SAMKURA

Tugtar an t-ainm SAMKURA ar phlanda beag brat talún a bhfuil duilleog air atá comhdhéanta as gas agus trí dhuillín comhcheangailte.Is focal de chuid na Seoirsia é a chiallaíonn seamair agus a aistríonn mar “trí dhias comhcheangailte le chéile”

Is ionann é agus an focal Gaeilge ‘Seamróg’. Samhlaíonn SAMKURA an comhoibriú idir cnuasach cultúr ó Éirinn, An Ghréig agus An Phortaingéil, atá léirithe ag na trí dhuilleog nó na diasa, a bhfuil a ngas ag léiriú An tSeoirsia agus An Airméin.

Is áis ceardlainne cló den chéad scoth é Cló Ceardlann na gCnoc, atá lonnaithe i Mín a’ Leá, Gort a’ Choirce, áit a ndéantar aíocht ar thréimhsí cónaitheachta agus ina ndéantar réimse de chúrsaí cruthaitheacha a reáchtáil. Chuir Cló tús le togra SAMKURA sa bhliain 2008. Tháinig ealaíontóirí as An Airméin, as an tSeoirsia, as An Ghréig, as Éirinn agus as An Phortaingéil le chéile ansin ar mhaithe leis an smaoineamh de mhalartú beo a chur i ngníomh a bhuí de bheith ag obair ina n-aonair nó go comhobritheach chun saothair ealaíne úrnua a chruthú i gcomhthéacs téamach a dhíríonn ar theanga, tírdhreach agus teicneolaíocht. Cruthaíonn SAMKURA na dálaí faoi choinne ealaín chomhaimseartha a thuiscint mar theanga chumarsáide traschultúrtha. Ba é Cló an eagraíocht a bhí i gceannas ar an togra agus a ghlac freagracht ar son an tacaíocht phraiticiúil a chur ar fáil do tháirgeadh na saothar ealaíne i gcomhthéacs an chláir d’ealaíontóir cónaitheach a bhí ar siúl in Éirinn, sa Phortaingéil agus sa tSeoirsia.

Óna thús, ghlac corradh le 23 ealaíontóir rannpháirtíocht sa togra. Rinne Cló comhordú ar thaispeántais do Thaispeántas Idirnáisiúnta Débhliantúil Gyumri san Ealaín Chomhaimseartha, Gyumri, An Airméin , taispeántas Artisterium in Tbilisi, An tSeoirsia agus Taispeántas SAMKURA i dThessaloniki na Gréige, le cois comhdháil idirnáisiúnta a reáchtáil siad ina áitreabh i nGort a’ Choirce. Tá lúcháir mhór ar An Gailearaí a bheith ábalta cuid de na mórán saothar a cruthaíodh faoi scáth thogra SAMKURA a chur ar taispeántas. Tá an taispeántas seo ar siúl ag an am céanna le taispeántas eile de chuid SAMKURA i mBerlin.

SAMKURA

SAMKURA is the name for a small earth covering plant which has a leaf composed of a stem and three interconnected leaflets. The name in its Georgian form, trefoil, suggests the image of “three ears connected together.” In English it translates as Shamrock and in Gaelic Seamróg. SAMKURA visualises the co-operation of a constellation of cultures from Ireland, Greece and Portugal represented by the three leaves or ‘ears’, whose stem is represented by Georgia and Armenia.

Cló Ceardlann na gCroc are a first class print workshop facility based in Mín a’ Leá, Gortahork where they host residencies and run a range of creative courses. The SAMKURA project was initiated by Cló in 2008. Artists from Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Ireland and Portugal have come together to put into practice the idea of a living exchange through the experience of working individually or collaboratively to create new art works in a thematic context focusing on language, landscape and technology. SAMKURA creates the conditions for understanding contemporary art as a language of cross-cultural communication. Cló were the lead organisation in the project and took responsibility for providing the practical support for the production of art works in the context of an artist-in-residence program that took place in Ireland, Portugal and Georgia.

Since its inception, over 23 artists have participated in the project. Cló has coordinated exhibitions at The Gyumri International Biennial of Contemporary Art, Gyumri, Armeni, the Artisterium exhibition in Tbilisi, Georgia and the SAMKURA Exhibition in Thessaloniki Greece as well as an international conference at their premises in Gortahork. An Gailearaí is delighted to be able to exhibited a small selection from all that has been generated under the umbrella of the SAMKURA project. This exhibition coincides with another SAMKURA exhibition in Berlin.