Exhibition Visit - Andrei Molodkin at the Void Gallery

I saw Andrei Molodkin's "Catholic Blood" exhibition recently in the Void Gallery, Derry.  The Void has a reputation for bringing international artists to its space.  Matt Collishaw, Polly Morgan and Ackroyd and Harvey are among the artists who have exhibited in the last few years.

http://www.derryvoid.com/programme/andreimolodkin.php

 Molodkin is a Russian artist who is not afraid of a bit of controversy.  He has used blood before but on this occasion, wanted only donations of blood from Catholics.  Certainly, there were a few raised eyebrows around here.  Ultimately, though, the idea was more shocking than the actual exhibition itself.  Molodkin designed a glass structure that was a replica of the Rose window in the Houses of Parliament.  Working from the premise that one must be a Protestant to become a British Prime Minister, the insertion of  Catholic blood into this Protestant symbol  was to draw attention to this fact.  The blood was pumped into the 'window' at regular intervals and then projected as a live feed onto the gallery wall.  There was palpable tension in the space as the viewers anticipated each firing of the pump that flooded the 'window' with blood.

An interesting concept - blood is a controversial material to work with on many levels.  The viewer only knows this blood to be Catholic because the artist tells us that it is.  

Above; Molodkin's original drawings for this work.   Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22570447