BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:Europe/Dublin X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/Dublin BEGIN:VEVENT UID:168@visualartists.ie DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250716T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250906T170000 DTSTAMP:20250808T090639Z URL:https://visualartists.ie/events/symplegmatic-portals-samir-mahmood-at- sirius-arts-centre SUMMARY:Symplegmatic Portals | Samir Mahmood at Sirius Arts Centre DESCRIPTION:Samir Mahmood is a Pakistani artist based in Dublin. In his cou ntry of origin\, Mahmood trained as a medical doctor\, and he immigrated t o Ireland in 2008 to undertake further studies in the field. But he abando ned this career to pursue art\, and has been working as an artist in Irela nd since the mid-2010s. The exhibition Symplegmatic Portals features numer ous newly created works alongside an extensive selection of works made bet ween 2017 and 2024. It is the largest presentation of the artist’s work to date.\n\nSymplegmatic Portals is produced by SIRIUS and curated by Migu el Amado\, Director.\n\nLAUNCH EVENT\n\nSIRIUS\nSaturday\, 12 July\n2-4pm\ nFree\; no booking required\n\nSamir Mahmood in conversation with Seán Ki ssane\, moderated by Miguel Amado\n\nSamir Mahmood and Seán Kissane\, Cur ator at the Irish Museum of Modern Art\, discuss the exhibition’s vision \, key works on display\, the politics and aesthetics informing Mahmood’ s practice and his wider artistic intentions.\n\nAccessibility Note\nOur b uilding has accessibility limitations. There are three steps to the front door and a temporary wheelchair ramp is available upon request. Elements o f this exhibition are accessed via stairs. Our toilets are also accessed v ia stairs and are not open to visitors. Public toilets are beside the Tita nic Experience\, on The Promenade.\n\nSamir Mahmood’s practice encompass es painting\, textiles\, objects and video\, with a particular focus on th emes of identity\, representation\, bodily awareness and spiritual transfo rmation. Specifically\, he makes large-scale scrolls and small-format pain tings. Both draw from the techniques and materials of miniature painting o n the Indian subcontinent – for example rich detail\, intricate storytel ling and the use of wasli\, a specific type of handmade paper\, as a subst rate. The typical imagery features landscapes or scenes of people that ind icate power relations and structures\, wildlife or mythology. Mahmood subv erts all of this through motifs that explore his lived experience as a que er person with an Islamic upbringing.\n\nMahmood is influenced by multiple intellectual and visual references: Sufism (a chapter of Islam) and Chris tianity\; the writings of the fourteenth-century Persian poet Hafez\; arch itecture\, ritual objects and practices\, ceremonies\, mysticism\, folklor e and iconographies from the Indian subcontinent and/or Islam\; alternativ e theories of consciousness\; and narratives of queer existence.\n\nMahmoo d depicts the male form in states of introspection or conviviality. Figure s appear within or surrounded by nature – trees\, vegetation\, water\, m ountains and more – in varying expressions of intimacy. In addition\, he shows figures in dialogue with sites of politics\, including courthouses and administrative chambers\, which suggest conservative customs and value s. In the work\, these bodies undergo a transcendence that speaks to a per sonal transformative potential\, representing a union with the divine or\, more broadly\, a spiritual awakening\, as well as a subversion of normati ve lifestyles.\n\nA key feature of the exhibition is the series of large-s cale scrolls portraying joyous celebrations of sexual freedom\, and the ga rden as a symbol of paradise and utopia across religions. The artist calls these works ‘queerscapes’ – spaces of liberation where bodies are i nteracting\, mutating\, coalescing.\n\nThe title of the exhibition invokes yet more of Mahmood’s key interests. ‘Symplegma’ can mean rendering s of sexual intercourse\, composite drawings in miniature painting from th e Indian subcontinent or anything that is entwined or entangled. Overall\, these interpretations speak to the artist’s embrace of hybridity\, espe cially gender indeterminacy and fluidity\, as well as his own blended cult ural experiences.\n\nSamir Mahmood lives and works in Dublin\, where he op erates from Fire Station Artist's Studios. He has held a solo show at Mart Gallery\, Dublin\, and has participated in group shows in venues such as the Irish Museum of Modern Art\, Dublin\; Pallas Projects/Studios\, Dublin \; and The Glucksman\, Cork. He holds a BA in Art from the Atlantic Techno logical University\, Galway. His work is in the collection of University C ollege Cork. He received awards from the Arts Council\, including the Next Generation\, Bursary and Agility. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://visualartists.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025 /07/listings-exhibition-2-1.jpg CATEGORIES:Exhibition,Munster LOCATION:Sirius Arts Centre\, The Old Yacht Club\, Cobh\, Co. Cork\, Irelan d GEO:51.8491416;-8.2971939 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=The Old Yacht Club\, Cobh\, Co. Cork\, Ireland;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Sirius Arts Centre:geo:51.8 491416,-8.2971939 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Dublin X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Dublin BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250330T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:IST END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR