The Fine Line

Mary’s short film, The Fine Line, has seen great success this year.

The film was selected to be screened at this year’s Irish Film Festival Los Angeles 2024 presented by CIACLA, which runs from the 16 to the 17 of March 2023.

More recently, Mary has been invited to represent the Crawford Art Gallery for the Artists’ Film International 2024 programme with the short film. The theme of this year’s programme is ‘Solidarity’

The Crawford Art Gallery’s partnership with the AFI spans five years. Established by Whitechapel Gallery in 2008, now administered by FormaHQ, London, AFI is a collaborative project currently featuring over fifteen global partner organisations which pool the knowledge and expertise of museums and galleries to provide an international showcase for the work of artists working in film, video, and animation today. 

The Fine Line, was also selected to be screened at the Achill Island Film Festival, Co. Mayo 2024. The film festival runs from May 9 - 11, 2024

From the Inside Out and the Outside In, 2023

On Saturday 11 November, Sarah Kelleher, writer, and curator opened Mary’s solo show at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen, Co Cork. The title of the exhibition From the Inside Out and the Outside In ran from 11 November to 23 December 2023.

From the Inside Out and the Outside In is a new body of work that started as a direct response to observations of the community of Bere Island during the initial COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The work focuses on the fragility of the island people while at the same time highlighting their strength and resilience. This exploration is set against the backdrop of Mary’s previous work around gendered labor, female narratives, and the military sites on Bere Island including At Home, At War which won the RDS Taylor award in 2018.

Irish Arts Review Feature

November, 2023

In the winter 2023, Mary Sullivan was featured in the Irish Arts Review, in an article written by TU Dublin School of Creative Arts postdoctoral scholar, Gráinne Coughlan

Beara Film Festival 2023

As part of the 2023 Beara Film Festival, I was delighted to submit my performance art video The Fine Line, which is part of a broader body of work, 'From the Inside Out to the Outside In.' The video focuses on the gendered roles that island women experience that extend beyond those of mainland dwellers.

Fishing and foraging are long-standing traditions of island people, passed down from generation to generation as a means to make money, bring food to the table and for enjoyment.

The reliance of island people on nature and the sea often saw island women take on additional roles to their mainland counterparts.

The Fine Line depicts the resilient work of island women that is often unnoticed.

Fragments in Constellation, Skibbereen Arts Festival

From July 23rd to August 1st, 2022, I was delighted to take part in the Skibbereen Arts Festival, showcasing my work From the Inside Out and the Outside in alongside ten talented artists for the Re:Group exhibition 'Fragments in Constellation.'

Re:Group is an international collective of eleven visual artists which formed virtually during the Covid-19 pandemic. Brought together by Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre, the artist-led collaborative space is a response to a time of isolation and challenging socio-economic conditions from various locales.

Irish Arts Review Feature

In Winter 2019, Mary Sullivan featured in the Irish Arts Review, in an article written by TU Dublin School of Creative Arts Lecuter Glenn Loughran.

Futures, Series 3, Episode 3 | Royal Hibernian Academy

From 22 November 2019 - 26 January 2020, Mary Sullivan will exhibit at the Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, as part of the Futures Series 3, Episode 3 exhibition alongside artists Anishta Chooramun, Jane Fogarty, Celina Muldoon, Sven Sandberg and Harry Walsh Foreman.

Curated by Patrick Murphy and Ruth Carroll, the exhibition has been described by The Irish Times art critic Aidan Dunne as "impressively polished production that yet manages to challenge expectations and suggests an openness to left-field arrivals."

With pieces from her recent exhibitions At Home, At War and Breathe, as well as new pieces, Mary's work has been expertly curated to fit into the RHA gallery space.

For more information about the exhibition and the RHA Gallery, visit their website (www.rhagallery.ie).