Donoghue’s photographic prints present a series of strikingly lit human/animal hybrids arranged in black space. Transferred from page to screen, constructed from photography and then manipulated, the final images possess a sense of magical reality, underpinned by the suggestion of something more sinister and foreboding.
Exploring a number of themes such as loneliness, abandonment, loss and punishment, her work is inspired by mythology, folklore and pays homage to poets and musicians.
Narrative is at the forefront in Donoghues creations, inviting the viewer into a surreal world where the lines between real and fantastical are blurred and truths are questioned.
“I am interested in the concept of cruel fate and the idea of the tragic heroine, much like Thomas Hardy’s Tess from Tess of the d’Urbervilles, whose unrelenting kindness and pure intentions are mercilessly rewarded with misery and injustice to the point of tragedy. My work is an expression of my own personal fears and grievances. It is a testament to the dread I feel in anticipation of adverse yet inevitable events and my lamentation at past sorrows. My pieces often exist as metaphors for punishment; punishment for hidden feelings and secret deeds.”
Since graduating in 2007 from Bath Spa University Meryl Donoghue has exhibited widely throughout the UK and US with many of her first editions selling out.
