Trending 26th January 2022 by Stellar Magazine

5 Irish Female Contemporary Artists To Watch

Meet just some of the Irish artists who are killing the game with their incredible work.


It’s no secret that Ireland has produced some amazing creatives; from designers to playwrights to musicians – we’ve got it all. Particularly impressive is the art world, where the Irish talent is ever-expanding.

Right now, there are some seriously special women making waves on the contemporary art scene, and in case you might’ve missed them, here’s a list of five arty Irish ladies to watch out for!

Juliana Shiel, @juliana__shiel__art

 

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South Dublin’s Juliana Shiel has a stunning array of original and fine art print pieces, with a focus on rich, vibrant colours in swirling patterns. The talented 24-year-old said of her work, ‘I love to take inspiration from the colours and textures of my natural surroundings on the Dublin coast. I work with acrylic, resin, wax, oils and inks to replicate things like seaweed, rocky cliffs, salt water and the sky.’

Juliana is an advocate with Women’s Aid, and donates 15% of her profits to the organisation. What a superstar! You can check out her work on her Instagram.

Aoife Dunne, @efadone


Another Dublin native is 26-year-old installation artist and self-proclaimed futurist Aoife Dunne. Aoife focuses on large-scale installation pieces and creates ‘immersive environments, fusing sculpture, video, sound, performance, technology & costume’. We visited Aoife’s last installation at The Lab Gallery and were blown away!

The experimental artist currently has a residency at IMMA, and you can catch her current exhibition ‘Dreamsphere’ in the IMMA Courtyard until the 28th of February.

Jan McCullough, @jan.mccullough

 

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Currently working out of her Belfast studio is Jan McCullough, who was recently an artist in residence at IMMA. Jan seeks inspiration in acts of construction, fabrication and DIY with her enchanting installations. Speaking of her work, the artist shares that she thinks ‘there’s a really fascinating relationship between photography and sculpture… the physicality of it – the camera
can visually dissect a space, reconfiguring forms within it’.

You’ll be able to see Jan’s newest breathtaking installation in March 2022, at the PS2 gallery in Belfast.

Nicole Holbrook, @soundless.art


Nicole Holbrook recently exhibited her art at Universal Space and turned heads with her bright and emotive work. A multidisciplinary artist, Nicole is currently studying sculpture and expanded practice at NCAD. Her work explores ‘dualities, the connections and disconnections within our environment and psychological spaces.’

She tells us, ‘I like to present the familiar as strange and the strange as familiar.’ You can buy a range of fabulous bold and trippy prints at Nicole’s website through the link in her bio.

Robyn Carey, @robyncareyart

 

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Robyn Carey is a Dublin based abstract artist whose work can be found in Hen’s Teeth, Damn Fine Print, and also Hang Tough, where Robyn recently had her first solo show ‘Alternate’.

Her art is concerned with human perceptions of time and space; and her beautiful paintings are often characterised by expressive mark-making, tactile paint application, and complex layered compositions. Robyn is also the co-founder and curator of the First Day Gallery, a pop-up gallery and art platform started in 2020.

Words by Aoife CodyKane