KATE O’NEILL
PLANTAE
- Burned Mahogany -
LOCATION NO. 8
This exhibition celebrates CONNECTION to Place/ Nature/Community/ Friends/ Family/ City/ Home. ‘Plantae’ presents visuals of the natural botany from this unique open greenway. Placing the artworks in this unique setting highlights how the conservation of such long-lasting environments is crucial for preserving heritage, culture and biodiversity. Plants have a unique ability to adapt and grow in an ever-changing environment through seasonal exertions and rising temperatures. The variety of visuals and the materiality in the artwork demonstrates the adaptability of nature. Providing a natural cradle for the delicate ecosystem, the sculpture accommodates plant growth around it. ‘Plantae’ adapts to blend and become part of the natural environment.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Kate O’Neill is a Belfast-based artist, exploring space through drawing, sculpture, and installation. O’Neill has exhibited in Northern Ireland (Golden Thread Gallery, Queen Street Studios, Bangor Castle Walled Garden), Croatia (Pop-Up, Zagreb) and Poland (ISDT, Katowice). O’Neill was awarded the Creative Bursary Award 2023 by Belfast City Council. Graduating from Fine Art at the Belfast School of Art, O’Neill specialised in Sculpture and Lens. Previously studied traditional sculpture at the Academy of Fine Art in Zagreb, Croatia. O’Neill’s artwork attempts to solidify liminal space, the in-between, the forgotten. Through an anthropological approach she explores the body’s place within the socio-cultural landscape. Perception and interaction within space is shaped by an individual’s identity, a significant component of which is gender. Motivated by feminist geography, O’Neill examines the effect of society’s gender binaries on behaviours, activities and experiences of a place. “Our cities are patriarchy written in stone, brick, glass and concrete.” - Jane Darke (1996) O'Neill creates artworks which defy patriarchal classification within the masculine/feminine archetypes in hopes of dismantling the sexual inequality embedded within visual language.