About The Exhibition
Belfast Exposed is pleased to present The Hopeless End of a Great Dream, a major new film commission by Declan Clarke. This 16mm feature length film was co-commisioned by Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris and Trinity Creative.
Using Trinity College Dublin as a backdrop, the film takes a number of forgotten episodes in Irish history as its starting point. Clarke grounds these episodes in the political present, so that they function as commentaries on the causes, effects, and ongoing ramifications of the current political climate. Visually and thematically referencing the tropes of post war European cinema, Clarke blurs real and fictional stories to create a complex palimpsest of narrative development, compelling characters and mysterious events.
The Artists
Declan Clarke
Declan Clarke (b.1974) studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, and Chelsea College of Arts, London. Recent solo exhibitions include: Torrence Art Museum, Los Angeles; Farbvision, Berlin, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, all forthcoming in 2016; The Hopeless End of Great Dream, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, ongoing; Geist Trilogie, Tromsø Kunstforening, Norway, 2016; Wreckage in May, Dublin City Gallery the Hugh Lane, 2015; Group Portrait with Explosives, Mother's Tankstation, Dublin, 2014. In 2015, Clarke's film Group Portrait with Explosives won the Jury Prize at the 31st Biennale of Graphic Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Events
Friday 27 May | 2pm | Belfast Exposed
Free AdmissionSaturday 28th May, 11th June, 2nd July | 2pm | Belfast Exposed
Free AdmissionSaturday 23 July | 11am - 4pm | Belfast Exposed
Free AdmissionSaturday 23 July | 6.30pm | Belfast Exposed
Free AdmissionAcknowledgements
This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council Ireland, Belfast City Council, Trinity Creative. Thanks to our exhibition partners Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris and Trinity Creative and to our events partners Visual Artists Ireland, Belfast Film Festival and Queen's Film Theatre.