About
Artist Statement- Biography- Contact- CV
Artist Statement
Where we are matters.
I am an Irish-born artist and researcher whose practice investigates how atmospheres are registered and generated through drawing. Using my methodology Drawing in-Space, I create what I call Affective Cartographies: site-responsive works including large-scale installations, wall drawings, experimental animations, and public drawing-actions. These works transform drawing into immersive, spatial, and sensory encounters that make visible the spatialised emotions of place.
My neurodivergence amplifies sensory and spatial awareness, making the experience of place heightened and immediate. Spaces are never neutral; they act upon the body with affective force, shaping both the work and the encounter. Drawing, for me, is not representation but an act of presence, and a gestural process that traces the invisible yet insistent forces of everyday spaces.
Matter is never inert; it vibrates with emotional and cultural charge. Each work becomes an entanglement between body, environment, medium, and mood — and invites viewers into their own atmospheric encounter with place. In a cultural climate marked by acceleration, distraction, and ecological fragility, I regard drawing as an urgent, resistant act: slowing perception, re-attuning us to our surroundings, and affirming our shared, embodied presence in the world.
Biography
Kiera O’Toole [b. 1977, Dublin] is a research-based visual artist and a casual lecturer at undergraduate and Master's level at ATU, Sligo. Her practice blends philosophical inquiry with experimental and expanded drawing, including site-specific works, installations, and stop-motion animations. O'Toole's work focuses on documenting everyday atmospheres and their specific 'spatialised feelings' , rather than her private emotions, highlighting our entanglement with the world. In 2023, O'Toole exhibited recently at the RHA, and Leitrim Sculpture Centre. In 2024, she has been invited to exhibit at prominent galleries such as FRISE in Hamburg (GER), DAS ESSZIMMER in Bonn (GER), both funded by 'ZEITGEIST 24' Culture Ireland, and DRAWSPACE, Sydney (AUS).
O'Toole's extensive exhibition record includes shows at the RHA, CCA Derry-Londonderry (NI), University of Newcastle (AUS), National Museum of Australia, Maitland Regional Gallery (AUS), Mount-Kuring Regional Gallery (AUS), Courthouse Arts Centre in Wicklow, Art Walk Porty (SCO), The Model in Sligo, VISUAL Carlow, Highlanes Gallery, DLR Lexicon in Dublin, and Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre. Her residencies have taken place at the Leitrim Sculpture Centre, Tinahely Courthouse Arts Centre, and Sligo Arts Service.
Her publications feature book chapters such as ‘Drawing Wonder’ in "Project Anywhere IV" (University of Melbourne and Parsons School of Art, NY, 2021) and 'Drawing from the Non-Place' in "Body, Space, Place in Collective and Collaborative Drawing: Drawing Conversations II" (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2020). O'Toole has presented at conferences including APD - Architecture, Public Art, Drawing Seminar,
Lisbon Faculty of Fine Arts, Portugal; The Institute of Global Irish Studies at the University of NSW, the National Museum of Australia, Coventry University, and Maynooth University. She has also been a panelist for Bart Lodewijks at The Model and Visual Arts Ireland's Get Together in Dublin.
O’Toole is a professional member of Visual Arts Ireland and the Drawing Research Network (UK), and co-founded the artist collective Drawing deCentered.
CONTACT
ATU Sligo, Assistant Lecturer, MA Creative Practice.
Fine Art Doctoral Researcher, Loughborough University, UK
CV
EDUCATION
2020-2026.PhD Doctoral Researcher, Creative Arts, Loughborough University (UK)
2013 Masters of Philosophy, Fine Art, Newcastle University, (AUS)
2000 Bachelor of Fine Art, Honours, Dublin Institute of Technology (IRE)
Upcoming Exhibitions
2026 Solo. LCGA – Limerick City Gallery of Arts.
2026 Drawing Centre, Diepenheim (NL)
2026 Luan Gallery, Athlone
Solo Exhibitions
2023 RHA, Weaved Drawing, Atrium, Dublin
2021 CCA Derry. Commission for site-specific drawing, Derry. NL
2020 Drawing Wonder, Project Anywhere Global Exhibition, Uni. of Melbourne and
Parsons School of Art (USA)
2019 Quietus, Commissioned by Sligo Arts Service
2019 Warning, curated by Rosie Naylor, Edinburgh. SCO.
2016 Betwixt and Between, Tinahely Courthouse Arts Centre, Wicklow
2014 Lines of Negotiation III, Centre for Creative Practices, Dublin
2013 Romantic Ireland Dead and Gone’, Mount-Kuring Regional Gallery, AUS
2013 Romantic Ireland’s Dead and Gone, Gosford Regional Gallery. AUS 2012
2012 Beyond the Pale: Australia, The University Gallery Newcastle. AUS
TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2019 Someone who was standing apart from me, (Greig Burgoyne, UK), MART.
Commissioned by Livestock
2017 Artist Select, Arno Kramer, The Model Home of the Niland Collection
2017 Sonic Drawing, in collaboration with Donna Legault, Leitrim Sculpture Centre
2014 Lines of Inquiry (two-person), Art Studios Cooperative, AUS
2013 Marian Thread, Institute of Global Irish Studies, University of NSW, AUS
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Weaved Drawing, / Leitrim Sculpture Centre
2023 RHA, invited to exhibit for annual open call
2023 Atmospheres: 1, Drawing deCentered, Leitrim Sculpture Centre
2023 Invited by curator Sarah Searson, Boyle Arts Festival
2022 Beyond Drawing, curated by Arno Kramer, Uilleann West Cork Arts Centre.
2022 Walking Kesshcorran, A collaborative project and exhibition
2021 Landscape, Ecology & Environment, residency and exhibition, LSC
2021 N I N E | Matters’, Hyde Bridge Gallery, Sligo
2021 Wonder Stones, public art, Caidre Arts festival,
2020 Drawing Wonder, Platform Arts Belfast
2020 Highlanes Gallery Open Submission
2020 Beyond Drawing, curated by Arno Kramer, Ballina Arts Centre,
2019 Drawing deCentered, The Courthouse Gallery
2019 Weaved Drawing A5, The Drawing Box, International touring exhibition: IN, UK, AUS
2019 Reimgianing the Canon, curated by Annemarie Murland, University Gallery AUS
2018 Drawing as Interruption, Independent Studios Dublin, The Model Studios
2018 (tele)consequences, drawing performance’, University of Brighton, UK
2017 The Embodied Experience of Drawing, Ocean Studios, Royal William Yard, UK
2017 Coolaney Drawing Project, Sligo, A public participative drawing project
2017 Testing, Catalyst Arts 2017 (NL)
2017 HOMELAND, Damer House Gallery, Roscrea,
2017 Drawing Conversations, Centre for Creative Practices, Dublin
2017 Cairde Arts Festival, The Model, Sligo
2017 Insider/Outsider, Caidre Arts Festival, The Model, Sligo
2016 Lines of Negotiation: Mapping the Land, Municipal Gallery, dlr Lexicon, Dublin
2016 Enniskillen Visual Visual Arts Open (NL)
2016 Drawn Conversations, Coventry University, (UK)
2016 Leitrim Sculpture Centre Open Art exhibition, Leitrim
2014 Lines of Negotiation II, Irish Museum of Contemporary Art, Dublin, Ireland
2014 ‘My last begging, Ha!! Ha!! the piano has been drinking’, Maitland. Gallery AUS.
2014 Opening the Box, 4 Point Gallery, Newcastle (AUS)
2011 Not just Ned: the true history of Australia, National Museum of Australia AUS
Awards/ Residencies Bibliography
2024 Arts Council of Ireland Bursary Award
2022 Awarded artist- residency, Leitrim Sculpture Centre,
2022 Agility Award, Arts Council of Ireland
2021 Agility Award, Arts Council of Ireland
2021 Video Practice Opportunity Award. Funded by Creative Ireland
2020 Finalist Project Anywhere; global peer-reviewed exhibition and conference
2020 University of Melbourne and Parsons School of Art, NY. (USA)
2020 Primary Colours Artists Bursary Award, Sligo Arts Service
2020 The Travel and Training Award, Culture Ireland
2017 ‘Sonic Drawing’, Residency, Leitrim Sculpture Centre
2015 Wicklow County Council’s New Strategic Project Award
2013 RTS Funding Grants (Newcastle University, NSW, Australia)
2011 ‘Impressability’. Six month residency, Funded by ARTS NSW, (AUS).
2010 ‘HOMEward Bound’, 2yr residency, RYSS.Funded Gosford Council. AUS
2005 Public Art Project . Blanchardstown Youthreach, Fingal Co Council
SEMINARS / ARTIST TALKS
2025 Seminar Presenter: nature drawing nature - April 3rd
2024 Seminar presenter: Architecture, Urbanism, Public Art, participation, Drawing, and the Environment, University of Lisbon, University of São Paulo, 8th Nov 2024.
2023 Conference presenter, Drawing in Relation: Affect & Agency
2023 'Making Connection’; Mapping Creative Encounters, RMIT, Melbourne, (UAS)
Leitrim Sculpture Centre
2023 Sculpture Drawing Space (UK)
2022 Conference Chair, Loughborough University, ‘Ecologies of Drawing: Mapping Environments’
2020 Artist Talk- Visual Arts Ireland
2019 CCA-Derry-Londonderry and IMMA for IMMA, National Drawing Day
2018 Conference presenter, Arts in Education, Maynooth University
2017 Conference presenter, Drawing Conversations II, Coventry University (UK)
2017 Panellist, Visual Arts Ireland, Get Together, Creative Ireland, Dublin
2017 Panellist, Bart Lodewijks’ exhibition Sligo Drawings, The Model
2017 Artist talk. The Drawing Box _Online
2017 Artist talk. Drawing deCentered, The Courthouse Gallery
2017 Artist talk. Art Walk Porty, Edinburgh, (SCT)
2017 Drawing as Wonder, The Hunt Museum, Limerick
2017 Sonic Drawing, Leitrim Sculpture centre
2015 Artist select from the Model Home of the Niland Collection
2015 Artist talk. Visual Arts Ireland, Show & Tell, The Model, Sligo
2015 MART Gallery & Visual Arts Ireland, Dublin
2014 Gorey School of Art, Wexford
2013 Conference presenter, The Institute of Global Irish Studies, University of
NSW (AUS)
2013 Guest lecturer, Avondale College, NSW (AUS)
2013 Artist talk. Mount-Kuring Regional Gallery, (AUS)
2011 Conference presenter, National Museum of Australia, (AUS)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2022 Catalogue, Beyond Drawing, designed by Oonagh Young, Published by Uilleann,
West Cork Arts Centre, Produced by Drawing deCentered
2021 Profile: Irish Arts Review, Summer Edition, ‘Public Wonders’. June-July
2021 Book Chapter: Anywhere IV, Project Anywhere. www.projectanywhere.net
2020 Article: NINE, The Visual Arts Newsletter, Visual Arts Ireland;
https://visualartists.ie/out-now-january-february-issue-of-the-visual-artists- news-sheet/,
2020 Book Chapter: “Drawing Conversations 2: Body, Space Place 2’ Ed by Jill
Journeaux, Helen Gorill and Sara Reed, Published by Cambridge Scholars, Jan
2020 Profile; Visual Arts Ireland Cafe’ 16th June
2020 Profile: Inside the Studio, Supported by Artist Network Sligo
2020 Review: Not Beyond Reach, Visual Arts Ireland News Sheet, July-Aug
https://issuu.com/visualartistsireland/docs/van_ja_2020__print_
2019 Article: Drawing deCentered, Visual Artist Ireland News Sheet,
https://issuu.com/ visualartistsireland/docs/van_ma_2019_full, March-April 2019
2019 Profile: Inside Make shift Studio during Covid19 crisis.
2019 Article: Drawing deCentered, Visual Artist Ireland News Sheet
https://issuu.com/visualartistsireland/docs/ van_nd_2019__print_, Nov-Dec
2019 Profile: The Drawing Box https://www.facebook.com/groups/449614368434500/
2018 Profile : ‘Warning’, Visual Arts Ireland News Sheet, https://
issuu.com/visualartistsireland/docs/ van_nd_2019__print_,
2017 Academic Journal: TRACEY: Drawing and Presence, peer reviewed
Journal for Contemporary Drawing. Loughborough University, UK.
2017 Profile: CYBER CRAIC - A DIGITAL IRISH ARTS FESTIVAL.
https://www.solasnua.org/cyber-craic-a-digital-irish-arts-festival-2020/
2015 Radio: Arts House Podcast, June 29th, https://www.oceanfm.ie/2018/06/29/
2015 Profile: Betwixt and Between, Visual Arts News sheet: Catalogue; Jan-
2015 Catalogue: Betwixt and Between, Essay by Brian Fay, Nov
2014 Catalogue : Drawing Conversation, Centre for Creative Practices,
2014 TV: Nationwide, RTE, Centre for Creative Practices, Dublin
2013 Radio: Kiera O'Toole & Annemarie Murland, ABC Central Coast,
2013 Book: Greetings from the Irish in Australia, Edited by Kiera O’Toole and
DrAnnemarie Murland forward Noel White, Ambassador of Ireland AUS,
2013 Radio. Australia, 92.5 FM, Lines of Inquiry, Coast Arts, February
2013 Review: The Star’ newspaper, Newcastle, Australia
2012 Review: Central Coast Express Advocate. June, 34
2012 Review: Newcastle Herald Newspaper. Beyond the Pale: Australia, Dec
2011 Catalogue : Homeward Bound, RYSS, NSW, Australia, October 2012
2011 Catalogue: Impressability, RYSS, NSW, Australia June 2011
2011 Catalogue: Not just Ned: the true history of Irish in Australia, National Museum of
Australia. https://www.nma.gov.au/audio/not-just-ned-irish-in-australia-series, 2nd1