Raw emotions, emphatic passions and staggering ability are some of the many observations that come to mind when I find myself admiring the work of Ciara Sheehan, nevertheless after narrowing my choices down to a select few and tossing a coin to decide the winner I’ve come to conclude with the phrase of controlled chaos to best describe the work of the 22-year-old Droghedian artist. 

Each layer of thick dark paint unlocks another angle of understanding in each piece. I find myself being lost with each brush stroke only to discover a breadcrumb that leads me down another spiralling rabbit hole only to become lost once more. It’s a strange feeling and begs the question as to why I’m enjoying the feeling of being lost. Is it the edge of psychedelic inspiration I can see in her work or is it that I feel safer not understanding the back story behind her work? The striking intrusive thoughts between artworks aggressively painted raw onto the exhibition walls as if the artist was trapped in an asylum only add extra shivers down my spine and further conveys where I find my line of safety to be. Exploring Ciara’s exhibition led to this imaginary line between safety and understanding vanish right before me, leaving me vulnerable to where the artist’s true inspiration arose from. Suddenly the stylistic approach conveying the raw emotions of anger, confusion, sadness and suppression made sense to me. 

Sheehan finds herself lost in a system that is unjust. Her frustration and anger towards the subjectification of women are vividly exhibited throughout her work. The artist continuously questions why the attitude toward traumatic experiences differentiates between gender and displays her confusion through an aggressive approach to her work in the studio. The aggressive technique Ciara uses adopts the role of being more than a stylistic trademark. Her progressive and aggressive attitude to bringing her traumatic experience into a form of art brings a sense of maturity rarely seen in artists so young. Ciara proves that despite the mental position an artist may find themselves in the best way to show how you’re truly feeling is by covering your canvas with your emotions. 

Ciara who is now a graduate from NCAD has relocated to further her education and experience with art. Where better to go than Rome? Before she got on her flight and set off for Italia we reached out for an interview to get a more personal understanding of her recent exhibition.