Ailbhe Callanan

@ailbhe_

ailbhecallanan@gmail.com

Having grown up in County Cork in the south of Ireland, Ailbhe is currently living and ​studying in Brighton, England. Primarily a printmaker, she is gradually working towards ​developing an entirely sustainable practice by incorporating alternative techniques into ​her making process. Most recently, she has been experimenting with botanical ​printmaking inks, alternative photography methods, and making her own paper. Ailbhe’s ​work presents themes of rurality, solitude, folklore, antiquity, and colonial history.

Two Walks in the South Downs

(Oct 2023 - Apr 2024)

Ties That Bind

Lithograph and monoprint on oiled newsprint

Fragment III

Photoetching on oiled tissue paper

Littlehampton to Arundel

Photoetching

Invasion Series

(October 2023)

gunnera tinctoria

Monoprints on scrap paper

Drombeg

(Feb - Mar 2023)

DROMBEG

Sugarlift and photoetching

The Druid’s Altar series

Etching, aquatint and chine collé

My practice is concerned with lived experience in relation to geographical spaces. I am interested in post-​colonial landscapes, and the impact that environment and heritage have on one's identity. My most recent ​body of work emerged from an investigation into the parameters of my identity as an Irish artist based in ​England. My process begins with walking, as I attempt to develop a connection to this unfamiliar land while ​confronting inherent historical complexities. Following a planned route, I seek out sites of antiquity and of ​topographical value – attempting to relate to these spaces from both a historical and geographical ​perspective. Several threads have emerged in my work in response to this process, including the use of ​mapping, found objects, text, and translucencies. These raw materials form the basis of my studio practice, ​along with the physical and mental memories gained during the walk. As a printmaker, I incorporate both ​intaglio and planographic processes into my practice. I often opt to print on lightweight materials such as ​tissue paper, newsprint, fine Japanese papers, and loose-weave fabrics. By printing on these surfaces, I can ​achieve varying levels of translucency – allowing me to build up several layers to create one image. I often ​apply oil to the paper as a means of pushing its fibers into their most pellucid state. This use of ​translucencies allows my work to reside somewhere between the 2- and 3-dimensional. Each element exists ​in isolation, but when layered together they represent one whole lived experience.

Education

2022 - present

2021 - 2022

BA Fine Art Printmaking, University of Brighton.

Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Brighton Metropolitan College.

Group Exhibitions

January 2024

May - Sept 2024

In Real Time - Edward Street Campus, University of Brighton.

Open About Identity - East Quay Gallery, Watchet, Somerset.

Funding

January 2024

Bridge Award - Professional Development Bursary.