Ava O’Shea is an artist based in Dublin. Her work is inspired by her experience of working in Rialto Youth Project in Dublin 8, specifically the changes in the area and how its history is reflected in the present. Rialto has developed rapidly, both physically and socially since the 1970s, and Ava’s work focuses on the physical transformations of the area; the old and the new architecture, and how they represent different times.
Rialto, and its surrounding areas, are filled with elements and reminders of the past, alongside new builds and developments. This visual representation of the past and present is what Ava tries to recreate in her work. She creates a documentation of the past and present within the same image, through the etching process and the development of a copper plate. She also uses collage, screen-print, and sculpture to translate her work.
Flats Through Gates
Reconstruction Collage (i)
Construction Collage
Palimpsest Series
Print from Palimpsest Series
Reconstruction Collage (ii)
Reconstruction Collage (iii)
Work in Progress (i)
Work in Progress (ii)