Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Bronwyn Leigh Smith 

BA [Hons] Art

Bronwyn Leigh Smith is an Irish artist based in Dublin. Her work is mainly in moving image, and centres around autobiographical and non-linear narratives as an expression of mood, memory, and interpersonal relationships. Smith’s more recent work has moved into a series around illness, trauma and acceptance. Through exploring liminal spaces, physical senses, anecdotes and experimenting with audio and drawing on individual frames, she creates mundane yet absurd, or formative scenes. She has exhibited in IADT Shows such as New Translations (IMMA, 2019), Afterthought (United Arts Club, 2020) and Propositions (IADT, 2022).

Project Description

Shown is a series of four works made over the course of a year, each at different points in time of living through chronic health issues and recovery. The trauma of becoming ill, everyone around you dealing with the same, and the feeling that everything is gone and hopeless carry through all four pieces. It is a progression of dirt and mania into sedation and fluidity. They are their own, but together are a four act series under the name of the final piece, i’m gonna be fine in january. In the end, it is about forced acceptance. Things are the way they are. The push and pull of forcing oneself to accept this as a fact of life and to say yes to it, in order to continue. To not push away pain and trauma, but not to agree with it either. Just because I accept that this is happening, doesn’t mean that it’s ok, but that is ok. Sedation becomes the hopeful ending in this scenario.