DUBLIN.- New York-based curator and writer, Christian Viveros-Fauné, and Franco-Peruvian artist and curator, Jota Castro, have been appointed joint Lead Curators of Dublin Contemporary 2011, one of the most ambitious art exhibitions ever staged in Ireland. Dublin Contemporary will take place for eight weeks from September 6th to October 31st 2011 and will present the work of Irish-based artists, alongside leading artists from around the globe.

Viveros-Fauné and Castro are very ambitious for Dublin Contemporary and will be presenting the work of some renowned international artists alongside artworks by outstanding Irish artists. They will present a programme of exhibitions that relate to the theme of Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance. Taken from William Butler Yeats’s famous poem, “Easter, 1916”, the exhibition’s title was inspired by Yeats’s response to political events in Ireland and is intended to highlight art’s potential for commenting on current events in Irish life.

Christian Viveros-Fauné has written for several prestigious publications including Art in America, Art Review, The Art Newspaper and The New Yorker and was awarded a Creative Capital / Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant in 2010. He was named inaugural Critic-in-Residence at the Bronx Museum for 2010 / 2011 and is a visiting lecturer at Yale University. He is the former Director of prestigious US art fairs NEXT in Chicago and VOLTA NY in New York.

Jota Castro is a Brussels-based Franco-Peruvian artist, curator and former diplomat with the United Nations and the European Union. In 2009, he curated The Fear Society at the Pabellon De La Urgencia for the 53rd Venice Biennale and successfully negotiated Spain’s candidature for Manifesta 8. In the same year, he curated « Y ahora que? » at the SOS 48 Festival in Spain, which featured two days of art, music and philosophy and attracted approximately 80,000 visitors.

Commenting on his appointment, Viveros-Fauné said: “It is a huge honour to be asked to be lead curator of Dublin Contemporary 2011. I very much look forward to making this exhibition both remarkably international and especially relevant to Ireland today”.
Jota Castro added: “I would like the focus of Dublin Contemporary to be on Dublin and in particular on the role of artists in the current political and social structures. I hope to engage artists with the public starting from the very process of art-making in both private and public spaces.”

David Harvey, Dublin Contemporary 2011 Chairman concluded: “The Board has made a very strong appointment in Christian Viveros-Fauné and Jota Castro. They both bring a wealth of experience as curators, writers and visual practitioners. Their knowledge of contemporary art will be an invaluable asset to Dublin Contemporary. We look forward to working with them in their new role.”