Ben Mc Cabe Macari
**Upon The Graves Of Gods** is built upon my queer identity and growing up where I felt I couldn't fully represent this identity or didn't have a space to explore it as a child or young adult. This manifests in different ways through my making and has resulted in two distinct works. The first is a painting titled **An Sidhe murmur from An Saol Eile**. The second work is a series of six paintings under the collective title **DRESS THEM UP!** Both works try to explain the feeling of the joy of being queer through expression and the spaces we find ourselves in.
**An Sidhe murmur from An Saol Eile** explores queer spaces, deriving imagery from the Irish folklore of An Saol Eile, where wounded or dying Sidhe or fairies would go to heal and rest. It is often the case in Ireland that queer people are labelled as fairies (myself included) and I wanted to reclaim the work fairy with this piece. **An Sidhe murmur from An Saol Eile** depicts the casual intimacy in queer groups, in a safe space where they can explore their authentic selves. The imagery for this work was derived from a photoshoot of my friends, dressing in fake wings and fake elf ears.
**DRESS THEM UP!** is a response to queer expression. It evokes the experience of viewing dolls in a store, exploring how individuals express themselves through body and fashion. This is heightened by themes of what could be seen as drag placed onto the figures, such as alien, zombie and fairy. I wanted to show heightened personas with the dolls and the endless possibilities when you open yourself up to authentic expression. Each model for this project is a friend who identifies in some way with aspects of the LGBTQ+ community. There are six dolls, all painted in acrylic on identically sized canvases, and each inviting interaction. The exhibition visitor has the option to remove, replace and swap their clothing.
Ben McCabe Macari is an artist based in the areas of Dublin and Meath. They specialize in painting, focusing on figurative imagery. Their work derives themes from queer joy and spaces, along with the feelings around belonging. McCabe Macari has exhibited in The Place Project, IMMA studios (2023), Emerging Perspectives, Reynold’s Gallery (2025), 195th RHA Annual Exhibition (2025), 147th Dublin Painting & Sketch Club Annual Exhibition, Art Riddler Exhibition (2025), 144th RUA Annual Exhibition (2025), Solstice Surveyor Exhibition (2025), 196th RHA Annual Exhibition (2026), Shortlisted for Hennessey Craig Award (2026), RHA The Whytes Award (2026).
