Kate Dunne explores the human condition and the ambivalences of internal conflictions through conceptually abstract oil paintings. Her process includes projecting through translucent textiles which have been gathered, ruched, and manipulated to various extents to form her complex compositions. She considers the affect of discomfort, the physical symptoms that arise during times of unease and malaise. Dunne is interested in how discomfort exists only in the absence of comfort, making them inextricably linked; considering them as counterparts rather than opposites.

Specifically, her work deals with certain elements of the human condition where the symbioses of comfort and discomfort can become a struggle in and of itself, such as the often-contradictory internal happenings that occur during periods of uncertainty, emotional turbulence, or significant change. Many of her paintings appear fragmented and unresting, much like the cyclical and confusing thought processes which may occur during personal and internalised struggles. She uses paint to examine the push and pull between the comfort of what is, and the discomfort of what could be. She depicts aspects of the human experience which can often seem nearly incommunicable in nature and allows the viewer to apply their own story, problems, and memories to her work.

Visual discomfort is evoked to different degrees of intensity throughout her body of work using intense colours, high contrast, and energetic yet crowded compositions with no defined focal point. Brighter colours and spacious compositions, painted with softer, more delicate details serve to create a more comforting and peaceful atmosphere. The motif of translucent textiles reflects the fluidity of consciousness. Dunne allows the soft rippling waves to contrast with the sharp edges of the fabric’s folds and gathers, representing the turbulence and tenderness of the human experience.