Alex Bag

18/5 – 10/6 2000

 

Catalyst Arts are very proud to present Alex Bag – the New York bag lady of numerous guises cometh to infuse Belfast with her frivolous flare. ‘Twelve Spells’ are twelve photographs of Bag’s mates representing the zodiac signs, each sign induced by it’s favorite drug. ‘The Artist Mind’, 30min video spoof on Damien Hirst, starring Alex’s brother Damian Bag. Video/ lounge/ library. Come and lounge and get seduced in her very own living room – warped through timezones and the Atlantic and landing right here in the upper gallery space at Catalyst Arts. Zinging of her video library spanning the works: Spring 94, fall 95, fancypantz, his girlfriend is a robot, harriet craig, untitled project for the Andy Warhol museum, a compilation of public access show, and a compilation of various appropriated television and video clips.

 

The Max Factory- Mocks

27th April 8pm

 

Praying, Cursing & setting big fires

31st March – 22nd April 2000

 

Member show – No Trustpassing

 

 

 

 

 

Cathedral Quarter Art Festival

3rd – 13th May 2001

 

Catalyst participated again in the growing and successful Second Cathedral Quarter Festival. Gillian Wearing confess all on video opened in Catalyst on May 3rd and ran until May 1(th. Gillian Wearing was the 1997 Turner Prize nominee who belongs to a group of young innovative British Artist making profound impact on the art scene of our time. This work in the gallery consisted of video obsessions and confessions of things people wanted to say in front of a camera.
A Night With John Carson was held in Catalyst Arts on May the 10th. This was his first public appearance in Belfast since leaving twenty years ago, he took a ramble across the years where art and life have become strangely confused. People Like Us was at Catalyst Arts on the 4th of May. It was the work of Vicki Bennett whose CD’s and LPs on soleilmoon Recordings, Hot Art, Straalplaat and Audioview labels feature her unique Plunderphonic styling. Die Kunst was at Catalyst Arts on May 5th this was an avant punk art surf trio DIe Kunst wich are an art project production with a powerful analogue sentiment. This was also part of the international Langage project by Grassy Knoll production. Divine Trash was at Catalyst Arts on May 7th it was a indepth look at the early career of the outrageous cult filmmaker John Waters. John T. Davis Screening & Talks. Anumber of films and filmmakers have emerged in recent years who are also the manner in wich they do so. John T Davis is one of these and this is a sscreening of three of his films. I Can Be Rented was in Catalyst May 9th, A night of Gay film and video for over 1!s and those of a nervous disposition. Memory Cells and Avanto this is a visual noise piece wich featured filmmakers employing various strategies of visual sabotage. the shared theme of these works is the pure aesthetics pleasure than can be derived from delibarate flaws, disturbances and irregularities both in digital and celluloid imagery. Oval was on May 4th and it was a music about media, aesthetic presence and organised sound, composed out of remants of both music and musicality.

Bush Mechanics

10th February – 18th March 2000 Bush Mechanics was Catalyst Arts first show of 2000,  the two artists worked in collaboration to produce a show including site specific sculpture, video and installation. Claire Barclay from Glasgow and Anne Ooms from Sydney, Australia, both share the experience of having lived in each others countries for an extensive period of time.  The exhibition signifies a working process developed by Anne and Claire through correspondance of text, image and video.  This show was accompanied by a special Artists talk and Film Club event on Friday 11th February.   Review in Circa, May – June 2000, Ruth Jones and SSI  May – June 2000, Miriam de Burca.