Awkward Interjection

Sprawling and interrupting,

a pause from the expected.

An unapologetic occupation of space,

a defiant stare straight back.

A space for validating experiences,

for an examination of female roles and femininity,

questioning representation and seeming realities,

saying 'hold on a minute...',

for awkwardly interjecting.

Exhibition of work by Niamh Coffey, Lia Cowan, Stephanie Graham, Sophie McCormack, Ciara O'Neill and Clara Scullion. Awkward Interjection is a feminist collective consisting of recent NCAD graduates. Themes that permeate the work include the representation and roles of women, gender, bodies, intimacy, sexuality and female experiences in public and private spheres. With this exhibition they aim to expand and continue the dialogue about gender issues, femininity, sexuality and representation.

Biographies:

Niamh Coffey is a member of Ormond Studios. Her practice creates new narratives, myths and hyperboles surrounding female and queer bodies. These disrupt the fetishised and simplified narratives already in existence. The work combines animal imagery, surrealist elements and a haptic approach to form nonsensical displays of intimacy and sybiotism. This work endeavours to invoke a radical empathy to the experiences of others which are always, to some degree, unknowable, unquantifiable and untranslatable to those gazing in.

Lia Cowan’s work is centred around investigating the female role in a family setting. Questioning the expectations of women. Marriage, femininity, motherhood. Through the use of found objects, forgotten objects, familial objects, she explores a story; the story of her femininity and the nurturing of that femininity by the women who raised her. Looking into her Jewish and Irish catholic heritages she examines these women. Thriving women. A collective of women bonded together through her. Playing with religious and symbolic objects she creates a familiar yet surreal atmosphere. She plays on the concept of collecting, recording and documenting creating a sense of nostalgia around her work.

Stephanie Graham’s practice explores her own understanding of femininity. Her work is rooted in romantic conceptualism. She uses video, sound, paint, text and drawing to address her relationship with mental health, family, friendships, love and sense of value. The artist approaches seemingly vulnerabilities with an honest voice.

Sophie McCormack uses mixed media to create her artwork, with a strong focus on poetry and digital art. Her written work explores themes relating to the human condition, replying heavily on personal events in her life. These themes include sex and sexuality, relationships, femininity and self-awareness. The digital aspect of the work reinforces the idea of the millennial spirit, and alternative identities or worlds in which people find themselves.

Ciara O’Neill’s work commonly centres around themes of representation, the body, gender and sexuality. Her recent work engages with depression and mental illness. Through illustration, she examines how such things can affect ones self views of their body and their own sexual experiences.

Clara Scullion creates work primarily concerned with the conflict of representation of memory and experience. In particular, she is interested in the assertion of female experiences that are commonly obliterated or undermined in mainstream media.