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John Keane - The Inconvenience of History
Paintings from Gaza and the West Bank
January 21 2004--John Keane accompanied Christian Aid staff on a tour to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2002 in the immediate aftermath of the Israeli incursions into the West Bank. Based on this trip, John has produced an insightful series of paintings entitled The Inconvenience of History, which will be shown at the London Institute Gallery from 29 January to 11 March 2004. It will then go on to tour regionally including Belfast and Derby, as well as going to Ramallah in the West Bank later this year.
John Keane was appointed official artist by the Imperial War Museum for the Gulf War of 1991 and gained notoriety for his controversial depiction of Mickey Mouse in Kuwait City after the hostilities. His work has often addressed conflict and has included subjects ranging from Central America to Rupert Murdoch, as well as an interpretation of the events around 9/11. John has had numerous exhibitions in the UK, Europe and the US. His most recent exhibition resulted from an Amazon trip with Greenpeace during their campaign against illegal logging and was shown in London and Los Angeles in 2001/02 to much critical acclaim.
On his trip with Christian Aid, John visited the town of Jenin to see a Palestinian refugee camp which had been all but destroyed by Israeli tanks and bulldozers during the fighting. He also travelled to Bethlehem, Ramallah, Gaza and Megiddo (the biblical Armageddon).
John took video images and pictures of bombsites and spoke to people experiencing hardship and poverty because of this human-made catastrophe. He used these interviews and images as inspiration for this exhibition. The Inconvenience of History is a deeply personal account of what John saw on his trip with Christian Aid.
‘My visits to Israel and the West Bank left me feeling the utter inadequacy of attempting to convey the reality of daily lives there to anyone who has not witnessed it first-hand, despite the prolific news coverage we receive,' John said.
‘So in full comprehension of that fact I have tried in the work I have produced to explore ideas generated by what I saw through a very personal filter, bearing in mind that history can have an awkward habit of confounding preconception.'
The trip and the making of the exhibition have been recorded by award-winning photographer Paul Hackett and BBC4 has produced a documentary about John's work, which will be broadcast to coincide with the opening of the show at the London Institute Gallery. John's paintings will be available for sale with a percentage of proceeds going to Christian Aid.
-Ends-
For more information please contact
Christian Aid: Saskia Wirth on 020 7523 2404 or swirth@christian-aid.org
The London Institute: Lynne Trembath on 020 7514 8083 or l.trembath@linst.ac.uk
Notes to Editors
1. The Inconvenience of History will be at the London Institute Gallery, 65 Davies Street, London W1K 5DA from 29 January to 11 March 2004, Monday - Friday, 10am 8pm. It will then tour to the Belfast Naughton Gallery, Queens University
(30 March to 12 May 2004), Ramallah/West Bank (16 June to 30 June 2004) and Derby Museum & Art Gallery (4 September to 17 October 2004). The paintings are available for sale with a percentage going to Christian Aid - for more information please contact Saskia Wirth.
2. Christian Aid approached John Keane in April 2002 and took him on two trips to Israel and the Occupied Territories to meet local NGOs and gain an insight into the work Christian Aid funds in the region. The exhibition at the London Institute Gallery is based on this trip. To find out more about Christian Aid's work in Israel and the Occupied Territories read our report ‘Losing Ground' at www.christian-aid.org.uk/indepth/0301isra/losing.htm
3. Christian Aid is an international development agency working with nearly 600 partner organisations in 55 countries worldwide to fight poverty and injustice. It works with some of the poorest communities, helping people irrespective of race, religion, culture or background to expose the scandal of poverty. Christian Aid works on issues from HIV/AIDS, peace building, emergency response and sustaining livelihoods to trade and human rights. It also works in the UK, educating, lobbying and campaigning on the causes of global poverty. To find out more about Christian Aid's work visit www.christianaid.org.uk
4. Christian Aid is a registered charity number 258003. To make a donation to Christian Aid please call 0845 7000 300, go to www.christianaid.org.uk or send a cheque payable to Christian Aid to: Christian Aid, FREEPOST, London SE1 7YY.
5. The London Institute brings together five of the world's most famous colleges for art, design and communication: Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Fashion, London College of Printing. The London Institute was established in 1986 to promote and enhance the strengths and distinctive character of the colleges and offers courses to more than 32,000 students. Alumni include: John Bird, MBE; Ralph Fiennes; Colin Firth; Lucian Freud, CH; Gilbert and George; Sir Kingsley Amis, CBE; Sir Howard Hodgkin, CBE; Alexander McQueen, CBE; Chris Olifi; Rankin.
7. John Keane is a Professor and Visiting Research Fellow at the London
Institute.
8. Flowers East has represented John Keane since 1985 and will be hosting a retrospective, concurrent with the London Institute Gallery exhibition, examining his work. Back to Fundamentals will run from 14 February to 14 March 2004. For more details visit www.flowerseast.co.uk or contact Sam Chatterton Dickson on 020 7920 7777 or Sam@flowerseast.com.
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Exhibition dates:
London Institute: 29 January - 11 March 2004
Monday - Friday, 10am - 8pm
Admission free
The London Institute Gallery
65 Davies Street, London W1
www.linst.ac.uk/
Naughton Gallery, Belfast: 30 March - 12 May 2004
Monday to Friday 12 - 4pm
Saturday 10 - 4pm
Naughton Gallery
Queens University
Lanyon Building
University Road
Tel: 028 9027 3580
www.qub.ac.uk/visarts/start.htm
Ramallah: 16 June - 30 June 2004
Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre
Ramallah/West Bank
16 - 30 June 2004
www.sakakini.org
Derby Museum & Art Gallery: 4 Sept - 17 Oct 2004
Monday - Saturday 10 - 5pm
Sunday 2 - 5pm
The Strand
Derby
DE1 1BS.
Tel: 01332 716659
More venues and dates to be confirmed.
This article courtesy of http://fineartoptions.com/.
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