Shane Cullen
Fragmens sur les Institutions Republicaines IV (panels 1-48), 1996
The Tyneside Irish Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne
07-16.06.1996
Shane Cullen's Fragmens sur les Institions Republicaines IV consists of ninety-six large tablet like panels onto which the artist has transcribed meticulously in paint the contents of numerous 'Comms'; the written communications smuggled in and out of H-Blocks at Long Kesh prison between the hunger-strikers and their relatives and comrades in Northern Ireland during the early 1980s.
The subject matter is controversial and subversive but
presented in a highly disciplined fashion that references historical,
sculptural monuments. Each painted word is straight-jacketed into a typeface,
which mimics official government documents.
The entire project took some four years (1993-97) to complete and was first shown (the first completed panels 1-48) by Locus+ in 1996. Since the work has been exhibited extensively and has recently (2011) been purchased by The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin.
