Curating the Omnipotence of Dream

The Omnipotence of Dream Curated by Paula Chambers, David Hancock, Angela Tait & Dawn Woolley Marion Adnams, Eileen Agar, Iain Andrews, Sally Barker, Jo Berry, Xanthe Burdett, Paula Chambers, Sarah Eyre, Ann Fordham, Elizabeth Frink, Carole Griffiths, David Hancock, Jeffrey Knopf, Alana Lake, David Leapman, Allan Milner, James Moore, Sean Powers, Olha Pryymak, Bethany Stead, Angela Tait, John Tunnard, Dawn Woolley + AI Baby (Jo Manby & Xhi Ndubisi) + BA (Hons) Fine Art students from University of Salford & Leeds Arts University Exhibition Dates: 19 October 2024 – 23 February 2025 2024 marks the centenary since Andre Breton wrote his Manifesto of Surrealism that has proved inspirational to numerous artists since. The influence of Surrealism has opened up the exploration of Intersectionality despite the problematic views and philosophies of Breton. At its outset, female surrealists such as Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo, Meret Oppenheim, and Leonor Fini made significant contributions to the movement, using their investigations into dream to explore their identity, sexuality, and psychology. Cecila Alemani’s curation of the 59th Venice Biennale, The Milk of Dreams, focusing on the contribution of these women artists highlighted Surrealism’s continued ability to both inspire and present a safe space -- a marvellous realm on the cusp of dream and reality; a playground for artists. The collection at Salford Museum & Art Gallery contains a wealth of Surrealist treasures including Marion Adnams, Eileen Agar, John Banting, John Tunnard, William Cosnahan, Ann Fordham, Allan Milner and Elizabeth Frink. These British Surrealists followed the movement’s concepts incorporating these themes into their own visual language. The Omnipotence of Dream at Salford Museum Art Gallery sees each of the 15 contemporary artists select a work from the collect to produce a direct response, with David Hancock responding to all six works to create a solo presentation within the gallery. A section of the gallery is devoted to Fine Art students from University of Salford and Leeds Arts University who have also created individual responses to the six works. The Omnipotence of Dream proposes a new Surrealist manifesto that shifts from the historic binary gender distinctions and hierarchies of 20th century Surrealism opening up a greater inclusivity. It claims the subconscious arena of the Marvellous as a space in which gender can reside outside the binding confines of contemporary capitalist ideologies and binaries. A century after Breton published his Manifesto of Surrealism, new technologies allow us to experience alternative realms of the imagination. Cyberspace provides us with opportunities to explore new worlds and experiment with our physical bodies. However, the internet is divisive. It is not a safe space for the marginalised (apart from some small corners carved out and guarded by the communities themselves). Homophobia, transphobia, racism, and misogyny are rife. The Marvellous is anti-capitalistic by its very nature. The irrational and illogical are features of this disorientating realm of the unconscious, which shifts our perceptions of the conscious world. The Omnipotence of Dream explores how Breton’s vision remains a possibility. The Omnipotence of Dream re-examines Surrealism’s problematic past and reframes those methods within current debates around queer, trans and feminist theory. It highlights the vision of autocratic Surrealist founder, André Breton, but also readdresses the limitations that he established through a lack of inclusivity.