THEY HAD FOUR YEARS 2021

Since its beginnings in the early 2000s, They Had 4 Years has existed as an opportunity for GENERATORprojects to support fledgling artists, plucked from the cosy nest of art education and thrown into the realities of work as an artist. We hope to provide guidance during an experience that every practicing artist will wade through time and time again - a chance for our artists to network and develop their practice in a nurturing environment.

This year the selection process was a little strange, as each of our artists’ degrees were truncated, resulting in work being presented in pdf form, viewed at home through a computer screen. The graduates of 2020 have felt the bitter sting of disappointment acutely, coming so close to the end of their final year and being blocked at the final hurdle. 

TH4Y is designed to ride on the momentum built up by an artist’s degree show, with proposals being submitted shortly after graduation and work completed within a year of their degree’s end. But what happens when your momentum is halted as the world is brought to a near complete stop? The difficulty in remaining motivated and ambitious in your intentions through the past year can not be understated. 

Alkmini Gkousiari, Isobel O’Donovan, Cat and Éiméar McClay, Ian Young and Lana Hughes have succeeded in creating a new body of work which is at once ambitious and tender, thoughtfully reflecting on their personal histories. The work of these six artists was brought together to explore notions of nostalgia, through mythologies both individual and universal. We see recurring motifs for religion, education, loss and memory throughout the exhibition, coming together in a thoughtful and highly crafted presentation.

TH4Y runs from the 11th of June until the 4th of July, with opening hours from 12-5 Thursday to Sunday. Viewings outwith those hours are available by appointment!