Dublin Contemptibles is an ad-hoc event taking place in a new exhibition space, bio.space 033.

bio.space 033 is an exhibition and event space accessible By Invitation Only. It is located in Dublin city centre, a mere 5min walk from Temple Bar.

Dublin Contemptibles will be a series of exhibitions and events showcasing artists on the rise with a taste for the bleak and the irreverent.

They will take place from Thursday 15 September and every following Thursday at 6pm until the closing party on 20th October 2011.

To attend and/or exhibit, please apply for disapproval.

Dublin Contemptible and bio.space 033 are solutions brought to you by d.ploy, “tough on creativity, tough on the causes of creativity”.

Th 15 September 6pm: Opening Party

Th 15 September 6pm: Vin Wynne

Th 22 September 6pm: Sarah Comerford

Th 29 September 6pm: Hugh Cooney & Tom Flynn

Th 06 October 6pm: Jim Doyle

Th 13 October 6pm: Nicole Tilley

Th 20 October 6pm: Closing Party and official launch of d.ploy for Innovation Dublin 2011

Basic Space is an independent art organisation with a programme of residencies, exhibitions and educational events in collaboration with practitioners and art institutions throughout Ireland.

• We primarily work with emerging and early-career practitioners.


• The majority of our projects are hosted or in collaboration with external institutions, where we act as a critical force,  challenging attitudes and policy.


• Basic Space operates a representative programme, prioritising practices by women, black/brown, disabled and queer artists.

Terrible Beauty: Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance

The title and theme of Dublin Contemporary 2011 is Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance. Taken from William Butler Yeats’ famous poem “Easter, 1916”, the exhibition’s title borrows from the Irish writer’s seminal response to turn-of-the-century political events to site art’s underused potential for commenting symbolically on the world’s societal, cultural and economic triumphs and ills. The second part of the exhibition’s title underscores Dublin Contemporary 2011’s emphasis on art that captures the spirit of the present time, while introducing the exhibition’s chief organizational engine: The Office of Non-Compliance. Headed up by Dublin Contemporary 2011 lead curators Jota Castro (artist/curator) and Christian Viveros-Fauné (critic/curator), The Office of Non-Compliance will function as a collaborative agency within Dublin Contemporary 2011, establishing creative solutions for real or symbolic problems that stretch the bounds of conventional art experience.

The Office of Non-Compliance, located within the Earlsfort Terrace exhibition site, will function as a promoter of ideas around a laundry list of non-conformist art proposals. The Office’s practice will be fuelled by the idea that not only has the world been transformed in the last few decades, the very concept of change itself has changed utterly. This element of the exhibition looks to highlight less conventional, largely artist-led models of art discourse, production and presentation. The Office of Non-Compliance will include ad-hoc, accessible structures for discourse around art and its place in society, such as a Bank of Problems, a Bank of Possibilities, One Problem a Week and a curated forum exploring one topical problem per week.

There are two further intriguing spaces within the Earlsfort Terrace complex: the serene Iveagh Gardens and the light-filled Annex, both adjacent to the main exhibition site. The former will function as an outdoor sculpture garden, while the latter will bring together a multiplicity of sound works under the title All Together Now.

Extending its reach across the city, Dublin Contemporary 2011 will partner with four important Dublin galleries: The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, The National Gallery of Ireland and The Royal Hibernian Academy.