KERRY GUINAN, the artist, researcher, and curator based between Limerick and Dublin, has been appointed curator of the 17th TULCA Festival of Visual Arts, which runs in Galway during November.
The theme of this year's festival will be 'Tactical Magic' with the works on display seeking to ask audiences ‘is art magical’? It will explore why most prehistoric cave paintings are found in the darkest corners of caves where they were difficult to see.
Archaeologists believe it is because early humans felt the paintings had a magical, rather than decorative, purpose, and that by painting a beast on a wall it was believed that the prey would come to life. 'Tactical Magic' sets out to explore whether art can still be considered magical in this sense, and whether, in an increasingly secularised Ireland, if there is a place for human curiosity, intuition and creativity, when rationalist, economic interests are becoming increasingly prioritised.
TULCA is accepting submissions for its open call. The deadline is May 6 for further Open Submission details. For more information see www.tulcafestival.com TULCA runs from November 1 to 17th, at various locations around Galway.
