CLIMATE CHANGE
COMMISSION SHOWCASE
DAVID SHERRY
PERFORMANCE ARTIST
David Sherry graduated with an MFA from Glasgow School of Art in 2000 and a BA in Fine Art from the University of Ulster Belfast in 1997. This year he was award a Climate Change Commission by Scene Stirling. In May 2020 he undertook a residency at Findhorn Bay Arts.
Recent performance at Art Late Edinburgh Art Festival, Platform Arts Glasgow for Outskirts, Look Again Festival in Aberdeen, De Player Rotterdam and Het Bos Antwerp. In 2016 he showed at the Liverpool Biennial and Manifesta 11. He has had solo exhibitions at Outpost Norwich, Summerhall Edinburgh, Catalyst Arts Belfast; Villa Concordia Bamberg Germany, Glasgow Museum of Modern Art and Tramway’s project space Glasgow. Selected group exhibitions including ‘Generation’ at the Kelvingrove Glasgow, ‘RIFF’ Baltic 39 Newcastle, Film and video at BBC Scotland, ‘Grin and Bear It’ at the Lewis Glucksman Gallery, Cork and ‘One fine morning in May’ at GAK Bremen.
In 2003, he was selected to represent Scotland at the 50th Venice Biennale and his work is held in many collections including the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art.
Project summary
Scene Stirling has commissioned five creatives to lead the city’s artistic response to the climate crisis. Our creative cohort worked together on a joint Stirling-based project, combining their artistic talents to create a series of connected and collaborative artworks that inspire climate action as a response to COP26.
The Climate Change COP26 Commissions cohort is represented by filmmaker Sean Hall, performance artists Kate Clayton and David Sherry, musician Rory Green and poet Ojo Taiye.
MEET DAVID SHERRY
David Sherry is a Northern Irish artist, best known for his performance art. He uses humour and familiar experiences to connect with audiences and is interested in the conflict of interests around climate change and the capitalist mind set.
Who are you? What do you do?
Hi, my name is David Sherry, I am an artist from Northern Ireland living in Glasgow since 1999. I grew up influenced by the landscape and farming, my uncles were sign writers and artists. I became interested in performance art in Belfast in the mid 90’s through Catalyst Arts and artists like Alastair Maclennan. I really started to explore performance as a medium when I studied on the MFA at Glasgow School of art. I have been a full time artist since graduating in 2000, showing frequently, undertaking residencies and commissions, I recently started teaching part time at Edinburgh College of Art.
What is your project about?
My work includes performance, drawing, video, and sculpture. I am interested in making artworks that relate strongly to everyday life. Developing props, sculptures and videos influenced by climate change, Cop26, the group conversations and experiences. I was excited by the collaborations. Sharing ideas and making a wide series of work related to the Climate Crisis and working within a group dynamic.
I started to make a large series of drawings influenced by our conversations and research, I built a series of props to film in the streets for a performance video. A wearable thermometer, the graph line of temperature increase and the ‘Elephants Foot’, the most toxic object in the world. I recorded myself reading a few of my texts. We collaborated on a number of performance video ideas and improvisations.
Where do you currently work from?
I work in my studio in Glasgow, drawing, planning performances and videos. I like to work in the city making impromptu performances and video works.
What challenges are you facing?
Regarding the Climate Crisis I think the challenge is to keep pushing for change and action, making sure politicians uphold their commitments and push forward with green policies and implement a greener society across all sectors. As an artist it is my job to find opportunities to show my work, how do I get my ideas out there and how do I stay afloat.
What have you learnt in the Climate Change commission so far?
I learned a lot about collaborating. As an artist you are always working and pushing to get your work out there. Striving to be successful, the artworld is pretty brutal that is the truth I think, ‘artist’ is a very competitive career or job and dropping all that to share ideas and working collaboratively is a very healthy thing. I learned a lot and thought a lot about the Climate Crisis. For four months I kept the climate foremost in my thoughts and formed many opinions, about art and climate and how to process this existential threat. The Climate Crisis is always going to be present now. We have to enjoy our lives but also be realistic. How do we process this modern condition? It is a very real possibility that the impact of climate change will start to reshape our reality sooner than we think. Wow that’s a lot to take in.
