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 Artist Statement

The balance between the smile and the fire of chaos Soul and sacrosanct work in synchronicity.

Not striving to infect Footed in silver detritus

Shining evidence of misalignment.

Us, immune to the why And monument of tarnish.

Still, in peace, we feed, consume, varnish Our bellies until coated with laughter.

Aiming to recreate a setting all familiar to us, one that poses conversation, laughter, and community and acknowledges ancestry, history, and habit: the table. Food, for me, is a language of understanding, a looking glass into the way of life for other cultures and our own.

Art and food have been layered conjunctively for centuries. The act of “food sharing” is far from novel—it speaks to something primal, something inherently human. As an art form, it thrives on interaction, naturally inviting conversation and challenging the boundaries of social expectation, renegotiation, and norms.

My practice draws from Nicolas Bourriaud’s concept of relational aesthetics (1998): creating situations that prioritize human interaction, blur the lines between art and life, and emphasize participation over passive observation.

Thematically, it is tensions within the food and art industries that continuously draw my attention —a playful critique of the systems I’m deeply connected to. 

Materials matter to both me and the message.

Like a chef beginning with raw ingredients, my work starts with materials:

Steel—ubiquitous in the kitchen, found in everything from the pass beneath heat lamps to the knives tucked away in drawers or wrapped in cloth. It’s a shared language, a constant.

Spices—the essence, the flavor, the spark of the work.

Ceramics: What do you eat from?

Light—casting shadows that echo our rituals, both constructed and instinctive.

These are just some of the materials that have come to mean something in my work, alongside it is the idea of building a work from scratch -adding interest and authenticity.

Education

2021 - 2025

Limerick School for Art and Design

Exhibitions

Group

2023

2024

2024

2025

2025

"The Story So Far"     The Belltable, Limerick

"PCP3"     The Church Gallery, Limerick School for Art and Design 

"Kwaidan"     The Hunt Museum, Limerick

"Unseen" Peoples Museum, Limerick

Graduate Show, Limerick School for Art and Design

Solo

2025

"Tomfoolery" Spacecraft, Limerick

Contact

+353 871661757

@devils.in.details

© 2025 by Violet Heffernan. All rights reserved. 

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