Rachel Macmanus
Biography
Rachel Macmanus is a visual artist based in Co Clare, Ireland.
Rachel has a BA in Visual Communications from National College of Art and Design, Dublin and MA in Fine Art from Open College of The Arts, UK. Rachel has exhibited nationally and internationally including at 126 Artist Run Gallery, Galway, Ps2 Studios, Belfast and Die Kunstschaffenden Gallery, Linz, Austria. Pandemic Era online shows include R-A-W Exhibition, by BBeyondLive and Reveal and Vanishing with THIS_ Gallery.
Her practice has two areas of focus- drawing and performance art. Her drawing practice focuses at present on community based collaborative projects and an ongoing exploration into her environment and social nuances of her surroundings.
Her performative practice addresses themes around endurance, repetition and physicality. Recent works apply a methodology of using physical action as a form of relief from anxiety and stress.
Previously to 2016 Rachel worked in the fitness industry as a personal trainer, fitness instructor and instructor trainer and gym manager. This period continues to inform her current performative practice heavily.
”I use the skillset I accumulated during my time as a fitness instructor to continue to use the body as a tool to produce, but with a contextually different goal.
I am endlessly exploring our personal relationship with our body and our body’s physical ability. So, I employ my body as a tool to make work. I don’t underestimate my body’s ability to carry out physical actions. I use physical movement as a way to experience extremes, from endorphin based joy to exhaustion induced pain.”
Rachel is currently developing a series of site specific durational performances, co-creating a multimedia installation for a Local Domestic Abuse Services Centre, running an Artist in Schools scheme under Clare Arts Office and is working on a community based portraiture project
Website:
Blog:
Insta:
Education
Masters in Fine Art, Open College of the Arts (UCA) 2019
BA in Visual Communications, National College of Art and Design 1997
Work
July Workshop Co facilitator
Limerick Youth Services
Burren Outdoor Education Centre
BallyVaughan, Co Clare
March 7 to June Creative Circles Co-facilitator
Online meeting platform for Co Clare based creatives
Glór, Ennis
March to June 30th Artist In Schools Scheme
Knockanean National School and St Joseph’s Hospital, Ennis, Co Clare
Facilitated by Clare Arts Office
April 23 - May 31 Reveal
Group Show, curated and hosted by THIS_ Gallery
March 02-20 2021 Line of Thought , PS² Belfast
2 Artist drawing show (online due to restrictions)
https://www.pssquared.org/projects/line-of-thought
January 15 2021 R-A-W Exhibition, curated and hosted by BBeyondLive
Group Show, (Online)
December 1 2020 Vanishing
Group Show, curated and hosted by THIS_ Gallery
October 15 - 25 2020 Business as Usual
Group Show, Making Space Gallery, Bow Street Mall, Lisburn, NI
October 6 - 28 2020. In Dialogue With The Unknown.
Group show, Die Kunstschaffenden Gallery, Linz, Austria
September 26 2020. Revision Festival, Belfast
Working Through Feelings. Durational live performance
Sep 01 - Oct 3 2020 Lockdown Through A young Lens.
Clare Kids Art Competition curated by Rachel Macmanus
glór, Co Clare, Ireland.
July/August 2020 Digital Graffitti Collaborative Project
Online collaborative project with 25 artists
March - May 2020 Clare Kids Art Competition
Art Competition for Primary School age children in Co Clare schools
Responsible for creation to completion of project.
March/April/June 2020 I Need To Be Ready Performance series
Ballybeg Woods, Burren National Park, Our Ladys Hospital, Ennis.
January 30 2020 Performance with Evil Collective, Plug'd, Cork
January 10 - 24 2020 Mind Breath Beat Group Show, 126 Artist Run Gallery, Galway, Co Galway
December 19 2019 Pack, Unpack. Durational Public Performance. Shannon Airport, Co Clare
November 01 2019 First Friday Artists talk. glór, Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland
October 05 2019 Night Crawl. Durational Public Performance, Ennis, Co Clare
28/29 September 2019 FIX19, members Film Program. Catalyst Arts, Belfast. 3 works screened
September 26 2019 Performance with Evil Collective for Evil IV, Pharmacia Bar, Limerick
September 20 2019 Culture Night screening of two works ‘Pushing Through’, ‘Tyre Flip- Ode to Sisyphus’ glór, Ennis, Co Clare,
June 2019 The Circle of Life
Collaborative Multimedia Project with Eleanor Feeley
glór, Co Clare, Ireland.
June 2019 Duodecimal. Open College of the Arts Masters Degree Show
The Civic, Barnsley, UK
May – November 2019 Living Portraits
Portrait Collection in association with Bealtaine 2019
glór, Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland.
November 2018 St Josephs Portraiture Project
Portrait Collection of Hospital Residents.
On permanent display in St Josephs Hospital, Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland.
June - October 2018 Poor Clare’s Portrait Project
Drawn portraits of the sisters of The Poor Clare’s Monastery
Ennis Friary, Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland
May 2017 No Ordinary People
Portraits of residents of Drumbiggle Nursing Home, Ennis
October 2017 Culturlann Sweeney, Kilkee Co Clare, Ireland
July 2017 Scarriff Library, Co Clare, Ireland
May 2017 Clare Museum, Ennis, Co Clare, Ireland
Media:
https://issuu.com/aldobrantifosco-fornio/docs/cm_60pp_composite
https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/fine-art/reflecting-on-duodecimal