Anthony Collins is an Irish artist living and working in Dublin. He graduated from the National College of Art and Design in 1999 with a Joint Honours BA in Painting and History of Art. He has held solo exhibitions at the Oisin Gallery (2001) and Park Wall Gallery, London. Selected group shows include: The Talbot Gallery & Studios (2006); Microsoft Ireland 19th Exhibition (2006); 'Timeline', Bank of Ireland HQ (2006); The Cobalt Cafe (2002); Berkeley Gallery, Kilkenny (2001); EV&A, Limerick (2001); Oisin Gallery, Dublin (2001); Cross Gallery (2000), Royal Hibernian Academy (1999), Civic Offices Dublin (1998) and The Gallery of John Jones, London (1993).

“Theatre of chance encompasses the interactive and collaborative events from 1998 until the present. It allows: conversation, skill, excitement, children, fun, mistakes, irony, statements, readymades, religion, atheism, experiment, politics etc. The design of technology, that is, the rather crude but tactile tools which I assemble and ask participants to use; levels the skill expectation but not the aspirations of those taking part. It encourages the reticent to have a go. Many of the participants over this 7 year period were reluctant to voice an opinion on art of indeed anything else. Nevertheless they have made beautiful marks and images. I have approximately 600 of these images by now along with images made in collaboration with other artists.”

THE PROCESS The artist manufactured an array of tools using a variety of materials such as sponge, rubber, twine, plastic, cardboard and metal. Members of the public were invited into a working space on a given occasion and were asked to create either a fantasy dinner or a face in a mask using the tools and paint at hand. The tools had no specific function, this was left up to the imagination of the user. For 'The Dinner Party' technology series, dinners were painted onto a large mural and the artist photographed the work and the workers as it progressed. For the inaugural 'Judith slaying Holofernes' event, Anthony drew out a large template based on the painting of the same name by the 17th Century Renaissance artist, Artemesia Gentileschi. The template's depiction was missing the face of Judith so people were invited to create it on a mask. Anthony photographed the events as they took place. Using the photographs, he made a composite of the events putting together people and their creations who may or may not have been present at the same time. The result is an interactive dialogue between the artist, participant and viewer.

"Judith is essentially a symbol of Good triumphing over Evil. She is regularly reinvented by artists often as a layered composite individual. Ana Maria Pacheo poses her in the costume of a femme fatale in her painting 'Beheaded' (1991). Artemesia Gentileschi's image of Judith, which is the version I use, portrays this 17th Century Wonderwoman as a real individual who accepts that doing good can be a messy business. Her good act leaves her literally bloodsoaked. It is still a troubling image, Wonderwoman could never be shown with even a speck of blood on her costume whereas Artemesia's Judith will get gore all over herself.

A recording of a ticking clock reminds us that we are part of her story and history. Very little separates us, perhaps only a thin layer easily worn away."