow.
Annabel Frearson (b. 1968) has participated in exhibitions and at events including LUX/ICA Biennial of Moving Images; Arnolfini, Bristol; V&A Museum, London; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; and the Whitechapel Gallery, London. Frearson is a visiting lecturer at University of Hertfordshire and UCA Farnham, and currently holds an AHRC fellowship to complete a PhD in art practice at Goldsmiths College.
Davy Mahon (b.1988) is a current Co-Director at Catalyst Arts, Belfast. He graduated in Fine and Applied Arts in 2011 with a first class honours. Mahon primarily works with drawing and performance, and will soon be exhibiting work in a major group exhibition at the Kao Yuan Arts Center, Taiwan.
Ryan Moffett (b.1987) has shown his work in numerous exhibitions both locally and internationally, most notably: Inter alia at PS2, Belfast; Arrivals at Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast; and Futures at the Elephant Gallery, Los Angeles. Moffett gained a first class honours degree from the University of Ulster in 2009, and is currently undergoing an MFA.