Brian Kielt: Alternate State

Alternate State
Thursday 12th- Sunday 29th March, 2015
Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre, Belfast

Solo Exhibition by Brian Kielt - Alternate Narratives by Geraldine O’Kane and Colin Dardis - Raising funds for StART Talking charity

‘Alternate State’ was a solo exhibition by Brian Kielt whose works explore methods of depicting the phenomenological. Life is in a constant state of change and experiences may merge fact and fabrication throughout.

This exhibit is a highlight of works produced in the past two years from Kielt’s studio in Belfast. Paintings merge found and original imagery from eclectic sources which hint at caliginous narratives of the viewer’s own making. To record this constant flux is to widen the scope for interpretation. By manipulating imagery, layers and perspectives the work may force the viewer to accept multiple points of view on one subject matter.

In addition to the artwork selected, accomplished poets and writers Geraldine O’Kane and Colin Dardis have created works to accompany the paintings. These literary interpretations can guide or misguide the viewer into other realms of interpretation.

A percentage of any work sold went to the StART Talking charity which aims to raise awareness and education for mental health issues in the student community.

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​Building a Coat in Russia
 
Only the dead truly survive winter.
The rest of us become changed. To get through,
you must turn yourself to stone
so no frost can lie on your skin.
You must roll in mud and be baked
by the dirt of the cities.
You must strip moss off whatever you can find
and layer it upon yourself.
Cannibalise others if need be.
Then you must stay silent
and keep your head down
lest the crows hear you.
They will come to peck,
to suck the moisture
from off your new coat
for everything else
lies frozen.
 
You’re measured by your fat and your blood.
By February, your coat feels looser.
Easier then for the bastards
to slip it off your back.
 
At night, you dream of fire, of bread.
Best of all, there is the dream with a river.
You don’t know where it goes, but you’ve heard
whispers of it flowing into Spring.