Irish Museum of Modern Art

NEW FAITH LOVE SONG by Irish artist Garrett Phelan comprises an ambitious off-site live sound work, involving the bell ringers of both Christ Church Cathedral and St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin city centre, and a site-specific installation in IMMA’s New Galleries. 

Phelan will work with the bells of the cathedrals to create a live conversation between these two iconic religious monuments. The bell-ringing dialogue will act as a declaration pronouncing the arrival of ‘New Faith’. This proclamation of ‘New Faith’ is inspired by a loss of faith and the consequential intermediary period of faithlessness, leading to the reconstruction and manifestation of ‘New Faith’. This new work symbolises the realisation of ‘New Faith’ and culminates in a ‘bell ringing’ celebration that evokes the optimism that can stem from the inexplicable. 

For the second part of the project Phelan will transform the site of the New Galleries into a site-specific installation, comprising of related drawings, photographs, zine, sculpture and animation. 

Born in 1965 in Dublin, Garrett Phelan has developed a distinctive art practice that directly engages the audience with immersive ambitious site-specific drawing projects, FM radio broadcasts, sculptural installations, photography and animation. He has exhibited widely in Ireland and internationally, including the 11th Lyon Biennial, France; 4th Auckland Triennial, New Zealand; SMART Project Space, Amsterdam; ICA, London; The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh; Kunstverein Hannover; Art Statements, Basel 39; Manifesta 5; San Sebastian and previously at IMMA.

This exhibition was commissioned by IMMA's former Director Enrique Juncosa, and is co-curated by him and Rachael Thomas, Senior Curator: Head of Exhibitions, IMMA.