Violet Heffernan - 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. “Food Sharing” is a niche area that isn’t new; in fact, it renders the exchange as innate (heavily dominating human nature). This art form depends on interaction and, by default, instills conversation, thereby contributing to the question of expectation, renegotiation, and social norms.
Engaging with what Nicolas Bourriaud coined as relational aesthetics (1998)
~creating situations that facilitate human interaction, emphasizing audience participation, and burning the lines between art and life.
My work aims to draw attention to the space that surrounds a dinner table, surrounding elements that are important or a byproduct between the act of eating and community.
The table is a significant symbol, an entertainment feature that exemplifies a place for conversation.
That conversation changes depending on the surroundings; I aim to propose the question of why. Or rather, what?
The contrast of printing methods I aim to show will reflect the contrasts within the industry. Mocking the game I love to play.
The steel material symbolizes a common element of every kitchen. From state-of-the-art kitchens, from the familiar pass under heated lights to the knives either in a drawer or wrapped in cloth. It is a common denominator.
Spices are the flavor of the work
And the light casts shadows of our rituals, fabricated and human.
Like that in the darkness, what is revealed?
Education
2021 - 2025
Limerick School for Art and Design
Exhibitions
Group
2023
"The Story So Far" The Belltable, Limerick
2024
"PCP3" The Church Gallery, Limerick School for Art and Design
2024
"Kwaidan" The Hunt Museum, Limerick