What We Call Love

In the 20th century “love," according to the poet Arthur Rimbaud, had to be reinvented. In our current world of crisis and conflicts, with increased individualism and intense consumption, love in the 21st century is seriously threatened and regularly challenged, and yet, paradoxically, it has never been so linked to individual identity and happiness.

What We Call Love explores how the notion of love has evolved within the 20th and 21st centuries. How have seismic sociological changes concerning sexuality, marriage and intimacy, alongside developments in gender issues, affected the way we conceive of love? How does visual art, from Surrealism to the present day, deal with love and what can these artistic representations tell us about what love means in our current culture?

Drawing on contemporary sociology, neuroscience and of course art, What We Call Love sheds some light on these questions. While we cannot give a final definition of “what love is” we can examine how artists have represented it, with a critical humorous insight. Presented in three chapters, the exhibition draws on Surrealism’s idea of love as "l’amour fou" (crazy love), new visions of love which emerged after the '60s, and the often problematic concerns of contemporary love.

Focusing mainly on the now, this important exhibition will present a succinct selection of carefully chosen Surrealist works, alongside key conceptual and contemporary pieces, integrating new commissions and other works in the forms of cinema and performance. Texts and interviews from three leaders in their respective fields—Georges Sebbag on Surrealism, Eva Illouz on sociology, and Semir Zeki on neuroscience—will contribute to this reflection.

Featured artists:
Marina Abramović and ULAY, Lucy Andrews, Sadie Benning, Louise Bourgeois, Constantin Brancusi, Brassaï, Victor Brauner, André Breton, Luis Buñuel, Cecily Brown, Miriam Cahn, Sophie Calle, Michele Ciacciofera, Dorothy Cross, Attila Csörgö, Salvador Dalí, Annabel Daou, Vlasta Delimar and Jerman, Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Jean Dupuy, Elmgreen and Dragset, Olafur Eliasson, Max Ernst, VALIE EXPORT, Jean Genet, Jochen Gerz, Alberto Giacometti, Nan Goldin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Douglas Gordon, Mona Hatoum, Damien Hirst, Jim Hodges, Rebecca Horn,  Jesper Just, Kapwani Kiwanga, Ange Leccia, Ghérasim Luca, Vlado Martek, André Masson, Annette Messager, Tracey Moffatt, Seamus Nolan, Nadja, Henrik Olesen, Yoko Ono, Meret Oppenheim, Ferhat Özgür, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Neša Paripović, Garrett Phelan, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Carolee Schneemann, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Paul Sharits, Jeremy Shaw, Wolfgang Tillmans, Andy Warhol, Cerith Wyn Evans, Jun Yang, Akram Zaatari

The exhibition is curated by Christine Macel, Chief Curator at Centre Pompidou, Paris, with Rachael Thomas, Head of Exhibitions at IMMA.

A catalogue will be published to accompany this exhibition, featuring five major essays from Christine Macel, Georges Sebbag, Eva Illouz, Semir Zeki and Rachael Thomas, as well as specific texts written by Christine Macel, Alicia Knock, Olivier Zeitoun, Victoria Evans, Poi Marr, Ben Mulligan and Seamus McCormack, published by IMMA and DAP Diffusion, New York.

New commissions in this exhibition are part of the series New Art at IMMA, proudly supported by Matheson. Presented with the support of the French Embassy in Ireland and Official Hotel Partner, The Dylan Hotel. The film series is presented in collaboration with the Irish Film Institute, Dublin.

Read more on our website.

IMMA exhibitions:
Please visit our website for details of the current exhibitions at IMMA, and our upcoming exhibitions for 2015. Admission is free to all 2015 exhibitions with the exception of What We Call Love.