Dervla O'Flaherty is a visual artist from Ireland. Her intimately layered works emerge through a deeply process-led practice, rooted in ongoing research into myth, place, and the unknown.

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Graduating from the National College of Art & Design (NCAD) in 2012 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art Painting, she completed postgraduate studies at Cyprus College of Art (CCA) in 2014. Dervla has undertaken recent projects as artist-in-residence in Ireland, India, Iceland, Cyprus and Hungary. Recent projects include a residency at the Institute for Contemporary Art, Yerevan (ICA) in July–August 2024.  

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Dervla participated in group shows at Ardgillan Gallery, Hamilton Gallery, and Ranelagh Arts Centre in 2024. She received an EU Culture Moves Europe grant in 2025, Ballinglen Arts Foundation Fellowship Award 2025 and has been appointed to the Bridge Guard artist residency in Slovakia for 2026.

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Her recent solo exhibition 'Otherworld Trouble' opened at Dillon Gallery, Cultúrlann in Belfast in January 2025. Upcoming solo exhibition 'Oracle Holes' will open at Cill Rialaig Arts Centre in July 2025.

 

Artist Statement

I’m driven by a deeply process-led practice, rooted in ongoing research into myth, place, the unknown, and the self. The work forms large overlapping mixed-media series with a strong emphasis on layering—both physically and conceptually.

Techniques like glazing, cutting, carving, and overlapping materials are central to my work.

Experimental physical process allow me to explore mythical, historical, and significant places through texture and form.

My current series Otherworld Trouble is a large body of mixed-media paintings developed from a search for surrogate access points to the otherworld, using textures gathered during recent travels (Hungary, Malta, Cyprus, Georgia, Armenia, Alaska), then consolidated in my studio in Ireland.

Drawn to thresholds, cracks, and entrances, these expressive works reimagine architectural and natural forms into wild poetic terrains that invite viewers contemplate the allure and peril of venturing beyond the known into 'the Otherworld', whatever that concept may mean to the individual.