Deborah Smith Projects | Contemporary Arts Organisation

The Optimistic Mood

The belief that art is an active and powerful force in society anchors The Optimistic Mood: A Foundation for Action in the premise that artists take action, inspire thought, and effect change by offering ways to re-imagine the present and future. Through the expanse of the imagination art has the ability to reduce the demoralising effects of powerlessness, defeat, futility, and death. This exhibition proposes an optimistic attitude that endows the human situation with hope, meaning, possibility and compassion.

The seven distinct artistic practices of Sonia Abián, Scoli Acosta, Karma Clarke-Davis, Cécile HartmannChris Johanson, Hirsch Perlman, Temporary Services are represented in this exhibition.  Their imaginative power is a regenerative tool that opens up new possibilities for personal, political or social change. These artists collectively and variably explore the tension between desire and futility, while their work speaks to primary issues of survival and connectedness. All seven artists included in The Optimistic Mood tend toward an aestheticization of emotion through processes underlined by great wonder and hope. This exhibition is intended to inspire possibility.

The Optimistic Mood is curated by Julie Deamer, Eileen Sommerman and Deborah Smith.

 

Reg Vardy Gallery, University of Sunderland
28 April – 4 June 2004

Delusions of Grandeur (performance) Scoli Acosta, 2004

Events

Tues 27 April 6 - 8 pm Private view

Tues 27 April 6.30pm Opening performance: Delusions of Grandeur by Scoli Acosta