DEIRDRE O’MAHONY
Deirdre O’Mahony is a visual artist whose practice is informed by a deep interest in rural sustainability, farming, food security and rural/urban relationships. For more than three decades she has investigated the political ecology of rural places through public engagement, archival and moving image installation, critical writing and cultural production.
Public artworks include X-PO (2007- ) and SPUD (2009–2019) which both reflected upon broader tensions between knowledge erasure and agricultural modernisation. Sustainment Experiments (2020–2023) developed this thinking further through public events and feasts with invited farmers, policy makers and scientists together to reflect on the future of farming and bring about cultural and behavioural shifts needed given climate change and biodiversity collapse. The outcome is a new moving image and sound work for a major commissioned, solo exhibition at the Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art, Dublin, in 2024.
Other recent projects include Snakey River Forest a permanent micro-forest with Thomond Primary School Gardening Club and Hometree commissioned for the 40th EVA Biennale guest programme curated by Sebastian Cichocki, and sculptural plantings, Model Plot for Field Exchange Creative Ireland Climate Call (2022), Plot 1 VISUAL Carlow (2021 – 2024) and PLOT 11 Gangwon Triennale Korea (2021).
Awards include Arts Council of Ireland Project Award for The Quickening (2022/2023), Visual Arts Bursaries (2021/2022/2023), Fire Station Artist Studios Residency/Sculpture awards (2022/21) and UCD Parity Studios Residency Award in partnership with UCD Earth Institute and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council (2022). Her work is in the National Collection of the Arts Council of Ireland and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Academic awards include BA Fine Art, St Martins School of Art, London (1979), MRes. Crawford College, Cork, (2005) and PhD, University of Brighton (2012).
www.deirdre-omahony.ie
Kunstverein Aughrim worked with artist Deirdre O’Mahony throughout 2023, supporting generative events that informed the development of a major new body of work. Projects with Kunstverein Aughrim include EAT FOOD POLICY: FEAST, EAT FOOD POLICY: EXHIBITION, Summer Preview with Deirdre O’Mahony and Cast Potato Cup Editions.
Kunstverein Aughrim’s ongoing collaboration with Deirdre O’Mahony is made possible with the support of The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon.