Artist Statement,
Bernadette Doolan’s work explores the fragility of the human condition primarily through
the depiction of aspects of childhood. This interest relates to the resilience and strength children own
even through their vulnerabilities. It is a perspective explored through reflection of her own
childhood and an awareness of how socialization modifies our behaviours. The sense of
vulnerability which a child can experience is more often than not where our strengths reside.
Her work has been described as having an ‘emotional weight with psychological intensity that is
not necessarily representing the physical, but one’s internal voice’. Doolan makes art about
resilience. The young girls in her paintings are conduits for potentially conflicting emotions,
including vulnerability and strength. “For one to experience strength, we must therefore know
how it feels to be vulnerable”. In her paintings, Bernadette’s use of the empty space allows for
the viewer to step in, the vastness can cause unease, yet allows a deafening silence among
the emotion she is portraying in the figure. This tension is where the conversation starts. Doolan
works intuitively, making the first mark or gesture with the instincts of childhood, without over-planning. "I want to honour the spirit of childhood, of getting back up," she says.As adults, "When we fall over, we fall out of our heart and into our head and then everything is decided by our head, not our heart. Everything starts getting influenced by thought processes about whether that should or should not be done." Her work is a cry of resistance against an over- reliance on adult logic and judgement, or perhaps a call for a return to the wisdom of early intuition.
She doesn’t constrain herself to one medium but instead allows both to feed and
stimulate her creative expression
C.V.
Solo Show.
2024 - The Good Room, Townhall Arts Centre, Cavan.
2024 - The Same But Different, The Lab, Dublin.
2023 - Source arts centre, ‘Transference, what you see in me, you see in yourself’ solo show.
2022 - Are we there yet, 35DP, Belfast.
2020 - GOMA, Gallery of Modern Art, Waterford.
2020 - Limerick City Museum, I am not worthy.
2015 - Inner child, Copperhouse Gallery, Dublin.
2015 - 196 Exhibition - Copperhouse Gallery Dublin
Prizes & Awards
2021 - (SWA) Member Society Women Artists London.
2020 - (ASWA) Associate member Society Women Artists London.
2019 - Society Women Artists, London, Rosemary & co award.
2019 - Arts Council of Ireland, Covid 19 Crisis Response Award
2018 - Royal Ulster Academy, Irish News award, depicting Ireland today.
2015 - Royal Ulster Academy, Silver Perpetual award for best work by a non- academician
Invited artist
2019 - Youyi, Hangzhou, Shanghai, China,
2018 - Siddhartha Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal
2018 - KAMERA8 Painting is Dead Group show - Curated by Anya von Gosseln
2018 - KAMERA8 Christmas Group show - Curated by Anya von Gosseln
2018 - Boyle Arts Festival Exhibition
2018 - Arusha Gallery - Edinburgh
2014 - Watts Up, Bernardaud Foundation, Limoges - France
2016 - Newtownbarry House Exhibition
2011 - Green Acres Gallery Wexford
2007 - Bank of Ireland HQ.
2005 - Brown Thomas Dublin, Commission Shoe Rooms launch
2004 - Eígse Arts Festival Carlow.
Group Shows
2025 - Royal Academy of Art, London
2025 - RHA, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin
2025 - Society Women Artists, London
2025 - Beep 2024, Aberystwyth, UK
2025 - Beep Painting Biennial 2024, Swansea, UK
2025 - Beep Oriel Croesor, North Wales, UK
2024 - Society Women Artists, London
2024 - Pink is the colour, Olivier Coronet Gallery.
2024 - Bucolica, Mount Congreve House, Waterford..
2023 - Mermaid Arts Centre, group show
2023 - Royal Institute watercolour Painters London, Group show
2023 - Cairde, Sligo, group show
2023 - Royal Ulster Academy, Belfast.
2023 - Sample Studios summer show, Lord Mayors Pavillion, Cork.
2023 - Galleri Ramfjord, Oslo, Norway.2022 - Royal Ulster Academy, Belfast
2023 - Royal Watercolour Society, London.
2022 - Society Women Artists, London
2022 - Straight out of Ireland, Philadelphia.
2022 - Society Women Artists, London
2022 - RHA (Royal Hibernian Academy) Dublin
2022 - Bath Society Artists, U.K.
2022 - Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon.
2021 - Art Beijing, Youyi show.
2021 - RHA (Royal Hibernian Academy) Dublin
2020 - Bath Society Artists, U.K.
2020 - Society Women Artists, London
2020 - RHA (Royal Hibernian Academy) Dublin
2019 - RUA (Royal Ulster Academy)
2019 - The Society of Women Artists UK, Rosemary & Co award 2019.
2019 - Cairde Visual Sligo
2019 - Boyle Arts Festival, Kings house.
2019 - Youyi, Hangzhou, China
2019 - Crawford Gallery- Seen not Heard Exhibition - invited artist
2019 - The Biennial Ruth Borchard Self - Portrait Prize
2019 - RHA (Royal Hibernian Academy) Dublin
2018 - RUA (Royal Ulster Academy) - Irish News Award Winner for Ireland today
2018 - South West Academy (SWAc England)
2018 - RWA (Royal West of England Academy)
2018 - Royal Institute Oil Painters,London
2017 - Edinburg Art Fair
2017 - RUA (Royal Ulster Academy)
2017 - RHA (Royal Hibernian Academy) Dublin
2016 - RUA (Royal Ulster Academy) 196 Sculpture Installation
2016 - Wexford Fesitval Opera Gallery
2015 - RUA (Royal Ulster Academy) best overall award best work by non RUA academician
2014 - Art Fair RDS Dublin
2012 - Sculpture in Context Botanic Gardens Dublin
2012 - Meanscoil Gharman, Wexford Artist in Residence - Creative Engagement
Publications
2024 - Art Journal – USA
