Sérgio Leitão
UILLINN_THE FALLOUT
1 April to 6 May 2023

The exhibition will open on Saturday 1 April at 2.00pm with a gallery conversation between the artist and Uillinn director Ann Davoren. A further gallery talk will take place on Saturday 29 April, also at 2.00pm when Italian curator Giulio Verago will discuss Sérgio's arts practice and his exhibition for Uillinn.

Over three residencies at Uillinn (2021-2023), Portuguese artist Sérgio Leitão has developed a contextual mixed media installation titled UILLINN_THE FALLOUT. By expanding this contextual atelier/residency work-in-progress into the galleries, he presents Uillinn as a lab where images, objects and situations unfold in response to interaction with the public. The exhibition addresses Skibbereen's past and present contexts, from the 1631 Sack of Baltimore that led to development of the Capital of the Carberies (a video entitled How This is Different From Westphalia_Islands II), to a colourful and vibrant town (as presented in the whole installation), including found graphic elements and objects as well as different production and research tools, as is current in the artist’s practice. The artist will continue to develop the installation throughout the 5 weeks of its installation, bringing in new elements, interacting with the public and extending the project to other sites in the town including Skibbereen Farmers' Market.

Sérgio Leitão’s work seeks to explore connections between different fields of knowledge from art and architecture, to literature, philosophy and history among other territories, while aiming to establish a dialogue with the specific contexts of presentation. His projects frequently materialise into mixed media installations at the intersection of sculpture, painting and video, as well as autonomous pieces in several media, sculptural interventions in public spaces and performances. His research and context-based works have been presented within curatorial projects taking place in contemporary art museums, galleries and project spaces, as well as in factories, libraries, convents, power stations, railroad buildings, archaeological sites, parks and other venues.

Uillinn Artist in Residence Sérgio Leitão

WCAC acknowledges the financial support of Arts Council Ireland and Cork County Council in making these exhibitions possible.