About me

I’m a 40 year-old visual artist living in Dublin. I originally worked as a painter but in recent years I have widened my practice to include installations, photography and film.

While working in Reykjavik in 2006 I became interested in the effect the sagas have on the Icelandic people, these stories seem a tangible manifestation of national character, a concept I wished to investigate by physically recreating scenes from the sagas at their original locations.

Much of my work is concerned with similar issues of national character and identity in Ireland. I swim in the river Liffey in Dublin regularly in an attempt to physically assimilate with a city in which I wasn’t born.

I’m interested in how the spirit of a nation is expressed through myth and how writers and artists, through their work, contribute their own myths which influence how people see themselves. In this regard I am fascinated by the output of JM Synge, Paul Henry and James Joyce.

In September 2010 I presented 'Liffeytown', an installation of giant red and green floating houses on the river Liffey. The following year I built a desert island and moored it on the Liffey where I lived for two weeks.

In August 2013 The HighLanes Gallery in Drogheda commissioned me to make a site specific project for their space. I lived in the gallery for a week and initiated a programme of events including trumpet recitals, art classes, discussions and walking tours.

I grew up in Limerick. Between 1990 and 1993 I studied for a degree in Education and French.  I am married to Christine Monk, an Australian arts publicist and we have a five year old son named Dash.