Spotlight with Pádraic E. Moore
Pádraic E. Moore, Artistic Director, Ormston House, Limerick, Ireland. Photo: Bas Czerwinski.
Could you tell us a little more about your background and how you got into curating?
I studied History of Art at UCD in the early 2000s, when traditional pedagogical approaches were still very much alive. Back then, the foundational course was a chronological survey of Western Art, and connoisseurship was valued as much as criticality. A couple of excellent tutors I encountered at this time (particularly Dr. Róisín Kennedy) radicalised me via their analysis of modernism, instilling in me a belief in the utopian function of art.
While still an undergraduate, I began socialising at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. Meeting artists and organising exhibitions of their work on a DIY basis was an important rite of passage, enabling me to find my voice as a curator via experimentation. I’ve organised countless projects in the two decades since then, but tenets discovered in that phase of remain paramount—such as the importance of collaboration and the power of collective dreaming.
I benefited from the fact that curatorial discourse in Ireland moved forward in the years just before I graduated. Nevertheless, coming from an island it has been essential for me to expand my knowledge of curating by engaging in dialogue further afield.
Relationships with several institutions overseas have been formative, enabling me to acquire skills and shape my ideas of what curating is and what it can be. Participating in programmes such as CuratorLab at Konstfack, Stockholm have been crucial in helping me situate my practice in a broader context.
The Curators’ Residency Programme at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin came at an apposite time for me in 2011, when I was eager to reassess my worldview. Another experience which fundamentally altered my path and enabled me to widen the parameters in which I was operating came in 2015 when I embarked on a year-long residency at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht. This move precipitated my relocation to the lowlands for an extended period and several years later, I was invited to return to the Academie to research and curate Communal Enthusiasm, a major exhibition commemorating 75 years of that organisation.
Who/what has influenced your curatorial practice?
I’m influenced by artists that I work with more than anything else. An in-depth, intuitive analysis of their position informs my methodology. I’m particularly interested in artists who draw from the disciples of psychology and science and infuse them with spiritual potential.
Since 2009 I have been researching the influences that esoteric philosophies have had upon the literary and visual arts. Several projects have explored how organisations such as the Theosophical Society were a vital catalyst for cultural progress in the last century. I examine how contemporary culture continues to embrace ideals and aesthetics informed by such traditions. Chronicling the work of artists who refer to or follow these doctrines is integral to my practice.
Ultimately, I am guided and galvanized by the conviction that visual art is a catalyst for revelatory experience. I believe that exhibitions are a uniquely suited format for presenting research and knowledge that can transform how we look at and live in the world.
The role of the curator is continuously changing. Could you describe what it means to be a curator today?
Since I began on this path, one of the most notable developments is how the definition of curator has expanded. Curators are required to be more pragmatic and versatile than ever before. Having spent the last twenty years working both independently and alongside institutions, I have come to realise that there are pitfalls and limitations to both routes.
Operating independently can be liberating, but it is also extremely precarious and demands that one be constantly rebuilding foundations. On the other hand, working in an institutional or civic context can mean that one becomes instrumentalised and must be willing to quantify outputs and performance according to criteria that are often arbitrary.
While flexibility is important it’s essential for one to have a solid foundational sense of who they are as a curator and what they want to achieve. This proves essential in those moments of disillusionment, which are unfortunately inevitable in a profession that is unpredictable and, at times, even ruthless.
I’ll conclude my answer to this thorny question with a quote from Harald Szeemann, one of the founders of this organisation, who said that “the most important thing about curating is to do it with enthusiasm and love—with a little obsessiveness.”
What’s next for you? What are your upcoming projects?
At the beginning of last year, I returned to Ireland to take up the position of Artistic Director of Ormston House, a contemporary art gallery and cultural resource centre in Limerick City. Located in a 19th-century building, this is a relatively young organisation which has nonetheless distinguished itself as a locus of experimental curatorial practice.
Our next exhibition is a collaboration with EVA International, Ireland’s biennial of visual art. The exhibition, entitled Bíodh orm Anocht, is a four-person show that takes place both in the gallery and at various off-site locations across the city. The artworks in the show demonstrate how objects and places are capable of holding and transmitting numinous power.
While making exhibitions remains at the heart of what I do, much of my time is now also spent thinking more broadly about how to develop the visual arts infrastructure. I am now using my curatorial skills on a more expanded scale and trying to advance the visual arts ecology in this region on the edge of Europe.
In this relatively new role, I find myself returning to the manifesto-like mission statement of Terry Smith, who encourages us to “curate reflexively, build research capacity, articulate curatorial thinking, archive the achievements, reinvent exhibition formats, activate infrastructure and embrace spectatorship.”
What are you reading, watching, or listening to now, that is helping you to stay relaxed and positive?
I am currently reading Fassbinder: Thousands of Mirrors by Ian Penman and listening to Via Negativa (In the Doorway Light), the latest album by Xeno and Oaklander.
How long have you been part of IKT and how do you feel that it has benefited your curatorial practice?
I have been a member for 10 years. This organisation helps me keep abreast of what peers and fellow curators are doing. While some aspects of curating are inherently collaborative and involve teams of people, this occupation also entails hermetic focus and solitary activity. The IKT serves as a bolstering organisation by promoting solidarity and offering new perspectives. This is a nebulous and metamorphosing profession, and we must all learn from each other.
Thank you Pádraic!
Learn more about Pádraic and his work on his website.
Spotlight
Spotlight is a new series of short interviews, aiming to showcase the diverse expertise and innovative approaches of our IKT members. Whether you're seeking inspiration or searching for potential partners, join us on this captivating journey as we uncover the stories, ideas, and creative visions of our members.
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