Institution
ATU Galway
Medium
Painting
Graduation Year
Class of 2026
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My current work is rooted in human experience and identity as I hope to open conversations around self-representation in art and the layered complexities of being human. Each painting becomes a record of a fleeting internal state, a moment where feeling and form briefly meet. I choose to depict myself in an unflattering, often cold manner, resisting idealisation. In doing so, I aim to reveal the rawness of human skin and the unfiltered reality of being. I aim to challenge the viewer’s perception of the body, subverting traditional representations of femininity and sexuality. Each piece becomes a dialogue on power, objectification, and autonomy, using the body as an expressive form of self-reflection and a means to spark thought on how we portray women in present day media and culture. By using my own body as both subject and site of exploration, through expression, facial movement, and physical gesture, I attempt to capture psychological experiences, moments of feeling held in time. My recent work is rooted in explorations of human experience and identity, seeking to open conversations around self-representation and the layered complexities of being human. Each piece becomes a record of a fleeting internal state, a moment where feeling and form briefly meet. Through muted palettes and an intentionally unidealised approach to the figure, I aim to reveal the rawness of flesh and the unfiltered reality of existence. Expression, facial movement, and physical gesture play a central role within the work, allowing the paintings to communicate psychological experiences and emotional intensity beyond language. By drawing from personal experience and embodiment, I attempt to capture moments of emotion suspended in time, creating images that exist between vulnerability, tension, and control. Through this process, I challenge conventional perceptions of the body, subverting traditional representations of femininity and sexuality, creating dialogue surrounding power, objectification, and autonomy, using the body as both a site of self-reflection and a means of questioning how women are portrayed within contemporary media and culture.
