Ciara Buckley is an artist from Co. Cork currently finishing a BA in Fine Art Painting at Limerick School of Art and Design. Ciara’s practice is deeply rooted in themes of growth and the fragility of nature. She uses a variety of materials to examine the intricate relationship between humans and the natural world. By combining painting with sculptural elements like wood and clay, Ciara engages with the textures and forms found in nature.

A key point of interest in Ciara’s work is the delicacy of the natural world. During a time when the effects of climate change can be seen so clearly, Ciara uses embroidery and light-weight materials to capture the fragility of nature. She uses wet felting techniques to create thin, translucent materials which are suspended in the studio space. These delicate cylinder structures resemble the intricate processes that govern the growth and regeneration of nature. Each piece is produced, with its own web of structure and individuality. It is easy to forget the complex growth process of each tree, plant and fungus in our world. This work calls for the viewer to pause for a moment and examine these structures.

Ciara became inspired by the the round structures often seen in lichen fungus. These curved oval forms have been translated into wool, painting and ceramics. There is also a sense of rhizomatic growth in the work, which is highlighted by the multitudes of pieces in the space. These groups of work represent the systems in nature that communicate with each other and feed out into the earth. This project calls for the audience to consider how we can do better to preserve and protect the complex systems in our natural world.