I’m Kieran, a printmaker who is on the autism spectrum and I also live with bipolar disorder. These things don’t define me but they help make me who I am. I predominantly work with intaglio and lithography. I also experiment with different drawing media and incorporate painting techniques in my work. An ongoing conceptual focus of mine is aura and the associated notions of authenticity, originality and reproduction. I create both figurative and abstract works. My abstract work is created emotively and instinctively. To compliment this mode of making my figurative work is a more considered and methodical process. My current body of work centres on my lived experience of mental health. I’m passionate about this work because I want to break down stigmas and make these things [mental health] easier to discuss. I want them to be more chill and easier to broach, so that they’re not heavy or off-putting. Because they are just a part of who I am. My mental health and developmental disorder have shaped me and it’s important for me to embrace this and not hide it away. This body of work is somewhat dark and harrowing, as I want people to realise that dark times happen, and they will pass. This is what some of my struggles looked and felt like… And this is a reminder to reach out if you ever struggle.

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Fear of the dark, 2021  

mezzotint  

500 x 380 mm

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It’s scary, 2021  

drypoint and mezzotint  

560 x 380 mm

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The mirror is watching me (larger border), 2021  

photographic etching  

380 x 360 mm

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Sequence 1, 2021  

video (1920 x 1080 px)

4 minutes

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