Opening Reception Friday 6 June, 6 – 8pm

The Irish Museum of Modern Art presents The weakened eye of day a new project by Isabel Nolan. The exhibition explores how light manifests as a metaphor in thoughts, obsessions and pursuits and includes text, sculpture, drawings and textiles. Nolan’s works evolve out of consciously erratic investigations into the aesthetics of diverse fields such as cosmology, humoral theory and illuminated manuscripts.

The title is taken from Thomas Hardy’s poem The Darkling Thrush (1899), in which the sun, described as ‘the weakening eye of day’, is a dismal star drained of its force by a gloomy pre-centennial winter afternoon. This show is a material account of the strangeness of the world from the formation of the planet’s crust to the death of the sun and the enduring preoccupation with light as a metaphor for truth.

As part of the exhibition there will be a series of talks by guests, invited by Nolan, on subjects ranging from cosmology, philosophy and aesthetics. These talks and events are part of the on-going investigative enquiries that inform The weakened eye of day and Nolan’s practice.

Stuart Clark presents The Sky’s Dark Labyrinth

Saturday 7 June, 1.00pm

Award winning author and astronomer, Dr Stuart Clark tells the story of how single observations by astronomers have transformed our view of the universe and our place within it.

Art in the Contemporary Universe

IMMA + MA Art in the Contemporary World, NCAD

Saturday 20 September, 12 noon, IMMA

This seminar explores realms of science, aesthetics and philosophy, and what Italo Calvino calls the ‘overambitious projects’ in contemporary culture, narratives in science and the cosmological turn in recent philosophy. Chaired by Paul Ennis and Declan Long (Lecturers, MA Art in the Contemporary World, NCAD, Dublin).

Booking is essential. For free tickets and a full programme of talks see www.imma.ie/talksandlectures

Lars von Trier

Melancholia (2011)

Irish Film Institute

Monday 15 September, 8.30pm

A special screening of Lars von Trier’s film portraying a sibling relationship in the shadow of impending disaster as the planet Melancholia hurtles towards Earth.

IMMA Collection: Conversations will also open Friday 6 June, 6.00 – 8.00pm

Conversations explores what has inspired artworks socially, politically and culturally and how they have come into the IMMA collection. Throughout the galleries, a number of fresh approaches are taken, such as an insight into the role of gallerist David Hendriks in contemporary art in Ireland and a response to the collection by artist Caroline McCarthy. Conversations includes an eclectic mix of works by Brian Maguire, Barrie Cooke, Mary Kelly, João Penalva, Sean Scully, Andrew Vickery, Elinor Wiltshire and others.