Laura Fitzgerald | galerie michaela stock

Fitzgerald’s artwork in the exhibition explores her relationship with her father, their farm, and her life as an artist. Incorporating her father’s shopping lists and audio recordings, the pieces delve into themes of land use, ownership, and responsibility in farming. The exhibition also features a significant element—a wooden crate that was produced by her father and protected her drawings during her studies at the Royal College of Art, symbolizing the challenges artists encounter on their creative path.

The abstract circular drawings I drew these all winter, created during a winter in London of self-discovery, reflect Laura Fitzgerald’s struggle to find her voice and space for self-expression. In this time Fitzgerald frequently commuted back to Ireland for an agricultural training course, influenced by her father’s insistence. Through these circular drawings, she prompts viewers to contemplate the passage of time and the ever-changing nature of life, while blurring the boundaries between urban and rural landscapes. Her artwork serves as a visual bridge, connecting diverse experiences and encouraging reflection on our shared human connections.

In the show, two videos are on view that are relate to themes of struggle and uncertainty. In her video piece “P45,” Fitzgerald masterfully crafts an unsettling ambiance, enhanced by animal sounds and flight paths, evoking a feeling of uncertainty and departure. The video disrupts traditional perceptions of contemporary art, urging us to question its boundaries and explore its existence beyond the confines of gallery spaces. In the video work “A Mountain for Venice,” Laura Fitzgerald intertwines themes of the countryside, nature, farming, and the peculiarities of the art world. The piece proposes the audacious idea of submitting a small Kerry Mountain as a potential artwork to represent Ireland in the prestigious Venice Biennale, challenging conventional notions of artistic representation and inviting contemplation on the interplay between rural landscapes and international art platforms.

Laura Fitzgerald’s return to her homeland and immersion in the rural environment prompt a reflective journey and let her to question her role as an artist and explore the complex relationship between her artistic pursuits, farming traditions, and her identity as a female artist. She is continually seeking to reconcile her passion for art with her connection to the land. To contribute to the preservation of agricultural traditions while expressing her authentic artistic voice.

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Laura Fitzgerald is a visual artist from a small mountain farm in Kerry, in Ireland. She completed her BA in Fine Art (Painting) at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin in 2007 and her MFA at the Royal College of Art, London in 2013. In 2017, she was awarded the Lucian Freud Residency at the Irish Museum of Modern Art Dublin and in 2018, Laura was awarded a three-year residency at The Fire Station Artists’ Studios. In 2021, she was the recipient of the Visual Arts Bursary Award from the Arts Council of Ireland for the 2021-22 period. Additionally. She received the Golden Fleece Award in 2021, which allowed her to create a studio on her father’s land in County Kerry.

Website of Laura Fitzgerald