Creative Spark Welcomes 2024's Seventh Artist in Residence: Aoife Cawley

Aoife Cawley is a printmaker and textiles artist from Kildare, Ireland and currently based in Scotland. Aoife graduated in 2024 with a First-Class Honours in Contemporary Art Practice from Duncan of Jordanstone, College of Art and Design, Dundee.

Aoife’s work is centred around stories and people from folklore, mythology, hagiographical and historical contexts. These stories or figures are commemorated through the mediums of printmaking and embroidered textiles. She draws inspiration from the past, looking back to medieval art, the Arts and Crafts Movement, and the Celtic Revival and uses similar mediums and references to create her work.

Her current practice is concerned with the lives of saints, more specifically with early Christian Ireland and the plethora of saints from that time period. The work focuses on the folklore surrounding these saints and how they have left us with long standing traditions that are still upheld today. She is aware of the importance of preserving these stories for future generations and uses her practice to revive, reimagine, or highlight their relevance in a contemporary context.

During her time as Artist in Residence at Creative Spark. Aoife intends to research St. Brigid’s connection to Louth as well as other major folklore stories, such as the Táin Bó Cúailnge.