Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire

Micaela Dunne 

BA [Hons] Art

Micaela Dunne is an artist based in Dublin and Westmeath. She explores the boundaries created between intimacy, human emotional connections and availability in a disconnected age. She works through moving image, photography, and performance art, incorporating spoken and written word. She has participated in group exhibitions in Dublin and Tallinn, including: New Translations (IMMA, 2019), Afterthought (United Arts Club, 2020), Poetics/politics of everyday (EKA, Tallinn, 2020), Vaikelu/Still Life (EKA, Tallinn, 2021), 110m vahet/110m apart (Tallinn, 2021), Jälgi mind, ma vaatlen sind/Follow Me, I Observe You (ARS Kunstilinnak, Tallinn, 2021) and Propositions (IADT, 2022).

Project Description

I describe my work as a poetic exploration of my inner thoughts and questionings around intimacy, vulnerability and emotional availability in a disconnected age. I explore these concerns through moving image, photography, spoken and written word performances, as well as installations, which at times include singing. I am seeking to unravel the different layers of our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. Questioning, self-reflection, and writing have always been a significant part of both my life and my creative process. By including people outside of myself in my work and process, I seek to understand the ways in which they also view and question life. I feel that human connection, vulnerability, and sensitivity to the world and people around us have been lost in many aspects of our lives. Through my artwork, I want to reconnect to these innate aspects of humanity, to find deeper connections within my own relationships, and to encourage my audience to discover these moments of connectivity in their own human experience.



Portrayals of Queer and Lesbian Identity in Art Practice

My thesis explores the notion of sexuality, race, and gender in art, with a focus on lesbian and queer women, and trans or gender-nonconforming people throughout art history. It looks at specific artists and how they expressed their identities and experiences through their art practice, in both past and current times. It presents a nuanced look at the historical significance of sexuality, race, and gender in art, exploring the very beginnings of lesbianism and queer identity.