Maitiú Mac Cárthaigh
6 July to 5 August 2026
Drop in to Studio 1 on Monday 27, Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 July
This residency will support Maitiú Mac Cárthaigh in resolving work for two upcoming exhibitions in September 2026. Working across installation, publication, expanded print media, sculpture, video and sound, their interdisciplinary practice explores the sexual politics of rural Ireland and the complexities of Queer identity within predominantly cis-heteronormative culture.
Their work examines how Queer identities are often de-sexualised and de-politicised in the pursuit of social acceptance and assimilation, while challenging assumptions that position Queer experience as inherently urban or metropolitan. Rooted in their experience of growing up Queer in West Cork, their practice engages with the realities of a rapidly changing rural Ireland, foregrounding overlooked Queer histories and anti-normative narratives within rural and agricultural spaces.
During the residency, Maithiú will continue material research centred on ideas of plasticity, biodegradability and artificial insemination. Their work incorporates handmade bioplastics using agar and gelatine alongside materials sourced from agricultural Co-Ops, including polywire, baler twine, silage wrap and AI gloves.
The residency will also further develop their “Country Boys Make Do” methodology, which explores the potentiality of materials while resisting reductive ideas of rurality as static or regressive, instead framing it as a site of complex interconnectivity.
Lecture Performance. Maitiú Mac Cárthaigh. thirty 6-inch top down all purpose.
Friday 31 July. 11.30am to 12.15 pm. Free event, no booking required.
Not for younger audiences.
Maitiú is an artist haunted by memories of a family farm burning down when they were younger. How this farm burning down sent dreams of inheritance up in smoke. How this farm burning down is the perfect cover story for not being the right son - they’ve very limp wrists.
thirty 6-inch top down all purpose is Maitiú's attempt to explore what they fondly call the Back-Ass of Nowhere. Comprising sound, sculpture and spoken word, this work examines the interconnectedness of oat lattes, artificial insemination and rustic sodomy in a rapidly yassifying rural Ireland.