Ronan Sharkey

b. 1968, Ireland

No Signs, as a project, originated during a stay in New York in 2000. Observing an array of street signs – ‘No Soliciting’, ‘No Drugs’ ‘Don’t Walk’, etc – I wrote an extended list of 111 potential ‘No’ signs – ‘No Memory’, ‘No Vision’, ‘No Flirting’, etc – in a notebook. The subsequent work explores ideas and subtexts pertaining to loss, marginalisation, disability, and memory within the context of Ireland’s recently booming economy and our global ‘instant’ culture.

As an ongoing project, the new ‘No’ signs created for EV+A are intended to relate to September 11, its aftermath and its effect on global culture. There are relevant connections between what happened in New York in September and ongoing social issues that exist in Ireland and elsewhere now. Racism and the increased marginalisation of various groups and communities are only two examples. The meaning of each of the signs can and may be debated upon, depending on the context in which they are viewed, in terms of where and when they are placed, and by whom they are viewed.

(Text: heroes + holies catalogue, 2002)