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STATEMENT
Cartographies of Spatialised Feelings: Drawing Atmospheres of Place
My practice investigates drawing as a method for sensing and recording the spatialised feelings of everyday public spaces. Situated at the intersection of drawing, phenomenology, and atmospheric theory, I create large-scale drawings, public drawing actions, experimental animations, and installations. My drawing process--Drawing in-Space—produces what I call Cartographies of Spatialised Feelings: Drawing Atmospheres of Place, tracing the movement of atmosphere as it stirs the felt bodily isles, transcending both the physical body and psychological mind (Griffero 2014, 31). These works are not maps of space, but mappings of how space feels—cartographies not of place, but of atmosphere.
Drawing in-Space repositions drawing as an affective counter-cartography: a way of documenting, sensing, and registering the invisible yet forceful presence of atmospheres. It proposes a first-person, pathic account of spatial experience—pre-reflective and relational, rather than subjective or emotional. My work reflects a core belief that where we are matters. We are always in relation, entangled with the spaces we inhabit—whether we consciously register it or not. Through drawing, I seek to make visible this entanglement by revealing the spatialised, affective dimensions of place.
Cartographies of Spatialised Feelings: Drawing Atmospheres of Place
My practice investigates drawing as a method for sensing and recording the spatialised feelings of everyday public spaces. Situated at the intersection of drawing, phenomenology, and atmospheric theory, I create large-scale drawings, public drawing actions, experimental animations, and installations. My drawing process--Drawing in-Space—produces what I call Cartographies of Spatialised Feelings: Drawing Atmospheres of Place, tracing the movement of atmosphere as it stirs the felt bodily isles, transcending both the physical body and psychological mind (Griffero 2014, 31). These works are not maps of space, but mappings of how space feels—cartographies not of place, but of atmosphere.
Drawing in-Space repositions drawing as an affective counter-cartography: a way of documenting, sensing, and registering the invisible yet forceful presence of atmospheres. It proposes a first-person, pathic account of spatial experience—pre-reflective and relational, rather than subjective or emotional. My work reflects a core belief that where we are matters. We are always in relation, entangled with the spaces we inhabit—whether we consciously register it or not. Through drawing, I seek to make visible this entanglement by revealing the spatialised, affective dimensions of place.
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. O’Toole currently resides in Sligo.
CONTACT
EMAIL
[email protected]
INSTAGRAM
https://www.instagram.com/kieraotooleartistresearcher/
VIMEO
https://vimeo.com/kieraotoole
[email protected]
https://www.instagram.com/kieraotooleartistresearcher/
VIMEO
https://vimeo.com/kieraotoole
Studio - The University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, 2013
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STUDIO - Narara, NSW, Australia 2013-2014
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STUDIO - Lissadell House, Sligo, Ireland, 2015
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Studio - The Model Sligo, Ireland 2016- present
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