Erin Donnelly
Cardiff
I make sculptural work that is often embedded with personal associations and memories of childhood.
I am interested in ideas related to the home and memory, and their role in forming identity. I wanted to explore how to defy the imperative to follow a linear structure in personal narrative, as memory is itself often non-linear and fragmented. We often misremember elements of our past, and the way in which we assess our own experiences is informed not just by memory alone, but through the recollections and biases of others. The combination of works chosen reflect the dualities involved in memory, the home and reflection. There is tenderness, familiarity and comfort, but equally a coldness. This presents a conflict and confusion within the work, mirroring the conflicting emotions brought about through the process of introspection, which adapts and shifts over time. I felt drawn to examining the personal meanings associated with one’s own individual experiences and memories, but also the potential universality of those meanings. I want to portray personal memories and feelings in a way which is not overtly didactic, leaving room for misunderstanding through elements which are removed from their context or obscured in some way.
Education:
Cardiff School of Art and Design BA Fine Art 2019 - 2022
Choláiste Stiofain Naofa Foundation Course: Art, Craft and Design 2018 - 2019
University College Cork BA Commerce International with French 2013 - 2017 ERASMUS: Institut d’Administration des Entreprises 2015 - 2016
Experience:
Studio Assistant to Artist Sean Edwards, June 2022 - present
Artist Benevolent Fund Step Change Fellow, October 2022 - October 2023
Spike Island Gallery Bristol, Visitor Assistant December 2022 - August 2023
ArcadeCampfa, Gallery Co-ordinator Sept 2020 - June 2021
Exhibitions:
Second Iteration of Dialogue Collaboration with Artist Rebecca Jones at SHIFT Gallery, November 2023
Joint Solo Show at BayArt Gallery with Artist Cassandra Davies, November 2023
Cardiff School of Art and Design Foyer Exhibition, October 2023
ArcadeCampfa/Spit and Sawdust 24hour Residency, Collaboration with Artist Rebecca Jones, August 2023
End of Residency Show with The Wholefoods Collective at BayArt Gallery, August 2023
Dialogue Collaboration with Artist Rebecca Jones at SHIFT Gallery, May 2023
Group Exhibition with The Wholefoods Studio, March 2023
Between Spaces, Solo Exhibition at The Wholefoods Studio, March 2023
Young Welsh Artists Exhibition, Moma Machynlleth, November 2022- January 2023
Associates Show, ArcadeCampfa, October 2022
Group Exhibition with The Wholefoods Studio, September 2022
Nurture, End of Hot House Residency at Cardiff Made, August 2022
Cwpla Cardiff School of Art and Design, UK, June 2022
make space good Shift Art Gallery, Cardiff, UK, December 2021
K-Fest Art Festival Killorglin, Kerry, Ireland, June 2019
Cohesion Choláiste Stiofain Naofa, Cork, Ireland, May 2019
Awards:
The Artist Benevolent Fund Step Change Fellowship 2022 - 2023
Helen Gregory Purchase Prize Award 2022
Helen Gregory Memorial Trust Award 2021
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