Clare Lyons

Born 3rd November 1993 (Dublin)
Website clarelyons.net

Clare Lyons is a photographer and visual artist living in Dublin. Her work is typically deeply private and explores themes of trauma, memory, and her personal struggle with mental illness. In 2019 she completed a residency at Arts, Letters and Numbers in New York where she had her first solo exhibition. This work was then shown at Rathfarnham Castle as part of group show The Invention of Memory curated by Julia Gelezova and included on the main programme of the PhotoIreland Festival. Clare is currently Assistant Editor at Junior Magazine which is an annual journal showcasing emerging Irish photographic talent, and is a member of Ormond Art Studios.

Awards and honours

2019 Recipient, Universities Ireland North/South Postgraduate Scholarship
2019 Winner, #FotoRoomOPEN Jörg Brockmann Edition, Single Image Category
2019 Artist Residency, Arts, Letters and Numbers, Averill Park, New York, USA
2019 Travel and Training Award, Arts Council of Ireland

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

2019 March 10th, Back Into Your Mind, Arts, Letters and Numbers, Averill Park, New
York, USA ¹

Group exhibitions

2019 The Invention of Memory, curated by Julia Gelezova, Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin
2019 #tootiredwarsaw, curated by Tara Wray, Leica 6×7 Gallery, Warsaw, Poland
2019 Third-Thursday, curated by Jennifer Park, Arts, Letters and Numbers, Averill Park, New York, USA
2019 #tootiredcanton, curated by Tara Wray, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York, USA
2018 Halftone Print Fair, The Library Project, Dublin
2018 Pairs, Taproot Art, Rare Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
2018 Living Proof, curated by Caoimhe Donnelly, The Tara Building, Dublin, Ireland
2017 Winter Open Exhibition, RUA RED, Dublin, Ireland
2017 Halftone Print Fair, The Library Project, Dublin, Ireland
2016 Nothing in Stone, Steambox Gallery and Studios, Dublin, Ireland
2016 I Am Doing Things: The Graduate Showcase, The Institute of Art, Design & Technology IADT, Dublin, Ireland

Projects

Back Into Your Mind (2018 – 2019)
A current work in progress exploring memory and consciousness – in particular suppressed and repressed memories, how the mind makes decisions to remember or forget based on experiences of trauma, and how this experience can be conveyed visually.
room 3 (2015 – 2016)
A project undertaken as I experienced my worst bout of mental health troubles and began receiving treatment at the Tallaght Mental Health Centre or Sheaf House. When photographing Sheaf House I focused on capturing the nuances of duality, duplicity and disorder that exist both in my mind and in the space itself. Through the chaos of my mind, this space has remained one that is calm and still, full of absence, a constant contradiction. For me, Sheaf House remains a place which is both clinical yet homely, welcoming yet sterile, safe but full of uncertainty.
1311491 (2015)
Made during my most intense manic episode to date, 1311491 gives an account of the reality of living with the lesser known symptoms of bipolar disorder. Mania can be defined by certain specific factors such as: inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, feeling more talkative than usual or feeling pressure to keep talking, intense racing thoughts, and psychomotor agitation. The high speed of these GIFs forces the viewer ever so slightly into the mindset of someone experiencing these symptoms, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of even one fast moving frame in an attempt to understand what’s going on.