Artist Statement

‘I am a visual artist from the West of Ireland. I use my photography and art to work through my own internal struggles. Release and catharsis, as well as a freedom of expression are all vital elements to my practice and have been apparent in all of my work thus far. I find healing in my photography and hope others can too. I want the “unusual” to feel seen and understood by my work. I celebrate the irreverent and unconventional throughout my practice.’

Personal/Professional Statement

As a visual artist, I am afforded the opportunity to express all aspects of myself as well as what I see around me. Photography is an avenue I use for uninhibited expression of self and the things I see. Looking at life through the lens of a visual artist has changed the way I see life itself, as well as how I interact with the world around me.

An aspect of my photographic practice that means a lot to me is being able to elicit sensations in the people who view my work, especially more unwelcome feelings such as disgust and discomfort. Making people feel things by utilizing the medium of photography in a distinct and interesting way is something I always strive for.

The impact that my work could have is both a beautiful and somewhat frightening thing. To have influence over people is something that needs to be thought about and considered. I take time to understand and appreciate the effects my work may have on others, from educating them, to making them feel different sensations and even upsetting them in certain ways.

Appreciating what we as photographers do and have the potential to do is a good exercise to keep us inspired and to keep us from abusing the inherent power that a camera and an audience give us.

There is such power in the image that we often overlook and forget about. Nowadays, we all look to photographs and visual media to provide us with all kinds of information. As artists, we must not fail to remember the potential power our outlook and work could have on people, that is a paramount responsibility we must uphold. We can manipulate our audiences into believing what we want them to believe and if that power is harnessed and used in the wrong way, it could potentially cause harm.

This is extremely important to consider as people are beginning to rely very heavily on the images they see to provide them with information that they then internalize and use in their own daily lives. Our images, whether we realise the true extent of it or not, have a huge impact on people and we must remember this and act accordingly.