Artist

Artist Statement

My work explores the entangled relationship between land, ritual, and memory, with a particular focus on Ireland’s ancient bog bodies and the landscapes that have both preserved and concealed them. I am drawn to the paradox of preservation - how the acidic nature of the bog mummifies flesh, yet leaves behind certain objects and features untouched, almost defiant.

Teeth, in particular, have emerged as a recurring motif in my work. They resist decay. They endure. To me, they are like relics - objects of worship in their own right, fragments of human identity that have outlived their owners and entered into myth.

This idea of objects as sacred, as vessels of devotion or power, drives much of my recent practice. Inspired by Francis Bacon’s visceral colour palettes and his ability to render the human figure as both beautiful and grotesque, I use oil paint and oil pastel to recreate the textures I encountered on visits to the National Museum in Dublin and in my own walks through the bogland near Parke , County Mayo. The leathery, acidic skins of these bodies and their artefacts—rings, ropes, twisted fabrics—are not just archaeological; they feel spiritually charged, echoing a society built on sacrifice, belief, and offering.Using Bog Oak from my local bogland in Parke , I began carving forms inspired by the preserved remains of bog bodies as a way to deepen the physical and conceptual layers of my work. The dense, ancient wood darkened by time and rich with its own silent history - became a powerful counterpart to the textured surfaces I create in oil paint and pastel.

In my process, I work through layering and abrasion, often blending wet oil paint mixed with oil thinner and dry oil pastel textures to build a surface that feels both ancient and alive. My goal is to create an atmosphere where these bodies and objects feel present - not fossilised in the past, but reawakened in the present, challenging viewers to consider what we choose to value, worship, or discard today.

In extending this exploration of teeth as enduring, symbolic objects, I became fascinated by the contemporary phenomenon of grills - ornamental, often gold or diamond-studded dental covers popularised in rap and hip-hop culture. Originally emerging in the 1980s and 90s within Southern rap scenes, grills have come to signify wealth, power, resilience, and a kind of defiant beauty rooted in the legacy of marginalised voices reclaiming space and status. What struck me was how closely these modern adornments echo the ancient gold artefacts found in Irish bogs - like the gorget, lunula, or torc—each with sweeping curves and motifs that symbolised spiritual and societal significance. These ancient gold forms weren’t just decoration; they were offerings, ritual objects, status markers, worn close to the body just as grills are.

By placing this modern iconography of pop culture onto my bog - inspired figures, I aim to merge the sacred and the secular, the ancient and the contemporary. The result is a conversation between timelines: one where the teeth become altars, housing layered meanings of identity, sacrifice, and power.

In many ways, these teeth become a symbol not just of physical survival, but of cultural endurance, echoing how myths, faith, and traditions linger long after their context has faded.

My work is about holding space for things that can no longer speak but still resonate. It is not just about looking back; it’s about using the past as a lens through which to critique the present. I want my viewers to ask themselves: What do we preserve? What do we let go? What do we worship now? And perhaps most of all: Why?