The Monthly discusses a new exhibition, “I built it for you” with artist Clinton Kirkpatrick

What was the name of your new exhibition and how did it come about?

My new exhibition was titled “I built it for you” and it took place at Portview Trade Centre in Boundary Brewery Tap Room. It was linked into the NI Mental Health Arts Festival as part of their programme this year.

The theme was “Belonging” and I remember when I first saw the call-out that I was immediately interested in that concept and I submitted an application.

Eastside Arts helped me find the venue; it was a public space frequented by people who might not normally access the kind of art that I produce, and I quite liked the challenge of curating a show for an interesting space, and so we went from there.

How long did it take to produce the work?

The way I work as an artist is that I am always creating and I am always in the act of making. That approach allows me to have work ready, and to pick and choose from the themes that I can work with. In fact I had been having conversations about the idea of belonging with myself, my own internal monologue, and with other people I knew around that time.

Beyond that I like to look at the space I am working in and when I was able to see the Boundary Brewery Tap Room, it was a very public space, quite a large space, but a very interesting space. The walls are very impressive and there are interesting angles in there.

Where does that space lead you?

I thought I would be able to hang large banner style paintings in particular in this space and that interested me, because I had work I had produced some time ago and I had thought to myself I had never had the opportunity to display those works. I went in then to curate work specifically for that space and for the theme.

Now, the theme of “Belonging” was, as I said, already part of my own personal conversation, and the kind of questions I had been asking myself, “What does it mean to belong?”, “How does it feel for me to belong?” “How important is it to belong?” and the exhibition was taking place in East Belfast where I have lived for the past 10 years. In fact I can say that this area feels like home now, that I belong there, and that is despite what happened in the area very recently.

In fact I live not far from where the racist disturbances took place and I can honestly say that I felt fear and I felt unsettled, and that tells you something about how conditioned we all are to what happens on a regular basis here, because I haven’t felt that before. But this was happening in the area that I consider my home.

You were already exploring the themes of belonging and mental health?

I had certainly been asking myself questions about that theme. Now, I put the exhibition up and let it do its thing. I just wanted it to happen and hopefully create a conversation. I loved the idea that people who would not normally go to see art were able to see and interact and engage with the work.

I did get feedback from the venue where they said that people loved seeing the art and that it was a great, and very different, way to use that space. Hundreds of people access that space every week and it is unlikely that they would come across my work elsewhere. My work, it is fair to say, is quite unique, and it is at times very tongue in cheek, and so the responses were all very encouraging.

In my work I examine the human, what it means to be human, and all the various systemic structures that we are involved in. I think I straddle conversations, often, about belonging and both mental and physical health. What does it mean for me to be human, and what does it mean for anyone else to be human?

How did the space work for you?

I wrote a talk about the work for the show, and had an evening where people joined me for the artist talk. I really like doing that now; I enjoy sharing about the work and my thoughts behind why it exists. Of course art is also subjective and you will get from it what you want to, but I know that I love listening to the artists that I enjoy seeing. I want to know why the work exists. So I had text which would explain what I was doing artistically.

I was asking questions about family relationships, about belonging to a community, about belonging in the world, and how that fits in with your own sense of self and how you might interact with the world, both generally and specifically. To belong is a very nuanced and complicated thing and it is not the same for any one person. Perhaps we all belong in many different ways which is what I have sought to explore.

It was a great opportunity to hang work that I don’t usually get to, so that has inspired me to think about other places or spaces to hang work. It has allowed me to question or understand what I really want from my practice and how I want to communicate to a wider audience. I feel like I know what I want from it, more and more, and it is exciting.

What is going to happen with the exhibition now?

The exhibition now exists as a memory. The talk is available online for those who want to listen to it. I have the work and I hope I am able to show it again. I think this material works as an exhibition, and perhaps I will delve into these themes further as I continue painting. People can see the work on my website if they want but I do hope to have another exhibition of this work so it could be seen, and engaged with, in a space.