Andrew Anderson talks to the curators behind our opening exhibition – The heart is deceitful above all things – to find out what inspired the group show…
“It’s the one thing we all have in common.” I’m talking to Sarah Perks, Artistic Director: Visual Arts at HOME and the co-curator of its opening exhibition, and I’ve just asked her what the show’s underpinning theme is. The one thing we have in common – is it birth, death, or being happy? Guess again: “It’s getting your heart broken.”
The heart is deceitful above all things might seem like a pessimistic place to begin, but while it is deceitful don’t be deceived: this is exactly the kind of project that HOME was designed to deliver.
“Our intention is that all the different disciplines converse,” says Visual Art Programme Manager, Bren O’Callaghan. “The Funfair, our opening play, is about breaking up, so this is a parry, an alternative angle.”
“We didn’t want to do anything fluffy or easy – that’s not why we’re here,” adds Perks. “Our aim is to challenge, to get people thinking.” With clever new commissions such as a temporary tattoo machine that dispenses messages of regret (by Gemma Parker) and existing works such as the high-impact signage of Douglas Coupland, it’s certainly a bold start to a new era.
“At first it’s just about heartbreak, but that idea can be mapped onto other areas – like losing your job or your faith in government,” says O’Callaghan. “It gets into how we are all increasingly connected by technology yet feel more distant and detached than ever before.”
As well as big ideas, the exhibition also fulfils another promise of the HOME project: to build lasting relationships with artists. “We’re not just flying them in and waving goodbye,” jokes O’Callaghan. So alongside the exhibition you’ll see work from artists who have appeared at Cornerhouse over the years – such as film premieres from Stanya Kahn and Rosa Barba. “We’re bringing all the elements together, across disciplines,” says Perks. “It’s the kind of thing you’re going see much more of.”
The heart is deceitful above all things takes place Fri 22 May – Sun 26 July 2015. Find out more information here.